The Majical Band. Music and Songs.

Something Wonderful . . . 2001 A Space Odyssey

2008-11-05T00:31:00.000-08:00

Something really fantastic happened last night. Barack Obama has been elected 44th President of the United States of America. Now take a look at this more closely because it is more profound than you might think.

It's not just about electing an African American to the presidency but also the changing of the guard. It's a brave new world and everyone senses it.

Have you noticed how the "old guard" republicans have already condemned and doomed this administration to failure? These are the scare tactics they have used ad nauseum forever but it will not work on the enlightened people any longer.

This shift in consciousness is beyond just the election of a young, intelligent and visionary new president. It's also about how the WORLD feels the hope as well, and how we are perceived; that we can shift the hatred, racism and warmongering practices this administration and former republican administrations have wreaked upon the world for far too long.

THIS IS SOMETHING WONDERFUL!

We are living in wonderful times and this is a new energy that will transcend the old politics and rhetoric we've endured since the deaths of Bobby and MLK, Jr.; that we have indeed reached the promise land we have sought for many years. This is not Utopian; this is the real deal.

Let's all get together and make this work for us here in the US and for everyone abroad too.

Congratulations America; we're on our way.

Peace and Love

Jorge

How to END a GREAT band... Part 1

2008-09-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

The Majical Band. Twelve years in the making yet still redefining itself.

The rumors were true that the band was breaking up, and, after the two VERY BEST SHOWS of its career, one at the Millhouse Deli in Redding for the brew fest and the other at the Mosquito Serenade in Anderson, how could that be? Well, that's how Jorge likes it . . . save the very best for last.

Majical started out 12 years ago with three souls wanting to make music that was different in the Redding, California area, where country, blues and Top Forty was the music of the day. Jorge Arguello had played in bands all of his life and Michael P. Harris had for much of his. Hilario Salsedo was a newbie but had enthusiasm to make good music.

Hilario heard about Jorge through a friend of his named Larry Wright. He contacted Jorge and wanted to talk because he knew that he wanted to make music that was different too, just as Jorge did.

After a couple of meeting and jams, Hilario talked about a guy that would or could be interested in joining this nucleus and create something new. That person was Michael P.

He and Jorge hit it off immediately not only musically but, psychically; spiritually and they instinctively knew that there were internal rhythms and melodies wanting to come out. Michael heard what Jorge felt and vice versa and the songs just started pouring out.

First they just modified songs that were popular but they realized that making new music, original music that was different sounding, rhythmic in style but with melodious characteristics was where they wanted to go and from there formed a couple of the classic songs of the Majical repertoire still played today.

That nucleus went on to play stand out shows and Bob Gallegos of the iconic Millhouse Deli, a place where Majical would eventually play almost every year of its long standing career, gave those three, the very first chance to play, and play they did.

There were a hundred or so souls dancing to the strange rhythms, well, strange for Redding anyway, who were unaccustomed to anything cultural at the time. But get up and dance they did and Majical knew they had hit on something that folks around here were starving for.

This was a three piece band; Jorge on guitars, guitar synthesizers, singer front man and songwriter for the band, Michael P. on Keyboard Synthesizers and sequence designer for drum and other sounds as well as singer and songwriter for the band, and Hilario on all things that were percussion in nature.

After several months of rehearsing, getting to know one another and finally coming up with a name that Jorge came up with, Majical, they decided to go out and play. Majical turned out to be just a spanish play on the word magical but it represented what the band wanted to do and that was be majical at everything they did.

They took Redding by storm and a few months later they grew to a point where Jorge realized they needed to add real drums and a bass player to complete the sound, and so it began . . . the New Direction.

As reported by Jorge Arguello

Has the Majical Band ended? Long Hiatus may be more like it but find out here and come back to read more excerpts of the The Majical Band-Music that influenced the Scene.

Majical ART expands.

2007-08-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos,

Glad that you are here. God, I hope that all is well with you and that you are enjoying your SUMMER wherever that happens to be.

Redding has been unusually COOL well, relatively speaking of course. I mean it's still 98 or 97 during the day and we're still swimming in our pools or at the many lakes that surround this area. But normally around here it's 105 degrees and up during the month of August.

Of course it looks like these feathered dudes are dong alright and have the right idea because THAT'S the way you stay refreshed when you live around here. I think I'll go camping there cuz it looks pretty darn cool ;-)

So Majical has been staying busy but things have slowed down a bit for us. The summer is in its last LAZY DOG DAYS and many people including band members are vacationing or just doing the other things that occupy their lives.

TALKING ABOUT LAZY DAWGS . . .

But here's what's going on anyway. Majical is doing more and more private gigs and that's really great although for our fans, groupies and friends it's not so much fun I guess. Our Millhouse Deli gig was great; the 3rd of July went awesomely well and we had a great time at what is now called BOMBAY"S formerly known as Billy Bombay's.

Personally I have gone to see SANTANA, ERIC CLAPTON in intimate venues and that has been wonderful seeing my musical mentors like that.

But I have also been very busy getting my new non profit organization off the ground. It's called the UNITED ARTS MOVEMENT INTERNATIONAL or UAMI for short. You can go to my website at http://www.uami.org/ and visit the blog at http://uami.blogspot.com/ to get even more information and knowledge of what I'm doing with my LIFE'S PURPOSE.

So what is on the horizon for the Majical Band?

We are definitely writing new material and it seems that with some of the changes that have gone on with the band and some more that are in store, we will be recording the next album and really spending time making that a really great sophomore treat for you.

But we are also working on three concert dates that we'll be promoting and doing ourselves. What I mean is that it won't be at a local PUB, BAR or CLUB, savvy?

I definitely will keep you informed though and it is coming sooner than you think. We are really excited because these will become shows that you'll remember for years to come. And when we all look back on it, they will be memories that you'll look fondly on and be glad that you were there to enjoy and be a part of it.

So stay tuned and watch out for the great things coming up. And if you wish to know more of what is happening with UAMI please join my NEWSLETTER at either the website or the blog at the links above.

Thanks for reading my newsletter and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Peace and Love,

Jorge- The Majicalman

HOW SHOULD I APPROACH THE MIX PROCESS?

2007-02-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

If you think of songwriting and recording as an artistic process, it's not hard to draw an analogy between mixing a song and painting a picture.

Let's say you're looking at a painting of some French farmland. Your eyes move from the green rolling hills, to the creek winding past the red farmhouse, to the farmer greeting the cow as the sun shines above.

Now think of your mix as a "musical landscape." Every element is distinct but integrated, flowing into each other. A great mix allows the ears to wander from one sound to the next but always focusing back on the main elements - the melody, the hook, etc.

In your painting, the frequencies are your colors. Allow your instruments to stand out, with some colors brighter than others.

I hope this post helps out and if you are looking for musical equipment then look no further because you will find it here at:

http://www.jorgearguello.com/musica.html

Peace and love,

Jorge The Majical Man

How does a limiter work and who am I?

2006-07-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

You are a MUSICIAN, and a recording one at that. So, you have a limiter and you want to know how it works.

First, what is a limiter? A limiter limits; it essentially reduces the amount of gain, or level coming into the device, and keeps that sound at a determined level set by the user of the device.

To put it simply it limits audio peaks that would otherwise cause distortion in the audio chain.

A limiter is also the same thing as a compressor, except that in the compression mode, the limiter is used to squash the overall signal, not just catch and reduce peaks.

The result is that you hear sounds that you wouldn't have before and it brings down loud offensive levels, smoothing out the track or live sound and giving it a more "polished" sound.

A basic limiter consists of input control, a threshold control, and a gain reduction control. The threshold is set by the engineer, and determines the point at which the limiter/compressor does its gain reduction.

The gain reduction control is typically expressed in terms of a ratio. For example, a 3:1 setting would mean that for every 3 db of level over the threshold, the limiter will only output 1 db.

Musical Tidbits

In other news, Sting, formerly known as Sting, published his memoir, Broken Music, in Estonia this last week. On Friday at 2pm, he will meet fans & sign copies of the book before his concert at the Saku Arena - featuring a new energetic and stripped down rock show from the Broken Music Tour.

The concert will feature music spanning the course of his career. The opening act for the evening and the special guest of the show is Sting's son Joe Sumner with his band Fiction Plane.

"I am delighted by the recent publication of "Broken Music". It has been 5 years since I've played Estonia and I look forward to meeting fans and performing there again," says Sting.

In the words of concert producer Peeter Rebane this is the first time in his 11 years and 400 show experience when a top world artist meets people in person and gives autographs signing books.

So there you have it, limiters, Sting, gear and fab-u-loso advice. Use it wisely.

I ain't gonna sing the blues . . .

2006-07-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

Naw, I ain't complainin' or anything like that. It's a song I wrote a while back and it is reminiscent of the old big blues band style of sound.

Another song I wrote is called Finding' Thrills over the Hill, which really echoes sentiments on the aging process, which of course isn't happening to me . . . ;-)

Why the blues references? Well, even though my band Majical is primarily a "Latino cumbia" band, my past influences are blues, rock and roll, hard rock and psychedelic rock. Of course I grew up with motown, stax and soul too.

My heritage is Nicaraguan so I grew up with all the Latino styles as well so when you mix all that up, I end up writing songs that are a congruence of those styles.

My real influences as a songwriter are who I consider the masters of pop music, the Beatles. They lead that list because of the way they structured and executed their songs. The delivery of their music cannot be topped by anyone, anywhere.

Then going down the list of songwriters are people like Carol King, Neil Diamond, Paul Simon, Sting, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix.

