sTuckBeats

BUY MY SHIRT FROM PREDICATE ATTIRE!

2012-08-25T00:26:00.001-04:00

I feel kinda stupid that I didn't promote this better. I dropped the ball on that one.

Regardless, that shouldn't stop you from heading over to Predicate Attire and checking out the new shirt we're releasing in conjunction with my album! It's super cool, and it's designed by myself and Predicate owner, Thomas C Sawyer.

Fun Fact: The cool design/logo you see on the t-shirt is actually adapted from the first working design I had for the album cover. I did it all the way back in April or May, and after the album started to evolve, the design changed. We thought it would be cool to break out that first design for the tee, and I'm pumped with the result.

Not only is it a good deal, but it's printed on an American Apparel tee, so it's high quality.

It would be sweet if you picked one up and hit me or Tom with a picture of you wearing it. I'll totally put it on my site or on my Twitter or something cheesy like that. Okay? Cool.

Buy the Lake Symphony Tee from Predicate Attire!

[ALBUM] SPENCER TUCKERMAN - LAKE SYMPHONY

2012-08-25T00:15:00.000-04:00

I'm way late posting my own album, that's how busy I've been. I'm finally settled back in at school in Cincinnati, and feel like I can start to catch my breath. It was a crazy summer, and I'm looking forward to getting into my normal, boring school routine. It'll be a nice change of pace for once.

Anyways, I could speak eloquently about my album, and get you all really excited to hear it if you haven't. I really could. But I've sorta come to the realization that I don't want to do that. It takes too much energy to sell myself to someone else. The music should sell itself. If it isn't, well then that's my fault.

The only testimony/selling point I can give you is to remind you that, like everything I do, I put a lot of time, effort, and heart into this thing. I don't just sit here and slap noises together to try to get "famous" or something. I do it because I love it, and I do it because I enjoy it, and I do it because I feel like I have something to share with everyone.

So, in the words of Ron Burgundy: "I wanna say something. I'm gonna put it out there; if you like it, you can take it, if you don't, send it right back."

Download my album at my new music site: www.spencertuckerman.com

Sidenote: Instead of doing the "in-depth" synopsis of the album I've done a few times, I made up a little digital booklet that's included in the bandcamp download. It includes cool pictures, lyrics, and background info on all the songs. It's super cool.

[VIDEO] SPENCER TUCKERMAN - SUMMER OF '92

2012-08-06T16:31:00.000-04:00

Totally forgot to post this when I actually finished it. With yesterday being my birthday, today seems like a good time, considering the content of the video.

Whatever.

Anyways, this is another one off my upcoming album, Lake Symphony. I'm basically coming down the home stretch as far as finishing the album. Hopefully it'll be all ready in the next 2 or 3 weeks. Don't hold me to that.

This video is about hindsight, nostalgia, childhood, and the summer of 1992 (when I was born). Super special thanks to my friends Evan Duncan and Tom Sawyer for the help. They're super good at what they do, and it's really hard making a good video of yourself, so I definitely couldn't have done it without them.

Shot by Evan Duncan and edited by me.

[ARTWORK] SPENCER TUCKERMAN - LAKE SYMPHONY

2012-07-03T22:16:00.000-04:00

I'm having second thoughts about posting this, because I'm constantly changing my mind with this type of thing. This is already like the fourth totally different version of this cover, but I feel like this is the one. In case you missed it, the next album is being released under my name, rather than CHASING STARS.

I've had a crazy first month of summer, but I'm hoping to get this done and released before school starts at the end of next month. I've got a good chunk of it done, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Follow the Twitter and Tumblr for the latest.

THE DEATH OF CHASING STARS

2012-06-11T23:38:00.001-04:00

This probably isn't what you're expecting based on the title, so be sure to keep reading.

I feel like I'm at somewhat of a crossroads in my "career" (I still hate that word). When I first started CHASING STARS, it was intended to be a creative outlet for me, and it was. I just needed a way to release any creative energy I had built up. I was making beats, but that was never much of an outlet. It was something I enjoyed, but it wasn't something I had 100% creative control over, and I didn't really like that aspect of it. So, I decided I'd just create this entirely new artist. An alter-ego almost. I could have complete control over every aspect of my music and it's release, without having to worry what another artist was going to do once I handed over a beat.

I decided to go with CHASING STARS because I liked the name, and because it sort of distanced the whole thing from me a little bit. I was making the music, but I wasn't exactly taking 100% of the credit for it. People could critique CHASING STARS all they wanted, but I felt like they couldn't really critique me because I wasn't using my name. It was separate, and it worked.