But then there are the blues masters that influenced me as I began to delve deeper into the blues. People like Robert Johnson, the Wolf and the more modern bluesists like Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop and even my friend, Osee Anderson.

Here are some blues terminology that might be of interest;

Biscuit Blues-N'k. . .a flaky biscuit dripping with honey and butter. Hmm, what does that mean I wonder? A young, sexy nubile woman . . . well you get the picture. SEX-SEX-SEX
Black Cat Bone- A voodo, hoodoo style of thought claims that if you know how, you can bring back an old lover or make a new possible become your lover, or even bring fame!! Whatever. . . who wants that old lover back anyway? Well, it could also mean... ah, forget it.
Mojo- A hoodoo, voodoo charm. A bag filled with toe nail clippings, frogs legs, twigs, eye of newt. I guess in the hands of a skilled voodoo chile (pronounced chi-el not chi-lee silly), you could conjure and trap a spirit or ghost. Hopefully not the ghost of Patrick Swayze and just the old rotten toenails would make anyone do your bidding.
Stomp-Stompin the ground I guess. Don't all musicians do that?
Jump- You mean like David Lee Roth while he grabs his balls to get those high notes? Or was that Eddie hittin' em with his guitar as he jumped? God he sucks!!

The blues is filled with all kinds of interesting anecdotes, charms and history and I am proud of the fact that it is indelibly American music. The Rhythms may have come from Africa but when mixed with that Irish, English, Hillbilly stuff it turned into the blues and became specific to our southern region and a true form of American music.

This is all debatable of course but I thought I would voice that opinion and see who sends me death threats just for kicks. HA! I scoff at thee. . .

Jorge is Bandleader-Songwriter-Guitarist Frontman of the Majical Band and you can hear and see them in and around the Redding, California area. Visit his GIGS page to see exactly where. He's decided to approach life in a more comedic way than ever before, although he's always been that way.

Haiku A Day May Keep The Doctor Away

2006-05-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Michael Levy is a writer, poet, peace-nik and author who believes in truth, beauty and joy.

Michael submitted a poem that I posted at www.majical.com/lyrics.html because it was very good, and I am a bit selective when it comes to who's poetry I post on my websites or blogs.

Here's a press release on him and his works. I believe that Michael is the genuine article and I support any and all works that he produces.

Here's his release and at the end you'll find his contact information as well. When you write him tell him I said hello; that's Jorge of The Majical Band. Without futher ado, here is Michael Levy.

Ultra - Violet Haiku De-Lights

In a busy world, where people are swamped with everyday chores and work, they do not have time to read long- winded inspirational books.

Michael Levy has penned a new meaningful book that can reduce stress in an easy manner. The reader only needs to read three short haiku lines, which will allow them to develop a thought provoking inspirational message, throughout their working day.

Levy declares; A refreshing three line haiku poem, taken from the 270 + poems in the book, can be carried in the mind all day long. It could help ease the toil and lift the burden of stresses and strains of modern day living ... Levy says this unfamiliar way of relieving stress will be the next big thing to catch on with busy mums and exhausted dads.

It is sure to be an inspirational / humorous boon for every preoccupied, stressed-out person on planet earth. Point of Life book publishers have been in business for eight years, publishing eight titles by inspirational author and world celebrated poet, Michael Levy.

His inspirational poetry and essays now grace many assorted web sites, journals and magazines throughout the world. Point of Life web site is ranked number one in the world when "Inspirational books" are the search words on Google and a deeper search will reveal the extent of Levy’s reach throughout the world.

He is expert columnist for Positive Health magazine, the leading complimentary health publication in the UK. Levy has also been published by the The Royal College of Psychiatry many times over the past three years Ultra - Violet Haiku De-Lights ... The most profound, meaningful and humorous haiku publication in many years.

Available from all book stores in the USA & UK from 12th May

Contact Details: Michael Levy
Book Name: Ultra - Violet Haiku De-Lights
Price: $12.95 paperback, non-fiction poetry
Publisher: Point of Life, Inc. Publication
Date: May 06
Phone Number: 954-785-8439
Fort Lauderdale Florida Website: http://www.pointoflife.com/
Email: mikmikl@aol.com

There you go people, and remember, a Haiku a day keeps all your worries away :-)

Licensing Your Music

2006-05-20T23:56:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how musicians overlook this way of making money with your songs. Ever hear about ASCAP, BMI or SESAC? Read here what Andre Calihanna has to say about it . . .

Music is everywhere. It's playing in just about every restaurant in every city around the world. It's in the air when you go to the mall. It's in practically every television show and movie ever made. It’s on video games and airplanes. It's pretty difficult to escape it.

Amazingly, with copyright law, all this music is protected. The copyright owner, typically the songwriter and/or composer, has to grant rights for the use of his material, be it on radio, television, in a public place, etc. The owner of the sound recording also has to grant permission for the recording to be used or broadcast.

A license grants the right to use or broadcast music. In the case of radio stations, restaurants, and bars, this is usually done with a blanket license obtained from ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC, the performance rights organizations who monitor and collect money for artists.

In most venues, the songs played are hits by popular artists. But the demand for new and unheard content makes licensing a viable opportunity for independent artists.

"If you look at it, it's one of the only real ways of earning money off your music," says Eric de Fontenay, founder and publisher of MusicDish. “The music industry is changing, but the revenue channels aren't changing as quickly as the industry. Principally, artists are making their money by gigging and selling merchandise. After that, if they’re advanced enough, it’s licensing."

The opportunities available to independent musicians don't often have a lot if money attached to them. Still, Sean Cassidy, founder of independent Running Dream Records, is thrilled to have landed a track on EA Sports’ best-selling FIFA 06 video game. Selasee, the sole artist on the label’s roster, earned the distinction by beating out thousands of other indie submissions.

"Often there’s not a lot of money to be made in the licensing part," explains Cassidy. "In some situations, where there’s not much promotion for you, you have to get some kind of monetary compensation. But for something like an EA Sports video game, there’s no monetary compensation for that – if you get something it's very small – because they’re giving you this great marketing platform. Six million people get this video game. You have to recognize the benefits in that situation and not focus on the monetary aspect."

"If you’re making a film, you need music. When you say cheap, you're comparing it to what the other option is, which is major label music. With that, the most expensive part might not be the music but may be all the legal terms, conditions, negotiations, etc.

So there are a lot of independent film makers who are looking for music that does not impose the same transactional costs. The artist could still make $3,000 off the deal. Of course, the publisher might make 50%, but the artist is still making $1,500. How many CDs do you have to sell to make that? How long does it take to sell that many CDs?"

Television placement represents a large and relatively attainable avenue for licensing songs. Evan Koch, who heads Primary Voltage Records, a Boston-based indie label, landed artists on MTV responding to an online posting. He sent all the label’s CDs to MTV, and some were selected for placement.

"The bottom line is MTV has got the most hours of original programming to fill," Koch says, “and they definitely have a need to make their content to seem very up-to-date. Put that together with the small budget they've got and it screams out the need to find an indie artist. Find stuff that’s just breaking out and get it on the air."

From an economic standpoint, the artist earns money in two separate streams in a TV licensing arrangement. First, there are synchronization rights, which is basically the copyright owner granting the network the right to synchronize his music with their program.

"But for an indie artist, you’re not in a strong bargaining position," explains Koch, "so you’re basically accepting zero for that. But luckily, there’s the second piece of the puzzle. Every time your song gets played, ASCAP or BMI is tracking it and they collect money on behalf of the songwriter. So that’s a check every three months."

To read more about licensing, go to: http://www.discmakers.com/music/ffwd/2006/licensing.asp

So there you have it folks. Your art is sacred but if you don't believe in SAS (starving artist syndrome) then licensing can be your ticket to paradise, or at least to the super-market.

Always do what you love. Peace out.

Rock Writing for Television Music Jingles

2006-05-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

I know you are a musician, an artist, a creator of art. But you're probably starving right? Yes, most musicians fall into the "starving artist syndrome" also known as SAS.

Well here's an article written by Michael Laskow, CEO and founder of Taxi. For those of you not familiar with that organization, they help bring music to the people who need it the most; radio, theatre and yes, television.

I belong to Taxi and it is a wonderful organization for the musician who believes that getting your art to the world is a good thing.

Television Music
by Michael Laskow

Often, success in the music industry is about recognizing opportunity and then seizing it. Well, you constantly stare at one of the easiest ways to make money with your music, and it stares right back at you. As a matter of fact, it even talks to you and millions of other people. Wake up and smell the latte… it's your TV!

In the early days of television there were three networks and only slightly more channels. With the advent of cable and satellite transmission, the average American home has 60-100 channels of programming and virtually every show needs music. On top of that, there are a lot more countries other than the U.S. that have TV's with music-hungry programs, with more channels popping up every day.

You've got your big-time networks, your not so big networks, your food networks, your travel networks, hunting networks, beauty networks, health networks, et. al., and they’ve got one thing in common: they all have programming that needs music!

So where does all that music come from? Most of it comes from people like you. If you think all those shows have high-priced music houses to do custom scoring for them, think again. The majority of the music you hear on TV comes from what are commonly called production music libraries.

Production music libraries buy much of their music from people who work out of home or project studios, so you don't even need to have an arsenal of equipment. A studio with MIDI and eight tracks should do the trick.

You also need to know that making music for TV isn't like making records, and it isn't like making demos. The quality of your recording has to be what is commonly called, "master quality." In short, that means, better than a demo, but not necessarily as good as a record. The companies that buy or use these tracks are not looking for good compositions that need to be re-recorded. They want something that's ready to air with no re-cutting or re-mixing.

Tracks for TV, radio, documentaries, and corporate videos are usually requested in lengths of :2, :5, :10, :15, :30, :60, and 3:00. Most libraries will ask for a specific track in all or most of the aforementioned lengths. Some lengths are used for TV commercials, some are for radio, some are used for station I.D.'s, and some are used for cues in films.

Be prepared to write your tracks so they are easily editable to the shorter lengths from the longer "parent" track, and make sure the tracks have a button, or closed ending. That simply means the tracks ends on a beat, not a fade, and by the way, should somebody tell you they need a :30 track, they really mean they need a :29.5 (reverb decay included), a :60 should be :59.5 and so on. If the tracks are too long, they will be cut off by the next commercial or segment of the TV show. Golden rule: never go over the allotted time. Come in just short, ring out included.

The exception to the button ending is when the film or TV show needs a song with lyrics, not just an instrumental track. There are often cases where a scene requires something that sounds like a hit song, but has never actually been a hit. It's cheaper to license a song from somebody who is "nobody" than it is to license a song from a major superstar. In fact, it can be tens of thousands of dollars cheaper.

For many people, a record deal is the brass ring they're after. The truth of the matter is that getting a deal on a major label is very, very difficult and getting a deal on many indie labels means that you've just signed with a label that can give you lots of attention, but they have no marketing machine or promotion money behind them.

The bottom line is that if you get off the couch and get motivated, you can make enough money making music to quit your day job, but the companies who need this music won't track you down. You need to figure out who they are and how to make contact with them. The networks themselves aren't the people to call. Try to find music libraries, publishers who regularly work in film and TV, and music supervisors working on film and TV projects.

Many of you reading this column would likely be very happy to just make a living exclusively doing music, and getting your music onto TV shows and film is one of the most realistic approaches to achieve it. You probably won't make millions, but you can earn a nice living.

Michael Laskow is the President of TAXI, the world's leading independent A&R company helping unsigned bands, artists, and songwriters get record deals, publishing deals and placement in films and TV shows. Find out more about TAXI and their services at http://www.taxi.com/.

So there you have it folks. Get off yer duffs and get over yourself about being a rock and roll star. Create some great jingles, gather your friends around you, turn on the tv and have them listen to your latest "recording".

You might think you've sold out, but you'll be moping all the way to the bank. Then you can buy more recording gear and that new Stratocaster you've always wanted. . .oh and that. . .

Peace out!
Jorge

HOW DO I JUMP FROM 'DEMO' RECORDINGS TO 'MASTER QUALITY' RECORDINGS?

2006-04-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Majicaleros,

There are several issues involved in determining whether a recording is considered "master quality" (also known as "broadcast quality") or "demo quality."

There's a persistent myth that you need 24 or 48 tracks in order to create a M.Q. recording, but it really has nothing to do with the number of tracks. It's more about how well you use the equipment you've got. A pro engineer will make a better recording with a 4-track Portastudio than an inexperienced engineer will make with the equipment found in a $2,000,000, world-class studio.

The first factor is that it be clean, which generally means two things - no substantial hiss and no unintended distortion. Hiss is a function of analog recording. You combat this by setting your record levels as hot as possible without causing distortion, but it's an inherent problem for users of low-priced, analog cassette multitracks.

While they're terrific for demos, such machines are a major uphill battle if your goal is master quality. Distortion can be a wonderful effect when used on purpose - it helps to create a sense of edge or aggression. But unintended distortion - as a result of too much level hitting a microphone, or setting your record levels too hot - is a fast indication of demo status (meaning that film/TV supervisors and record labels would need to re-record it before using it in a scene or releasing it to the public.)

The second factor is instrumentation. Say, for example, you've written a song that calls for a horn chart in the bridge. If you have the money, you can hire a horn section to play the parts. If not, you can use a synthesizer to demonstrate what the part should sound like. Of course, with modern technology, there's a third option. Certain samplers will give you such a realistic sound for horns, strings, etc. that most people can't tell the difference. They can get pricey, but it's still cheaper than hiring the string quartet every time you've got new material.

This is one of the major reasons why composers are now able to create master quality recordings at home.

A related area is the drum machine. If you intended for a real drummer to play on the song you've written, but circumstance requires that you use a machine, then make sure you know how to program it to sound as human as possible. Recent programs like Acid have made this easier than ever, but it still requires you to invest your time and money.

Naturally, this point doesn't apply to all genres of music. In much of Electronica, for example, the drums are meant to sound cold and machine-like. But if that's not your aim, make sure your drums sound warm, fluid and human. (Tip: don't use the 'quantize' feature, it'll just add to the stiffness.) Until you've mastered the art of drum programming, you'll be hard pressed to create master quality recordings with a drum machine.

The final issue that comes into play when evaluating the sound quality is the listener's gut feeling. Can they picture the music as a record in a store, or matched to pictures in a film or TV show? Or do they picture the artist in their bedroom, still learning their gear.

While you can't control their gut feeling, you can do these two concrete things: practice aiming mics and setting levels to find the fine line between hiss and distortion; and make sure you've invested in recording gear that gives you realistic instrumentation.

So don't stop learning and keep engineering your recordings and make that jump from "demo" man to "master quality" producer status.

To help with your writings.

2006-04-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hi and hope you had a nice weekend Majical readers,

What do you know about "Hypnotic Writing"? Hypnotic Writing, perfected by Dr. Joe Vitale, is the ability to sell... It's the ability to market... It's the ability to write something so compelling that it literally grabs the reader by his or her emotions and enables them to feel what you are writing.

Some may cry. Others may laugh. Yet, others get so caught up into the ad or article that you wrote for your product or business that they whip out their credit card faster than the speed of light.

When you have the ability to write hypnotically, an entire world opens up for you that you never knew existed.

It's a world where you can literally write your own paycheck. It doesn't matter if you never made it past the 5th grade, you can learn how to write in ways that magnetically attract people to your lyrics, books, product or service, or even you.

It doesn't matter if you're writing a press release, an ad in the paper, a website, a speech, or even the grocery list for your spouse... having the ability to write hypnotic compelling copy is something that is taught and can be learned by anyone.

For example, read Joe's letter on his website:

http://www.hypnoticsellingsecrets.com/g.o/Jooje

Can you guess why this page is pulling in more people to sign up for the priority list than nearly anything he's ever created? Before I tell you, please note this and write this down:

April 24th, 2006
Monday
9:00 AM EST

At exactly 9:00 AM you will want to go
to: http://www.hypnoticsellingsecrets.com/g.o/Jooje

You're not going to believe the offer that I've put together for you to ensure that I sell every single last copy of HSS.

Over the last few days, I've seen Joe's "BIG" photos over 100 times and it ain't pretty. I'm now more motivated than ever to help him get these out of the door. I understand where he is coming from and why he is doing this.

Also, understand this; nothing like this has ever been done in a marketing promotion to sell products.

This is totally new. And you watch - in a few days when this really starts and shocking the world with what's about to happen, everyone is going to copy this new marketing technique.

But it will only be those who get a copy of the Limited Edition Hypnotic Selling Secrets Course before we sell out who will benefit from this huge marketing stunt I, and Joe are about to pull off.

But I must warn you...

With tens of thousands of people running to the website at 9:00 AM, the servers are going to take a big hit. Know why?!! Because. . .

From Marketers to Realtors, from Salesmen to Judy, who owns the little flower shop down the street... They're not "there" yet.

Even Tom who owns the restaurant on the other side of town... he's not "there" either.

Millions of people want to be "there" I can tell you but they just don't have the right vehicle to get them to where they want to go.

So what is "there"? "There" is the world of "hypnotic" writing and I guarantee your marketing efforts after learning "hypnotic" writing will open new doors that you never knew existed. Why not learn EVERYTHING from the Hypnotic Marketing Master himself, Dr. Joe Vitale?

http://www.hypnoticsellingsecrets.com/g.o/Jooje

To learn more about Dr. Joe Vitale and being "there", you’ll need to enroll and get on his priority list. Go right now to:

http://www.hypnoticsellingsecrets.com/g.o/Jooje

What about you? Are you ready to get "there"? Then do it and don't rely on washed out writing and boring copy; learn from the master.

Oh look... it just so happens there is a door wide open for you to walk in right now...
Take a peek inside:

http://www.hypnoticsellingsecrets.com/g.o/Jooje

To your success as an Hypnotic Writer.

Jorge
http://www.jorgearguello.com

PS-Imagine what over 27 DVDs, 31 CDs, and thousands of pages of pure Hypnotic Marketing information can do for you personally and your business!

PPS-I'm "there". Are you?
http://www.hypnoticsellingsecrets.com/g.o/Jooje

PPPS-Hypnotic Selling Secrets launches or maybe already launched today, April 24th at 9:00 AM EST. You have no time to waste.

Earth Day Celebrations Issue

2006-04-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

April 2006

Inside this issue:

1. Jorge’s Corner
2. Gigs Past, Present and Future
3. Earth Day
4. Environmentally Friendly

Dear Music Lover,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jorge’s Corner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In this corner, St. Patrick’s Day; and in that corner Cinco de Mayo. Which one will be more of a party?? Well, on the day of the Irish celebration, it was one heck of a party at Billy Bombay’s Nightclub in Redding.

The house was filled to capacity and there were many party goers dancing, drinking, whooping and a hollering.

On Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican celebration, there should be lots of people too because for the first time in a long time, Majical will actually be playing a Cinco de Mayo gig . . . on the fifth of May! NO, not the 6 or 7 but on the 5th.

For Majical when we have been booked to do a gig on that day, the fifth usually fell on a Wednesday or Thursday and so by Friday night when we played, not many people would show up because they were burned out already! Si senor, es la verdad.