My first two albums were so intensely about myself, that I almost felt like I needed that distance between me and CHASING STARS to avoid totally accepting things. Throwing yourself out there in that way is an extremely freeing, yet terrifying thing. The fact I had this sort of alias going made me feel a little better about it. The next two albums were just me letting my imagination run wild. I'm not saying they didn't mean anything, but in comparison to the first two, these hardly had anything to do with me as a person.

My next album is sort of a return to that first album. In fact, I was sort of calling it a sequel in the very early stages of production. After the last two albums that are awesome in their own ways, but didn't really reveal much about me as a person, I feel like I have more to say. The only difference is that now I'm ready to break down that wall between myself and CHASING STARS, whatever that means. I just don't see a reason to be using any sort of alias anymore.

CHASING STARS is dead, and my next album will be released as Spencer Tuckerman. I can't really say at this point that everything from here forward will be "Spencer Tuckerman", but for the foreseeable future, CHASING STARS is no more.

I'll announce more about the album in the next few weeks, including the title and cover, so be on the lookout for that. I'm really loving what I have so far. As usual, I'm way too excited for you guys to hear it. The couple people that have heard what I have so far have been really excited, and that's definitely a good thing.

That's all I got for now. Thanks for reading this far, and be sure to follow the Twitter and Tumblr to stay up-to-date on all this stuff.

A DAY IN THE LIFE: SEASON 3 COMING THIS JUNE

2012-05-25T13:17:00.000-04:00

(The original A Day In The Life announcement video. Posted on Facebook in June, 2010.)

If you've been following the ADITL Facebook, Tumblr, or my Tumblr, you've already seen this. If not, you're late, so you better go follow all of those things so you can get all the info first.

A Day In The Life is returning for Season 3 this June! We already have the first couple episodes roughed out, as well as random ideas for the rest of the season. It's gonna be really fun, and hopefully is gonna be the best season of A Day In The Life ever.

Head up to the top-left and hit the A Day In The Life page to watch the last 2 seasons, plus bonus videos, or just go straight to the YouTube.

CHASING STARS - Album Teaser

2012-05-23T22:10:00.001-04:00

New CHASING STARS album coming this summer. More info to come.

Follow the Twitter and Tumblr for the latest.

[VIDEO] CHASING STARS - Munich

2012-05-09T19:50:00.000-04:00

I realized I hadn't made a video in a while, so I shot this video some time around midnight last night. It features my song "Munich" which was released on SoundCloud a little over a week ago. Listen to audio-only below. Download coming soon. Maybe...

BEAT: DIESEL

2012-05-08T15:50:00.000-04:00

New beat for sale on the sTuckBeats Bandcamp page. I’m changing up how I approach my beats, so all my beat tapes are off the internet, for now at least. From here forward, unless I think of a better idea, all my beats are going thru my Bandcamp page, unless I’ve personally worked with you in the past. Just as a reminder, it’s just a lease, and isn’t for any commercial/for-profit projects.

Quick reminder: Follow the Twitter | Tumblr

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://beats.stuckbeats.com/track/diesel"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Diesel by sTuckBeats&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

CHASING STARS - Lake Music EP

2012-04-24T13:50:00.000-04:00

I actually put this together a few days ago. If you follow the tumblr, then you got a head start. I'm calling it an EP, but I'm not sure that's really what it is. It's more of just a random collection of music.

Some of these you may have heard, some of these are unheard by everyone. You can download a couple of them, so if you enjoy, be sure to do that.

Pass it along or whatever. I dunno. They're listen in order of completion, with the oldest first. I'm not sure if these will be on my next album or not.

CHASING STARS - Clap

2012-04-23T13:25:00.000-04:00

You probably missed this late last night, but in the span of an hour I decided I wanted to release a song, produced it, and released it. That just means that it's basically a demo, but I'll probably never touch it again. It's not going on any album, so just download and enjoy it like it is. It's ignorant.

(I'd normally credit the person that took the artwork picture, but I don't know who that is. Let me know and I'll give credit.)

[ALBUM] CHASING STARS - CAVERNS & CASTLES

2012-04-16T20:09:00.002-04:00

Finally. This thing has been a long time coming. I started this album back in October, and I was determined more than anything to make an album that surpassed anything I'd ever done before. 6 months and a thousand revisions later, I have Caverns & Castles. When I finished Parachutes & Paper Planes, I was happy with it, and I liked it, but I really wanted to make something better. Coming out 6 months later with something that's truly 100 times better is a great feeling.