I want to thank you for showing up on St. Patrick’s Day but if didn’t then WHY NOT?!!? Naw, it’s cool. . . I understand if you couldn’t make it. Just make it to the “Fifth of May” celebration if you can. We look forward to seeing you there.

So we had a long winter with lots of rain; rainfall that has broken all the records for March and even April I hear. So now it goes directly to summer from winter, which isn’t all that unusual for Redding and the surrounding area.

Yes, the heat is on and we would love to see you at Billy Bombay’s for the party. Oh, it’s also Leonard’s 10th anniversary at Billy’s I believe so it will be a double whammy party of parties. Well, it’s some sort of anniversary anyway so we hope to see you there. There'll be lots of hot dancing, people and música. Arriba pues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gigs Past, Present and Future
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see archives of our past gigs, or to see our gigs happening soon and down the road a bit, visit our gigs page at:

http://www.majical.com/gigs.html

On the upper right hand corner of the page you find a link that takes you to some past shows that we have done. You’ll also see the shows coming up soon and shows down the road a bit.

http://www.majical.com/gigs.html

We are playing Billy’s this Friday night the 21st of April, starting at 9pm and going until about 1am.

Then on the 22nd, Saturday, we will be doing a free concert at Caldwell Park at the Carter House Museum, or rather, in front of it or to the side, however you want to see it.

This is for Earth Day and it is FR.E.E to the public. See details below.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Earth Day
~~~~~~~~~~~

Earth Day was invented by us a long time ago to celebrate our planet but also to bring about an awareness that we need to care for her and our environment. We have fallen short of that goal but we can find ways to really do our part and possibly reverse some of the grave damage we have inflicted on mama earth.

I invite you to join us in celebrating Earth Day this Saturday, April 22nd from 10am to 4pm at Caldwell Park in Redding, right on the Sacramento River Trail and west of the Redding Aquatic Center.

There will be 4 bands, over 30 exhibitors/vendors, speakers, good food, hand drumming, dancers, poetry, kids’ activities, activism opportunities, open mic time, massages and other holistic health care.

A book and video swap/sale will be one of many activities going on and for your convenience a supervised place to park bikes and skates, and lots of FREE stuff! A schedule of the entertainment is listed below so tell your friends, tell your family, tell everyone you know to carpool, bike, skate, and run or just walk and join us for a day of fun, learning, inspiration, and action!

For more info, including directions, go to
www.earthdayredding.org

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE: (subject to change)

10:00 Traditional blessing followed by drum circle and dancers (all hand drummers welcome)

10:30 Elmer and the Mud Flaps (bluegrass band)
11:15 Speaker: Mary Schroeder of Western Shasta Resource Conservation District
11:30 The Hummingbirds (alternative country/modern folk band)
12:15 Poetry by Pamela Spoto and Michael Metz, kid's song by Keely and Mallory
12:30 Magic Bus (classic rock band)
1:15 Speaker: Bill Falzett - Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress (opposing Republican Wally Herger)

1:30 Majical (Latino Cumbia Rock Band)
2:15 Speakers: Todd Lindstrom of Dale Renewable Energy, Sue Lynn of Stop Clear cutting California

2:30 Open Mic Set (interested performers/speakers must sign up in advance by calling 604-5837)

3:15 Speaker: Jim Collins of the Shasta Regional Seed Cooperative
3:30 closing drum circle and dancers (all hand drummers welcome)
4:00 Event closes

Notes:
1. Drummers and belly dancers will perform throughout the day at various places around the event.
2. Exhibitors/vendors will be available all day long.
3. Bring your used progressive books to swap with others at the book swap table.
3. Food will be provided by the Station Cafe and Jamba Juice.
4. If it's too rainy, the event will be canceled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Environmentally Friendly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are some very “Friendly Earth Day” products for us and that actually protects the environment, and us included; just in time for our consciousness raising earth day celebrations.

A. For your engines.
=============================================
The product Ethos Fuel Re-Formulator is one that you will be able to finally accomplish the success you have always imagined possible. Ethos FR is a unique combination of high-quality, non toxic, specially designed esters that uses only the elements of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

This patented combination of low molecular weight cleaning esters and high molecular weight lubricating esters, reformulate any fuel whether its gasoline, diesel, methanol, ethanol, hydrogen, LNG, CNG (compressed natural gas), or bio-diesel.

EPA laboratories tests confirm that Ethos FR is 99.99976% clean upon ignition and ash less upon combustion. Ethos is also free of carcinogens.

We all drive so we need to use it. Plus for those inclined, you can make money with this product too. Visit my website and see for yourself at:

http://www.jorgearguello.com/arguejo.html

Read that and join me in the revolution. At the very least, look at the videos and email me back with any questions on how you can get some for your use.

This is timely and perfect to beat the oil companies at their own game. It’s non toxic and environmentally safe to use.

http://www.jorgearguello.com/arguejo.html

============================================
B. For your use at home or business.
============================================

Using all-natural ingredients for the ultimate in consumer safety and environmental health, Veriuni™ cleaning products deliver unparalleled cleaning power while eliminating dangerous side effects from the toxins found in many major cleaner brands.

The Veriuni™ cleaning line is manufactured for SFI by The Clean Environment Company, whose products are used EXCLUSIVELY by the EPA at several U.S. national parks. The EPA tested numerous cleaning products.

Those produced by The Clean Environment Company were ultimately selected as being the most effective cleaners and the safest to the people using them and to the environment.

http://www.moreinfo247.com/8990168/VCL

Here are some of the benefits using these products:

1. Reduces the chances of liability from employee illnesses and reactions to toxic cleaning chemicals used within the organization.

2. Cost of disposal of toxic waste is reduced.

3. Cost is competitive or even cheaper than traditional cleaners.

4. Reduces health concerns of employees, clients, and family members.

http://www.moreinfo247.com/8990168/VCL

============================================
C. For your health
============================================
http://www.moreinfo247.com/8990168/VNU

Have you had your spinach today?

In 1948 you could buy spinach that had 158 milligrams of iron per hundred grams. By 1965, the maximum had dropped to 27 milligrams. In 1973 it was averaging 2.2. That means you would have to eat 75 bowls of spinach to get the same amount of iron that one bowl might have given you back in 1948.

We have to have cobalt to process vitamin B12. We need vitamin B12 for healthy red blood cells. Sadly most of the vegetables that supply cobalt in the diet now test zero.

The top soil over most of the land used to grow fruits and vegetables is very much depleted. This in turn produces crops that are severely low in the necessary vitamins and mineral that our bodies need for optimum health.

The typical daily diet does not supply the necessary proteins, vitamins and minerals to properly replace the dying cells in our internal and external organs. If we fall short our immunity system is weakened leaving us vulnerable to sickness and disease.

So...are you getting the 20 essential amino acids, 14 essential minerals and 13 essential vitamins in your daily diet to insure your "good health"?

http://www.moreinfo247.com/8990168/VNU

Veriuni's Liquid Nutrition offers you a great tasting peach-flavored liquid multivitamin that supplies 100% of your daily vitamins and minerals.

The liquid, unlike many tablets, is highly absorbed by the body so that all the benefits from your investment are realized. Veriuni Liquid Nutrition consists of all natural ingredients taken from plants and the earth itself, with no fillers or binders.

Just one ounce of this unique supplement taken daily supplies 127 of the best vitamins, minerals, herbal complex and amino acid complex available.

Want your vitamins for free? Join me and you can too.

http://www.moreinfo247.com/8990168/FREE

==============================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spring Cleaning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Musician's Friend is having their annual "Spring Cleaning" on all their products like:

Guitar

Bass

Drums and Percussions

Keyboards

DJ and Lighting

Recording

Live Sounds

Need anything at an extreme discount? Go to:

http://www.runurl.com/xx.php?a4

But hurry, the sale ends soon!
===============================================

Well, I hope that you have a great rest of the week and an environmentally safe weekend. Let’s go back to where we came from and be good to mama earth.

See you at the gig.

Peace.

Jorge and Majical

Getting out and "Branding" Yourself is NOT Selling Out.

2006-04-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

You all know me and that I don't believe in "starving artist syndrome" or, SAS as I call it. As artist we create our songs, music, poetry or whatever form our art takes. But for some reason many artist are afraid that if they license their art out for a commercial, or put a "brand" on their song that it is a sell out.

Heaven forbid artists make any money with their art. What sacrelidge!!

Ever see an amazing band perform and wonder why you've never heard of them before? Ever see an astonishing artist on the street and wonder why their work isn't in a gallery? Ever see an absolutely astounding independent film and wonder why people all over the world don't know about it?

Me too!

It's really stupid and sad to know that there are musicians, painters, sculptors, and filmmakers everywhere starving. Starving for their art; also known as SAS!

Now if you think about it, artists are the ultimate entrepreneurs.

Really, think about it. Some create products and look for a market; others look at a market and create products. Every entrepreneur starts the same way! It's the business part that often trips artists up.

Creating any piece of music, art, or film, is like creating a product. I'm not suggesting that all products, art-based or otherwise, are equal. We all know a good product, or painting, or film or vacuum cleaner when we experience it.

Its just with some artists, imaginary barriers get created. These illusive barriers can keep them from creating the very success they want.

We as artist all have the same goals and that is to make a good product that is useful or meaningful, have it well liked by many people and to be paid portionally to the market they reach. Who doesn't want that?

Making music, paintings, sculptures, photography or film should be addressed like any business with the same attention to the big picture, IF you want to make a great living from it. But something often holds artistic creators back from making a great living from their art.

And as usual, fear is the culprit.

Artists sometimes fear that if they develop the recognition and financial success that comes from branding from themselves, their peers will think that they've "sold-out" if they "make it".

Fellow starving artists might say that on the surface, but what they are really saying is that they are envious of the success that you have created. It's far easier to put down someone elses success than to make it them self. What's more important: what your peers think OR having your "art" enjoyed by as many people as possible and having the financial freedom that comes along with it?

Another fear that may prevent artists from taking their craft mainstream is that they think that they will lose control of it by becoming a business and, heaven forbid, a BIG business at that.

Just like the art you make, what your business becomes is in your control. If you develop your brand based on your vision of it from the start, you protect it from becoming something else. Business is not bad and in fact you must know the business end n order to succeed as an artist, unless you jsut want to perpetuate the myth of SAS. The power of your business is always in your hands.

The largest fear for some artists is that the very nature of getting paid, and paid well, for their art will change it. This will then set in motion the loss of creative connection with the "art" itself. BULLSHIT! I would argue that those that get lost were not very centered on their purpose and passion in the first place.

It's odd to think that financial freedom, the freedom to do whatever you want, could cause one to lose their way. In one of our workshops, we were fortunate to have a successful artist who was ready to take his brand to the next level. When I asked him what does he do, he answered, "Whatever I want." Who doesn't want that?!

With the money you get from branding your craft, you can set up systems so that it doesn't interfere with your focus; donate to causes, invest in real estate, create other products/partnerships. You can even hire the people to manage it all, leaving you free to create.

The bottom line is simple, everyone has control over what they do and what they manifest, it's just that most people haven't been shown how. Commitment to your "art" does not preclude your ability to make money from it. In fact, the more financial freedom you create for yourself, the more art you can create.

A branding mindset is taking that control into your own hands and owning the future. And it must truly start from the inside from your innate talent and your grand vision for your art. Branding your art comes down to your commitment to yourself and to the art itself. Branding is not only slogans and TV ads; it's the power to be who you are and communicating it everyone proudly.

The definition of artist:
1. somebody who creates art
2. somebody who does something with great skill and creativity
3. somebody who is very good at doing something

Nowhere does it say you have to starve to make good art or good products.

Remember that the next time a musician, or painter, or sculptor, or filmmaker you know breaks through to success. Ask yourself, what are you really committed to? Don't cheat the world of your gift. Developing a brand mindset with integrity from the inside out is guaranteed to reach more people. Period.

If you do something that you really love, you're really good at it, and people pay you to keep doing it, then branding it is not selling out, it's "selling in" TO YOURSELF!

Let me help you destroy the SAS enemy inside you so you can take your art to the next level of the highest success!

Music, Burros and Lovely Rita.

2005-09-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

By now of course, everyone knows about the devastation left by Katrina, and now her little sister, lovely Rita, is wanting to play too. She's only classified as a cat. 2, but she looks like she wants to be like her big sister and become a category 3 or a 4. With the governments thrashing around and changing their minds all the time, I figure all the name calling and finger pointing is really just a moot point.

It really is up to us, as a humans to help each other and stop depending on the George Bush's of the world to come to our aid. Of course, he did take on some of the blame, but that was about as sincere as the rock in my front yard.