If you follow me on Twitter, you've probably seen me babbling about this album at odd hours of the night, and that's just because I really believe in this thing. This is my baby. I think this is the first time in my "career" (that word seems stupid at this point) where I can honestly say that this is the best album I can possibly make. As of April 16th, 2012, I am completely 100% confident in this thing. I'm sure as I grow as an artist or whatever, that I'll come to a point where I'll look back and laugh at how simple this album was, but right now it feels great to make something that's the pinacle of all my abilities and creativity.

As far as the music itself is concerned, I love this whole album. 90% of this is original music by me and/or Pat. The chord progressions and the overall concepts are way more evolved than anything I've ever done in the past. I feel like I made actual tangible songs rather than just beats. In the cases where I did use a sample, I thought it came out really well, while still fitting into the overal concept and style of the album. When it was all said and done, the album ended up being a little over 48 minutes long (not including bonus tracks), which is a perfect length in my opinion. Not overdone, but not incomplete.

I guess this album marks the third and final chapter in the unofficial trilogy: Mistakes & Heartaches, Parachutes & Paper Planes, and now Caverns & Castles. Not only do those 3 albums show my progression as a producer, but also as a person. I think Caverns & Castles is the first 100% happy album I've made so far. That's definitely a good thing right now.

I don't wanna get into thank-yous too much right now, because they're included in the album download, along with some bonus songs and stuff. But I do wanna thank Patrick Koetzle for adding his touch to the album. Some tracks are more influenced by him than others, but he definitely added necessary elements to this thing. He completed it, and he didn't have to, so I'm grateful.

I think that's about all I have to say for this thing. I'm already knee deep in the next album. I have a few ideas as far as a release timeline, but nothing set in stone yet. Some great things are happening for the next project.

Listen/download below, and if you enjoy it, pass it along to someone else, or post it on Facebook/Twitter/etc. Or you can REBLOG THIS POST ON MY TUMBLR. I just want people to hear it. Thank you.

CLICK HERE TO GET IT ON BANDCAMP

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://chasingstars.bandcamp.com/album/caverns-castles"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Caverns &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Castles by CHASING STARS&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>
(scroll down the widget to see all the songs)

sTuckBeats7

2012-03-28T17:45:00.001-04:00

It's come a long way from where it started. The first version of this site was absolutely terrible. I feel like this is probably the last real version I'll do on my own. It's about time I let a professional handle things.

All of the new pictures of me you see on the site, including the one in this post, the one in the header, and the background are by Evan Duncan. The new logo you see in the header and off to the left is going to be the new sTuckBeats logo, done by me. Get ready for some cool stuff.

VIDEO: WHO IS HANK IVING?

2012-03-25T19:59:00.000-04:00

I shot this in Chicago last week. Came out really nice. Check out some pictures from the trip on my Tumblr.

HankIving.com | @HankIving | Facebook

BEAT THE WORLD.

2012-03-24T16:48:00.000-04:00

"It starts with a beat. Beat The World is a brand new campaign (co-launched with Rap-Port Magazine) dedicated to raise awareness about the horrible reality of sex slavery through hip-hop music. It’s not really considered a benefit album, but more of a movement. What you will see is an ongoing market of digital beats that helps stop injustice all around the world. Every time you purchase a beat, you are helping someone in need and raising awareness. Buy beats from producers who’ve worked with artists like Sho Baraka, Json, Braille, Trip Lee, Lecrae, Eshon Burgundy, PRo, etc. Producers can also help by donating their music. ALL proceeds will go to the Not For Sale Campaign or the Somaly Foundation to prevent human trafficking."

Beat The World is presented by: Rap-Port Magazine & Predicate Attire

Learn more about Beat The World HERE.

CHASING STARS - PONTOON

2012-03-12T19:52:00.001-04:00

I told you yesterday that I would do my best to release new stuff until the album came out, and I try my best not to be a liar. This is basically what I've been doing for the last 24 hours, so hopefully you enjoy. Download and share, etc.

ALBUM UPDATE

2012-03-11T21:49:00.000-04:00

As you may or may not have noticed, the album was supposed to come out last week, and it didn't. This was intentional, and the album has been somewhat "shelved" until further notice. I don't really know what else to say on the matter other than it's definitely a positive thing, and it's gonna lead to a better release than I had originally planned on. I'm gonna do all I can to get the album out in the next 6 weeks. Until then, I may have another small project to release, or a few singles. Anyways, sorry for the delay, and just know that I'm still definitely working on new stuff.

I'll keep you guys updated.

OFFICIAL ALBUM ANNOUNCEMENT

2012-02-22T15:03:00.000-05:00

Finally making the official announcement on this one. I'm excited. I've been working hard on this thing since I finished my last album, and it's almost ready for everyone to hear. In my opinion, this is definitely my best work yet, so hopefully everyone else thinks so too. I've listened to it myself dozens of times, and I'm really proud of what I have.