Majical played in front of the Cascade Theatre a couple of weeks ago, helping out the Red Cross with their fundraising, and it was not only a blast doing it but also very gratifying to be part of the cause. I had been wanting to do something and I was very happy to get the call from the media and the Red Cross.

But it was much more satisfying watching all the people that drove by giving their money; some gave 4 or 5 hundred bucks a pop and others only 5 or 10 bucks a pop, but ALL gave, and that was something majical to watch.

For me and the bands part we sold CD's and Tee Shirts and played for a few hours, but ALL the proceeds from us, as well as all the people we saw giving, went to the Red Cross and when you add it all up, you find that it's the grassroots effort from citizens all across the nation giving their time, their efforts and their money, however much that is, in order to help those in their time of crises.

Since it's us who have fucked up the planet and continually contribute to global warming, (and sorry, unless you ride a burro to work and wipe your butts with leaves we do contribute), we're going to experience more of these major catastrophes in the form of monster hurricanes, super tornadoes and rising waters and all that other gloom and doom bullshit.

Maybe we can't stop it and maybe we can, but at least we can help each other out like we have been doing, and that's more than what any governing body actually does about anything, well, except for wars it seems.

We, the people, have to take care of each other. So when you get a chance and have a couple of extra bucks, give to the Red Cross at

http://www.redcross.org

it'll do you no harm and it'll be there for us when Mt. Shasta or Lassen blows. Take care my friends, and these are days, for me, where I am actually proud of being a part of the human race.

Ok, where's my burro . . . bueno pues, vamonos! *smile*

Some Upcoming Shows

APRIL
Billy Bombay's--Friday 21st--Majical Band

MAY
Billy Bombay's--Friday 5th--Majical Band
Cino de Mayo and Billy's 10 year Anniversary

If you're in town, check us out.

Helping the Katrina victims through a grassroots effort in Redding.

2005-09-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.

We have all heard by now, the debates back and forth on who did what, or better yet, who did not do what. While the government agencies point the fingers at each other, we realize everybody got caught with their pants down. Including the citizens of the gulf coast regions.

Most people, even the the poorest, disenfranchised, and homeless have a television, have access to a television, or even word of mouth that a massive hurricane is bearing down on them. Common sense tells us that the wisest thing to do is to get the frick out of a place that is about to be destroyed.

Now, the poorest people, the disenfranchised and homeless, do not have a way to get out, even if they did know this massive storm is about to wipeout everything they own and have come to cherish. And those are the people that needed to be evacuated before the storm bore down on them with a fury not seen in decades.

That's where our government agencies failed us, but come on people, we have to stop depending on our "government" to help us or warn us about anything because it ain't gonna happen. We have to take care of ourselves and help each other.

Perhaps those of us that have televisions and access to information on natural disasters bearing down, maybe we could have gone door to door, call people or do whatever we could have done to prepare or help evacuate those that are our neighbors.

Bush is an idiot and all of the people under him are as well. The governors and mayors are as stupid as they come too. They all knew this was coming and did nothing. We have to take the blame too because we too failed each other. We should have warned each other about this impending disaster and done something about it.

The light in this otherwise dark situation is that after the disaster hit, we have, as a human race and Americans, decided to take matters into our own hands and help each other after all. Forget the inane and inept government that we voted, well not in this case because as we all know this administration was seized by force, both times.

Forget them is what we did and just got into the fray of helping each other out. Through the Red Cross and the organizations that are actually doing something, we can help our brothers and sisters anywhere; everywhere.

Yesterday and through the late evening here in Redding, California, we came together and did our part. Red Cross stations were held all over the city in different locations in the surrounding towns and people would drive by and donate. Some donated thousands of dollars while others donated just dollars, but all donated something.

My band, the Majical band, not only donated our time to be a part of this effort but the proceeds of tee shirts and CD's that were sold went directly into the Red Cross money boxes. It is a small part but it is an effort we will continue to do and I feel that anything we can do as a group or as individuals is an effort worth being a part of.

It is heartwarming and satisfying to know that even in the far reaches of the country, a small town like Redding, is doing their part to help each other. All the small towns across the nation, as well as the megalopolises, are doing their part as a grassroots effort, as a nation, as Americans and as human beings.

This is what being a person of this planet is all about. Respect each other and help one another, always.

Reminds me of a song from the sixties:

C'mon people now
Smile on your brothers
Everybody get together
Try and love one another right now
Right now, right now!

I'm proud of us all. Let's continue to help each other as needed.

Help out and give to the Red Cross. Peace and Love for real.

How RSS and Blogs help your art website's rankings.

2005-08-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly. It's still hotter than the flames of hell and damnation around these parts of Northern California. My baby brother who turned forty last night lives over on the coast near Eureka. Over Forty?? I guess all the brothers are now in the over 40/50's demographic. What did Jagger and Richards say? What a drag it is getting old?? I'm not getting old, just senile.

Anyway, he was telling me how cool it was there around where he lives, and here we are in Redding where it has "cooled off" to about 98 degrees. It's pretty sick and I'm sick of this chit, mon.

Anyway, historically August is always hot here but it's was also a month in where many things happened musically and in the musical world.

For example, did you know that;

1938, the legendary Robert Johnson dies in Greenwood, Mississippi ... Johnson's moonshine had been poisoned days earlier ... known for his womanizing, the murderer was presumed to be the angered spouse of one of his paramours ... it was rumored that Johnson's talent came at the expense of his soul, the result of a midnight deal struck with Satan at a Mississippi crossroads. . .

1965, The Jefferson Airplane play their first live show at the Matrix Club in San Francisco ... the band will ink a deal with RCA before the year's end, one of the first rock bands on the Bay Area scene to do so...

1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Festival is held on Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, New York ... nearly half a million will gather to celebrate what is billed as "3 Days of Peace and Music" and enjoy performances by a Who's Who of rock and roll, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ten Years After, and Jefferson Airplane...

1972, Paul and Linda McCartney are busted for pot possession following a Wings show in Gothenburg, Sweden ... the couple is fined and released...

1977, Elvis leaves the building...the 42-year-old Elvis (at the same age and in the same week during 1958 in which his mother died) is found dead in his bathroom by girlfriend, Ginger Alden...according to the autopsy, death resulted from coronary arrhythmia...within days his passing becomes a media event of major proportions...it also sparks the debate as to whether his death has been staged and that he is really alive and well...even today sightings are reported, though usually now in jest...

1985, introduced to the benefits of owning publishing rights by friend Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson purchases the ATV music catalog that includes 251 Lennon/McCartney songs at auction for $47.5 million ... McCartney and Yoko Ono had attempted to purchase the songs only to be outbid by Jackson ... McCartney and Jackson's friendship ends promptly as a result. . .

1990, in a tragic freak accident, part of a lighting rig falls on Curtis Mayfield during a performance in Brooklyn, New York ... the incident leaves Mayfield paralyzed from the neck down...

2003, during a radio show in Springfield, Illinois, Ted Nugent says that the people of Illinois are "spineless, apathetic, embarrassing wimps" for their lack of involvement in their state government ... Nugent's comments come from his displeasure over the state's gun laws ... despite his comments, Nugent will play the Illinois State Fair later in the day...

Damn, I guess there really ain't no cure for the summertime blues.

If you have a website about your band and it really is optimized to get high rankings, do you know what else will take it to the top? You're going, "What else? What the hell is 'optimization' anyway? Heck, I'm just a bass player man. Dang."

Ok, big words I know but let's say you're the guitar player and you know about optimizing sites and a little bit about RSS and Blogs. I mean, for heaven's sake, you're reading a blog now, dude.

Well with RSS feeds and blogs, you can take your really cool website to the top ten positions in usually 3 to 5 days. No kidding. I do it all the time and have been utilizing these very techniques to get up into the top five actually. Interested still? Then you must be the drummer. Check this out then and go to;

www.jorgearguello.com/rssblogsecrets.html

You'll discover and unlock the mysteries of RSS and blogs and how they take you to the top ten in the search engine rankings.

To learn more about marketing your website join the newsletter here and also at;

www.jorgearguello.com

You'll be glad you did when you start selling more tee shirts and CD's and hats and posters and. . . you get the picture, right? Then you must be the singer/songwriter.

www.jorgearguello.com/rssblogsecrets.html

Remember, always make money doing what you love and keep the creative juices flowing.

Is there a cure for the summertime blues?

2005-08-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone.

Summer is in full swing across the nation but nowhere else is it more apparent than it is here in good 'ol Redding, California. Here the norm is 105 degrees, more than less as an average, for long stretches at a time. In fact it is hotter here than in the desert southwest, or even in our deserts of California.

Probably the only places hotter than this place is. . . hmmm. . .let me see. . . Oh yeah, Death Valley. I think they named the wrong place Death Valley.

But the majical band has been very hot this year too. In fact it has been one of the busiest years for us so far, and that goes back 8 years now.

I remember when we were a three piece band, and I know some of you remember that too. It was me, Michael P. and Hilario. We got together and started practicing and rehearsing old rock tunes and original tunes too, which eventually turned into the majical songs of today.

I started to put that latin flair into our music and that was way before the latino wave was even in motion. All the bands around here were playing either top forty, blues, or cunt-ry music. And then we burst on the scene with the island sounds and the latino grooves. It was great. We were accepted and we were busy.

Our first place we played at, tha first gig, I remember, was the Old Millhouse Deli owned by Bob Gallegos. We played up on the patio and it was before all the new stages and beautiful areas were constructed. We had about 100 or more dancers and partiers. It was heaven to me and the boys too. And it's been busy ever since.

Gotta love that, and I do.

Now that we come to, what is possibly the last big public concert of the year, it is fitting that it will be held at the Old Millhouse Deli; a venue close to my heart; a place of beginnings, of belonging and of continuation. I will always be grateful that Bob gave me, and my compadres, our first taste of playing in front of a crowd as the Majical band, and I will always feel blessed that you, our fans have been with us from those beginnings and continue to enjoy our music as it has evolved from the modest early days as a three piece, to the Majical Band as it is today.

Thank you to all my friends for supporting us all these years.

And as we continue to grow as a familia, I welcome the new fans as I cherish our dear supportive fans who have been with us from the very beginning.

Summer is hot but what is hotter is the love and gratitude I feel for you, my familia.

Majical's Upcoming Shows

Majical started out this month of August, playing at the wedding of Beth, who married a prince of a man, Tony. It was a great backyard ceremony with all their friends and family gathered in support of this union. That was so much fun for us, and it's why we love those house concerts that we have enjoyed, especially throughout this year. That was the 6th; a Saturday

We will be playing this Saturday, the 13th, at Sengthongs Blue Sky Room in beautiful Dunsmuir. It is owned and run by the very lovely and exotic Virada "Anna" Phelps. It is located at 5843 Dunsmuir Avenue, Dunsmuir California. We will see our "Mt. Shasta, Dunsmuir and Mcloud" fans as well as our friends from Weed, California and the surrounding areas. And we want to see some of our Redding fans come up and get out of the heat and into the cool cool nights that are the alpine elevations. Cool, man, cool.

The week after that we will play another "house concert" on the 20th, a Saturday, for our friends John and his lovely wife, whose name escapes me right now because I'm old and senile. Please forgive me. I met the whole family the other day and I know it is going to be one of the biggest events for us, and for them too. That party is on and it rings "in" the school year and basically rings "out" the summer. Of course in Redding, Summer never ends so I'm not so sure about that.

The week after that, Saturday the 27th, is the day on the green at the old Millhouse Deli, Bob Gallego's lugar, place. We love the Millhouse Deli and we hope to see all of you there for our final public appearance for the summer and perhaps the rest of the year.

We have another after that too, but that's a September gig. More details next time.
Remember you can always view where we'll be playing by visiting;

www.majical.com/gigs.html

Business Speak

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Recipes de Elnicoya
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Here's a recipe you may, or may not enjoy. It is a chili recipe, as in salsa. Got it from a friend and it was pretty tasty. Of course I modified it to make it hotter and tastier.

"My Evil Twin" Habanero Salsa
Yield: 8 Servings
2 T olive oil
1 md onion --,Chopped
1 green bell pepper -- chopped
1 red bell pepper -- chopped
1 anaheim chili pepper -- chopped
2 chopped serranos
1/2 c chicken broth
4 chiles habanero -- Minced
6 md tomatoes -- diced
1 cn tomatoes -- diced
2 T lime juice freshly squeezed
2 T lemon juice freshly squeezed
1 t coriander leaf dried, I prefer fresh. Chop to taste.
1 t oregano. again fresco es mejor. Best fresh.
1 T sugar (or honey -- optional)
1 salt and pepper -- To Taste
1/4 c fresh parsley -- Chopped
Saute the onions, bell peppers, and anaheims in the oil for a few minutes then add the chicken broth and saute until the broth is about gone.

Add the habaneros (I roasted mine first), the serranos, the diced tomatoes (okay, you can add the extra can to cut the heat down a bit, but if you want it super hot you can eliminate the can or add a couple more of the habaneros) You know me, I like it hot ;-)

lime and lemon juices, coriander, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 or 30 minutes and add the parsley and simmer a few more minutes.

Thank You

Thanks again, for all you do and I hope you enjoyed the rantings of a musical lunatic. You can always unsubscribe at any time but I hope you stay with us. If you missed any of the past newsletters, I do archive them or at least try to every now and again.

Thanks for patronizing the band and for being part of my familia too. Have a nice time and see you at the next show.

Tu amigo, the Majicalman
Jorge

Vacation wishes and Musical caviar dreams.

2005-08-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

I hope you're having a fine summer so far. Sure is moving fast though, isn't it? I mean it was just father's day, but then the Fourth of July just blew by and we're into mid summer. I think it was because of all that wonderful cool (relatively speaking) 80 degree weather we were having. In Redding, that's really cool. Get out the sweaters, it's 8o degrees!!

Then. . .Ka-Boom! HOT!! Jus' like that, but that is the way it is here in Redding. Its hot summers and warm winters are the norm, right? Hot-diggity dawg!

Vacation time is what's going on and I'll be telling you were the Majical boys have been vacationing and what they've been up to. Vacation? . . .I remember what that is. Personally, I haven't had one in a while even though I have been traveling plenty. But I figure when the time is right, and I'm hoping that's soon, I'll be going on a really great vacation somewhere to a tropical island or on a cruise.

Maybe you can send me your ideas as to where I should go for a vacation spot. And the best idea will get published here in the newsletter and online on one of the Majical pages. Plus, the best idea will receive an "Organic Fuzz" CD and a Majical hat as a prize. Or a tee shirt maybe; or all that.

So of course I will need your name, address, and email so I can get back to you and also send your prize when you win. Enter your information in the "sign in" that's over to the side please.

Anyway, I'll be telling you stories of where the other majicaleros have been this year and the respites we take keeping us in top shape when we do perform.

A side note about the public broadcasting issue. I wanted to say, and it was pointed out to me by my very good friend Lorraine Dechter, broadcaster of KFPR that this issue was about all public broadcasting including, NPR and Redding's own public radio station, KFPR and KIXE-TV as well. And the fact is that I do watch channel nine and listen in at KFPR occasionally. Of course this victory was not just about protecting JPR. It was a victory for all public broadcasting and all that are involved in this, all across the country... Thanks Lorraine.

So I hope you had a great Fourth of July celebration and that your summer is turning out to be a fun and relaxing one. See you on the next newsletter and better still, at our next gig :-)
Peace.

Musical Tidbits

Hey, check this out. Here's some musical history that happened during this week in time.
1954, Elvis Presley officially ends his career as a truck driver when he signs his first record contract with Sun Records...

1955, "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets becomes the first rock-and-roll record to hit #1 on the national pop charts...

1956, Johnny Cash appears for the first time on the Grand Ole Opry

1957, setting off a chain of events that will change the face of modern music, John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time ... the encounter takes place at the Woolton Parish Church Garden show at Liverpool's St. Peter's Church... recalling the meeting years later, McCartney says Lennon was drunk...

1962, the Rolling Stones play out for the first time at the Marquee Club in London ... Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Mick Avery, and Dick Taylor constitute the lineup...

1967, in one of the strangest rock and roll pairings ever, the Jimi Hendrix Experience joins The Monkees' North American tour in Jacksonville, FL. ... the teenybopper crowds don't know what to make of Hendrix's wild performances, resulting in the Experience leaving the tour after only a few dates...

1968, following a concert in New York, the Yardbirds break up ... it won't be long until Jimmy Page forms The New Yardbirds, which after fulfilling the final Yardbirds tour dates will change its name to Led Zeppelin...

1969, Eric Clapton's new band Blind Faith makes their American concert debut at Madison Square Garden in New York City...

1976, pioneering punk outfit The Damned make their live debut at London's 100 Club...

1979, Chuck Berry is sentenced to four months in prison and 1,000 hours of community service after pleading guilty to tax evasion ... Berry will perform benefit concerts as part of his community service...

1980, Led Zeppelin plays the last show of its European tour at the Eissporthalle in West Berlin ... the show turns out to be the band's swan song when a couple of months later John Bonham will be found dead ... the band had planned to tour North America next...

1995, Jerry Garcia plays his final show with The Grateful Dead ... the guitarist, vocalist, and founder of the band will die of a heart attack a month later while in a California rehab center...

1999, Limp Bizkit leader Fred Durst is arrested in St. Paul, MN, for suspicion of aggravated assault following the band's show at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium ... during the performance, Durst's bodyguard was attempting to remove a fan who had jumped onstage ... venue security mistook the bodyguard for an unruly fan and attempted to remove him from the stage ... at this point Durst allegedly kicked one of the guards in the head...

2002, the surviving members of The Doors announce that they will be joined by The Cult singer Ian Astbury at an upcoming concert at the California Motor Speedway...

2004, excerpts from a forthcoming Record Collector magazine interview with Dave Mustaine reveal his anger over his appearance in the Metallica docu-drama Some Kind of Monster ... the scene is a confrontation between Mustaine and his former Metallica bandmate, drummer Lars Ulrich ... Mustaine maintains that the band agreed to keep the scene out of the final cut of the film, and calls its inclusion a "final betrayal" by his former band...

2004, in an interview with MTV.com, Slipknot singer Corey Taylor explained his penchant for incorporating big words into his lyrics ... "I'm sorry, but there aren't a lot of smart people out there ... I try to throw in as many polysyllabic words as possible ... it's very cool to be able to do that and pass down the knowledge" ... Slipknot fans run to the nearest dictionary to look up "polysyllabic"...

And that was the week that was. God, the Monkees paired with Jimi Hendrix, . . . what bonehead thought of that one? I remember that fiasco and being a Hendrix fan I thought, "What the. . .??"

Majical's Upcoming Shows

I'm not sure if you were there or not but our Billy Bombay show turned out really well. We had lots of people dancing, twirling shakin' their bon bon's and just having a great time. We had some guest players join us on stage too. Michael P. Harris sat in with Joe Funari at the percussionists’ area and Marvin Allen did some guiro action in there too. It was a blast and we love jammin' with our friends anytime.

That will probably be our last show there for the summer and possibly until late autumn because of our schedule. But I'll keep you posted and you can always keep tabs on us by going to www.majical.com/gigs.html so you know where we'll be playing next.

Then our birthday party gig for Dave Schumacher in Hayfork, which was held at the Casa de Castellanos restaurant, was a sweet gig too. We played outdoors and the weather was just completely beautiful. Not hot nor cold, we played with some great dynamics and it was such a contrast to the wild show at Billy's. Dave was totally thrilled and told us that it was the best party he ever had. We always like hearing that. Thank you Dave.

I also want to mention that our hosts of the party, Terry "terrible" and his wonderful family de Castellanos, have a wonderful restaurant where the food is totally "authentic" and very delicious. They are very affable, attentive and that familia atmosphere is in everything they do. Thank you Terry and the Castellano family.

So our next gigs are as follows:
Lakeshore Inn: Saturday Night, July 23rd 9:00pm to 12:00am. Lakehead for ONE NIGHT ONLY!

Beth Mifsud's Wedding, August 6. Sorry but it is by invitation only.

John Jaques Late Summer Party August 20. Again, invite only.

Old Millhouse Deli: August 27 End of Summer Party. A day on the green featuring too much fun to list here!! Off Highway 299 west. Outside of Redding.

A Cure for the Summertime Blues

What have the Majical boys been up to lately? And where do they go when they're not gigging? Well, here's a tale of three out of five, well, ok all five of us. Let's start off with Scott, the "Chooch".

Scotty, Janet and son Nic, (Dominic) went to glorious Mexico down around the Yucatan near Cancun. They spent about a week down in Playa del Carmen soaking up some sun, ocean and for Choochy, some fishing. He said the food was great, the weather was beautiful and the music was pretty cool too. According to Scott, "We were in this one place where there was this band. They pretty much played american music and the clientele were nonchalant about it." Choochy goes on to say, " Finally I go up to them and ask if they would play some Latino music. So they start to play some salsa and then the whole crowd got up and stated dancing. I figured that's what we come down to hear, not the same old americano music."

Scotty has been doing a lot of fishing and he recently went sea fishing off the California Coast near Crescent City. He said he caught a 28 pound Ling Cod but it sounds like a "whopper" to me. Sure tasted good though . . .Yum Yum :-) Thanks Choochy.

Jeff Duart and his wife Margie have been traveling too. Their destination lately has been Hawaii, Maui to be more exact which they had visited a few times. Anyway, they must love it because they are on their way again but what can you say? It's Paradise, right? I asked if I could go but they said, "ah . . . no." Couldn't hurt trying right?

Joe Funari and Patti have been traveling from coast to coast lately visiting with their grown sons. I believe just a while ago they were down in San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay area.

I love that area and have always had this inclination to retire down there. The weather is so perfect, for me, and I love the combination of rollin' hills and coastal charm. So, sigh, someday soon.

Grant Rudolph hasn't been on a vacation, isn't thinking of one nor will have the opportunity for one. . .yet anyway. He is busy working as a knee busting collection agent for Charter cable and he seems to be enjoying the task. "It's not often I can play the drums on someone’s knees because I'm always playing keyboards and, well, it's not the same." says Rudolph. So you better pay your cable bill, you dig? Or we'll be sending Lucca "Rudolph" Brazzi to pay you a visit.

Jorge hasn't been on a vacation in millenniums of time. He once went on a white water rafting trip way back in '76 or '77 but hasn't really seen or been on a vacation ever since. Ahh . . .those were the days. But like I said, the one that comes up with the best idea for a vacation that I would really, really enjoy will win a CD and a Majical hat combo, and I may throw in some more bonuses as this goes along. So please send them in because . . . I need a vacation!!! Bad!! And I think by January or February, I'll be ready to take one by then. I look forward to your suggestions.

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Recipes de Elnicoya
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Just something light for a summer evening I'm sure all can enjoy.

Take some very fresh fish, (ling cod for example) and marinade it with, preferably limes, or lemons and a little bit of vinegar. But first you season the fish with some sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, paprika and a touch of chile de árbol to kick it up. I also add fresh Thailand basil, and lemon thyme from my herb garden. Of course you can season your fish anyway you like and if you lived with me I would season it differently every time.

After seasoning it, you squeeze the limes over it making sure that both sides absorb the juice. Then add the vinegar. Just a touch like a couple of tablespoons, right?

Let the fish marinade for an hour before cooking, more if possible. The limes of course will cook it up a bit because of the acidity but it imparts such a citrus-y flavor to the already light taste of the white fish.