The album is called Caverns & Castles, and it's releasing on March 6th. I may talk more about the influences once the album actually releases, but until then, just know that this is my most well-produced album yet. Look out for more announcements regarding the release in the next week or so.

If you haven't yet seen the video for the first single, Oakland, go do that HERE. I never put the download link in that post, so listen/download below.

[PRESENTING] STUCKFILMS

2012-02-14T19:49:00.000-05:00

(the cleveland and cincinnati skylines)

If you payed attention to the last 2 videos, you would have noticed the logo above. I've actually been planning this since September or October, but I'm just now getting around to wrapping it up. I'm not 100% happy with it right now, but I'm not in a position financially to do anything else. Regardless, I think it's ready for launch.

What is sTuckFilms? It is what it sounds like. It's just a way for me to separate my music and my video work. Obviously there will be lots of overlap, but for everything else, it's going to fall into one of two categories: sTuckBeats or sTuckFilms.

I realize this really doesn't mean anything to any of you. It's merely a change in how I'm gonna be branding the videos I do. However, with this comes a new website, which should be useful for wasting your time watching my stupid videos.

I'm still working on getting a new URL for this, but for now, the easiest way to get there is by going to films.sTuckBeats.com

The videos are arranged in chronological order, with the new ones coming at the top, just like on this site. There are a few easy ways to search around, but I'll let you guys handle that. It's not hard.

Enjoy!

[VIDEO] BRANDON SAHO'S 'MY SIDE' RELEASE CONCERT

2012-02-14T19:29:00.000-05:00

On Saturday night, I followed Brandon Saho to the release concert for his debut mixtape, My Side. This was his first real show, and he did really well. The show took place at The 86 Club here in Cincinnati, which is a great little venue. It was a fun night.

Follow the link at the end of the video to download the mixtape, and check Brandon's Facebook page for some of the photos I took at the show.

VIMEO (AGAIN)

2012-02-13T21:52:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that I'm still pretty upset that Vimeo deleted my last PRO account with zero warning, and then proceeded to ignore several emails, I'm back on. (Like seriously, if I'm paying you every month, and you delete my account without warning or explanation, I think I at least deserve a response. I got nothing. Not even an automated email. Their customer service is a joke and I'll never have a Pro account again. If I get better customer service at YouTube with their millions of users, there's a real problem somewhere.) I'm definitely not about to give them a dime for anything, so I just have the basic free account. Follow me if you want: HERE.

Also, if you look at the header you'll notice I have a new twitter username. I switched it back to @sTuckBeats. So follow me if you aren't. You'll stay updated about videos/music/my boring life.

[VIDEO] CHASING STARS - OAKLAND

2012-01-27T18:06:00.000-05:00

I was gonna hold off on this for the weekend, but I'd probably never get around to posting it. I guess this is the first official release from my next album, Caverns & Castles. I'll put this up for download some time this weekend, so check back here soon to get the mp3. More album details to follow. Have a schweet weekend.

[VIDEO] HANK IVING - THE BIGGER PICTURE

2012-01-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

As I'm sure some of you know, my cousin is a producer out in Chicago. We came together to make this video as a way to give back to the music community. Not only is the instrumental in the video free for any use, but if you donate to MIMAmusic.org, take a screenshot of the receipt, and send it to Hank Iving via Twitter, email, or Facebook, you get another free instrumental. It's an easy way to contribute to a great organization, and get something back for yourself.

For some more info, check out the video description on the YouTube page.

Music by Hank Iving
Video Edited by Spencer Tuckerman

Note: I don't own the video clips used. They are the property of their respective owners.

[PHOTOS] DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI

2012-01-09T20:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the weather was nice so I took a bus downtown to take some random pictures around the city. Fortunately it was a Sunday so everything was pretty quiet and I was able to pretty much go wherever I wanted. I'm not a photographer by any means, but it's a fun hobby. The picture above was one of my favorites from the day.

I'll post some highlights below. I'll post the full set on Flickr eventually, but until then, check them out on the tumblr.

[SONG] BRANDON STUCH - FOR THE LIFE OF ME

2012-01-04T21:32:00.004-05:00

I feel like I haven't put out a song I produced in forever, and that was a problem. Luckily this kid Brandon Stuch hit me up about using some beats, and this happened. One of my favorite tracks I've ever produced to this point. Listen to the lyrics, he does a great job of telling a story with a cool message. Hopefully me and Brandon can get some more stuff together in the future. This song appears on his new mixtape, Limitless, available HERE. Check that out for some more songs by Brandon that I had nothing to do with haha.

Quick reminder: stay informed on things like this by following me on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.