Next I roll it around in a crumb mix, or cornmeal whichever is in my cupboard. That's the great thing about cooking which is not being so rigid and always experimenting until you find the flavors you like best creating your masterpiece. I fry it in extra virgin olive oil, but you can use canola or even butter mixed with olive oil so as not to burn the butter.

Fry each side on medium high in a hot skillet about two minutes and probably no more than five or six minutes total cooking time. Some people like to kill their fish again but it cooks out the flavor of it. And it really depends on the thickness of the fish. Use common sense here.

In another hot skillet before the fish is done, you put some butter and olive oil and you sauté onions, green pepper, some tomatoes and garlic. You throw in the marinade of the limes, vinegar and the seasonings and continue to sauté until the veggies are translucent.

Fish is done and you pour some of that good sauce over it. Put some cooked rice next to it and you can pour some of the sauce over it too. A nica salad on the side with tortillas all hot and ready to eat. Pair that with a crisp and cool Chardonnay or even a chilled Pinot Grigio.
Bon appétit!

Enjoy your summer.
Jorge and the Majical Band

Love is not a contract.

2005-07-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

So you are a poet or a musician. A songwriter perhaps and you feel good about yourself and your music or your words. Not great but pretty good anyway, because you know that something is missing. It could be better and you know it.

That lyric is missing the right combinations of words to put it over the top. Or your poem is missing that "groove" that when combined you know it would go farther than it would have on its own or the way it was originally written.

You heard that collaborations are the way to go, but you don't trust anyone and so you just keep it to yourself, maybe you get it published in some measly places that nobody cares about. But you want it to go places that, if you met that special someone, it would go to the top.

Well, one fine day you meet someone and you have what seems to be lots in common. You like rivers, nature, dogs, and poetry; music; and after a few months, you start to COLLABORATE! WOW!! It seems to just fall together so easily.

You fall in love with your collaborator and you create poems and songs together . Even if one does only a couple of words or a few phrases, you're collaborating and they belong to you both, or so it seems.

So you're all happy and you combine business. . . with your personal life. . . Oh, oh, but you don't realize it yet, that the bomb's about to explode.

You keep submitting songs over the years and you put some of your poems on each other's websites and life is wonderful and beautiful and. . . SCRATCH!!!!! (the sound of an old record with the needle going across it). For all you under forty, you'll just have to imagine some other sound. I know, fingernails across the chalk board.

Three or so years go by and your lover, protector, and promiser of eternal love, goes menopausal and just goes completely nuts!!! All of a sudden it becomes, "Those are my poems" and "that's my music" and "I own this" and "I own that" and, it just goes completely nuts.

What happened? The biggest mistake we all make at one point or another in our lives, and that is thinking that "love" is a contract. "We love each other, that won't happen to us." Love is not a contract.

A contract is a binding and legal document that lays out all the details and facts of your collaboration(s). Love on the other hand is simply a fly by night emotion that changes with every moment of every day and that isn't the way to make a contract, of any kind.

There was a time long ago, when a handshake was all it took to consummate a contract or a deal, but today with all the craziness going on and the legal battles that happen over nothing, a verbal or handshake contract is a thing of the past.

Look, it doesn't matter if you're in love with Athena or Adonis, all the good lovemaking will never hold up with your collaborations. My first advice to anyone is never have a business relationship with a friend and especially a lover.

Oh I know there are many businesses with husband and wife, pals, girlfriends and boyfriends, and some are even successful. But what's it really like when they're in bed with each other after spending 15 hours in their business? Or the strain when your boyfriend wants to branch out and little miss girlfriend starts to get jealous and makes Adonis' life a living hell because of it.

If you're going to have a business relationship, better get everything in writing because sooner or later, one or the other is gonna change, and that leads to nothing but total misery.

You want to do the tango with each other is your business, but if you want a collaborator, if you want to do business, serious business, make sure you're not sleeping with her; it will burn you in the end and you'll be sleeping with the enemy.

Love on its own is great and even business seperated from personal involvement is fine. But if you are going to collaborate, get it in writing because sex and love is NOT a contract.

Be professional at all times.

2005-07-25T00:44:00.000-07:00

I'm up late tonight. Why? And is this unusual? Lots on my mind I suppose and . . . no, not really, it's not unusual. (hear Tom Jones in your head?)

You see, I have come to the end of another friendship, or what I perceived as a friendship as friendships go. They don't last for me and they never have. I can count the best friends I have on one hand and have a couple fingers left over.

Don't get me wrong, I have lots of friendly acquaintances, and some really good friends too. But very few have ever stuck around for most of my adult life. I suppose it is that loner in me that makes me this way.

Friendships are weird because you can't always be yourself like you want to be and I find that it usually is because of the fear of showing yourself to the public, aka fear of rejection.

Musicians go through this everytime they get on stage. We love our craft and we want to please our fans and audiences. When we encounter a tough group of people, it can be unnerving to only the most hardened of musical souls.

I try to have fun every time I get up there, even if I feel blue over a loss of friendship or whatever reason. I do that because I really do have fun, and because the fans didn't pay to see me or the band feel crappy or internal fighting that becomes external or any othe excuse. They are there to see the band perform. And baby that's what it is all about.

A pro isn't about being just the greatest at your instrument, or showing up on time at every gig. A pro is someone that no matter how they feel about anything, they will not allow it to screw up the music or the performance. The show must go on as they say.

It reminds me of a story. I went to a concert many long years ago, and Sly and the Family Stone was to come up next. I was in Winterland, and for those who don't know, Winterland was the place in San Francisco where all the best concerts where held . . . The Dead, Airplane, Santana, Vanilla Fudge, which by the way I have some great stories from my friend and vocal coach, Tim Bogert, bass man for the Fudge, but that's another story.

Anyway, we're all pumped up because the last band, Ten Years After was so good onstage, their performance just rocked the house man. Everyone is pumped and waiting, and waiting. . . and still waiting for Sly to get up on stage.

Well, thirty minutes go by, and then another 15 go by, and as stoned as everyone was, there some agitation going on in the ranks. Well Sly finally gets up on stage to the sound of a few boos and he is so f*$%#* up on coke and booze that he just gives a half-assed performance and we know it is. To top it off and after all that, he leaves like 30 minutes before he should have.

We all feel jipped and the crowd lets him know about it. I mean, this is Sly Stone and we all paid money to see him, and them to perform and although he did, it was not to the par that he is known for.

Hey, I don't care how bad your life is going but if you're a musician, spoken word artist, magician, any kind of artist that gets up in front of an audience, the show must always go on. That's just the way it is.

I didn't feel too good last night but my performance, and the performance of the band was top notch. We played at the Lakeshore Inn in Lakehead and it was a blast, for us and for the audience. They all danced and cheered us on. That's why we do what we do and that is to please you audience, always.

Now at home I can pout and moan and mourn another loss all I want, but never in front of your audience. The show must always go on. When you can do that, you'll know you have arrived.

Play on!!

Are you a writer?

2005-05-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hola, mi estimado amigos.

Are you a closet writer? Have you always wanted to write but felt that nobody would want to read whatever you had to say? Those are two of many fears we have about writing. True enough, some might have a difficult time getting what they know or want to say down on paper (e-paper??) but it doesn't mean that what you have to say isn't viable, valuable or, even necessary for someone else to hear.

The thing about information, or something I (you) have to say is, that if I'm feeling it or thinking it, more than likely someone else feels it or is thinking it too. We ALL have something to say. You know the old saying, "Opinions are like. . . . .noses ;-) we all have one", and everyone agrees with mine. . . .NOT!!! Oh well, . . .

Me? I have always been a writer, which is why today I write articles about music, instruments, teaching, relationships, etc., and I'm a really good songwriter, if I do say so for myself. No one else will. . .

So how did I get started? Well, some of us are born writers and most of us have to learn how to write. The truth is even "born" writers must learn some techniques, and of course be good with words, alliterations, and of course, grammar!!! Most people are terrible at that and spelling is a close second. Thank god for spell and grammar checker on computers and word processors today. . .whew!! (see? I spelled grammar with an . . .er. What a dolt :-)) Thank you spell checker.

One of the things I am creating right now is a cookbook of Nicaraguan recipes with a twist, an e-book on and about single dads, and an e-book for parents, amongst other things. I'm a writer, right? er. . .but we all can use direction and mentor under someone who is or has had more success than ourselves.

That's kind of what I am doing this year, and I have to say that it is a project like no other, until now. I am talking about the E-Publishing Marketing Mastermind group my partner Janan, and I, have joined. That's EPMMM for short. . .is that short? This is a true adventure we are embarking on with 104 other people. What is this you say? Let me explain.

Alan R. Bechtold, who has been electronically publishing for over 22 years, and publishing for a dozen or more years before that, very successfully I might add, is taking on this monumental task of "creating" 106 Hemingway's. That's right, I said 106 Hemingway's. Well to get the full story, click on the link, I think, or, heck, click on this too. http://mastermind.sysop.com/ will take you to the page that explains it in full detail. Some of the e-press and e-reporters are touting this as a virtual online reality show because the whole world will be watching us. . .how's that for pressure ;-) ?? But if you're a writer like me and want to elevate that artform, not to mention driving traffic to your already existing business, then this can be your ticket. This is an historic event and the advantages of becoming the first "Hemingway's" are evident, especially once you read what Alan has to say at http://mastermind.sysop.com/ .

Good news is if you decide to join, mention in the "who referred you" part that we, Jorge and Janan did, and you'll get in at the price we got in at, saving you $500 smackers. Can't beat that I don't think. Of course this is not for everyone, but for those adventurous few, like Hemingway himself, this is your wake up call and a once in a lifetime opportunity to fulfill your dreams of becoming a super writer, and being a part of internet history isn't bad press either.

See you on the inside.

Imagine that!!!!

2005-04-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

Hola mi amigos. Ever since I came up with the name magical for my band eight years ago, people all over the world have "borrowed" my logo, taken the name for their wares of airy fairy new age-y kinda thing. I guess robbery is the best flattery. Cool.

I don't care, really. My logo is trademarked and all that but does it really matter? As long as my fans and audience and friends and family know and appreciate what it stands for then it's all good.

Majical, pronounced ma-he-cal, is really a play on the Spanish interpretation of magical that I coined when me and two friends, Hilario and Michael P. started up a three piece band. It was way cool because it kept it simple one, and we toyed with sequencers, two. We sounded larger than life, I mean like a big band. It was "Magical". Hey!! "Majical". That was the name we were looking for. That's how it all began.

Eventually and eight years later, we are the five piece and sometimes six piece, band that we are today. It's great because I write songs to express what I normally can't get across in everyday speak. And even though the songs don't have that commercial appeal that big record companies want, yet anyway, they appeal to my fans.

Seeing them mouth the words to my songs is a wonderful feeling for me and took me by surprise when it happened. I always write the best songs I can for my fans and am working on new songs to play for them. If you want to hear some of my songs, I have snippets from my CD called "Organic Fuzz". Just go to www.majical.com/products.html and scrrrolll down a bit until you see them. Easy, right?

Anyway, it's just my first post and I will be telling you more about myself, my upbringing as a latinoamericano, first generation born Nicaraguense in an American world. You say, huh? But I will divulge more.

Also some insights on how to achieve your own musical goals and aspirations as well as help you market your art. So stay tuned for more good stuff. Hasta entonces, take care.