Warner Music Group Blocking Nowhere To Run (Updated)

(Update As Of 1-6-10) - YouTube has unblocked the Nowhere To Run music video!

So apparently, Warner Music Group (WMG) is messing with my tunes on YouTube and also on MySpace.

A week or two ago, WMG decided to block the Nowhere To Run music video off of YouTube and they've been taking down certain other tracks off of MySpace.

Funny thing is, WMG has NEVER been given ANY copyrights to ANY of my music!

WEA (owned by WMG) was given online distribution rights early in 2009, but that's different from copyright. Also, I ended distribution by WEA earlier in the year...

So...

The current situation is that there is currently NO way to buy The Dino Soars digitally online (even though the CD of it is still available) and WMG is going left and right blocking my music claiming that they have copyright over my stuff (which they don't).

For 2010, I'm going to do my best to set all this straight, because all I really care about is people listening and connecting with my music. The last thing I want is some bureaucratic bullshit like this getting in the way.

Just wanted to give an update to everyone who has been asking about this.

If you want the single version of Nowhere To Run, it is still available as a digital release! You can get it direct from Elita Likes Electro right here.

Green BMW (Demo)

Out of hiatus!

I just posted a new demo of a track that I'll be finishing up in the next few weeks. The song is called Green BMW. You can check it out at http://www.myspace.com/stegrex

I'll cut the vocals later on next week!

Facepalm

I'm bored and I've been way too busy to post anything new.

So here's a pic of me after making a new friend (2 years ago). Facepalm. Photo courtesy of Johnny Darko.

Steg Rex Show August 19th At The Blank Club!

I'm playing The Blank Club Wednesday August 19th with Johnny Darko! It'll be at 9PM and I'll be doing some electro improvisation with keyboards and drumset. Come by, check it out, have a few drinks! It's going to be a FREE show, but you have to be 21.

It's at 44 South Almaden Avenue, San Jose CA 95113. Bring your friends because it's FREE!

Green Tease Logo By AyDee

David Nguyen (AyDee) has done it again, with a bangin' logo for Green Tease! We're currently currently working on getting all the artwork done for the pressed copies of the CD.

In the meantime, you can check out the digital release available on Amazon, iTunes, as well as CD Baby.

We might be working soon on a track to be used as a theme song for a video game, and we'll be updating you on it as we get more done :)

As for Stegosaurus Rex, the t-shirt orders are being finalized, so definitely keep an eye out for those. It'll be the Stegosaurus Rex logo screenprinted white on Irish Green shirts.

Lee Mifsud's Review Of The Dino Soars

Yep, another review, this time by Lee Mifsud http://www.leemifsud.blogspot.com/

"An artist I recently discovered, Stegosaurus Rex, who it seems is quite unknown at the moment, and by quite unknown I mean just over 1000 plays on LastFM, is the solo efforts of Max Chen, who is also a member of various other projects, although in my opinion, SR is where he really shines. His music seems to regularly be compared with Cystal Castles, and the resemblance on some tracks is crystal clear (no pun intended),with infectious home-made melodic bleeps and the occasional glitchy vocals, its not surprising why some people would think that.
The album itself, The Dino Soars, released last year, is simply brilliant. Full of various genres of electronic music, and packed with masses of samples, ranging from live percussion to Hip Hop vocals, theres definately something for everybody. Each track seems very well constructed and interesting in its own way, and the variation in style from track to track is so drastic youd think it were some futuristic NOW compilation. So far my favorite tracks are 'Green', incorporating his own catchy vocals over some infectious cut up drum samples, and 'Nowhere to run' (see video below).
Its safe to say ill have this album on repeat for a long time." (-Lee Mifsud)

Thanks Lee! Check out the blog at http://www.leemifsud.blogspot.com/

Steg Rex + Green Tease Updates

So I played a short little show at Nickel City San Jose last weekend on the 13th. Thanks to Johnny Darko for lending his voice and an extra pair of hands, and to Eric Fanali for having me play! And definitely thanks to all of you who came by to support me! I'll be having parts of the show be put up onto YouTube hopefully soon.

Next up, I'll be looking for other places to play, as well as getting some t-shirts screenprinted with the design by AyDee, so keep an eye out for those!

As for my other project Green Tease, I'm in the final stages of putting the artwork and whatnot together for the pressed CDs for the EP Desolate Pool. However, the it's already been released digitally on Amazon, iTunes, as well as CD Baby so check out the release (and the Green Tease MySpace profile if you haven't already).

The Stegosaurus Rex EP release Undeniable is available on Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby as well.

In the meantime, as a way for me to take a break from new tracks (because of all the logistics stuff that needs to be done right now) I'll be working for the next two months on a drum sample pack. That's right, I'm in love with 80s drum machines, and I'm going to replicate the methods used in the 80s to produce the classic sound samples immortalized within the modules of the Casio, the Alesis, the Linn, etc. I'll release this as a WAV pack for people to download and to load onto their own sequencers/drum machines. I love tweaking synth patches, and this drum pack will be a first for me :) I haven't yet figured out what to call it yet, maybe I'll give it some fake 80s-sounding synth name. So for those of you who make your own music, keep an eye out for some new sounds you can use!

Steg Rex Show June 13 At Nickel City!

I'll be opening the show Saturday June 13 in Nickel City San Jose, so come by at 7:00 sharp (or you might miss me) and watch!

And bring some nickels for the arcade games!

saturday june 13th
david knight
ear pwr
adventure
seabright
stegosaurus rex
@ nickel city arcade - 1711 branham ln. san jose, ca 95118
$10 - all ages - 7pm - http://www.grandfanali.com

New Artwork By David Nguyen

(Art by David Nguyen AKA AyDee)

For the month of May, I've been working with artist David Nguyen AKA AyDee on Stegosaurus Rex stuff. This is in preparation for screenprinted shirts and hats, and the picture up above is a draft of one of the very awesome designs!

I'm also collaborating with Justin Siebert to make a track for a promo vid for AyDee.

So keep your eyes open for new art by AyDee and Steg Rex merch coming up REAL soon!

AyDee's MySpace Profile
Justin Siebert's MySpace Profile

Also check out my profile for a new track I've been playing with "Mattie Silver," written about the character from the book Ethan Frome.

And the digital releases of Undeniable and Desolate Pool are both now on iTunes so check them out NOW!

Undeniable
Desolate Pool

Green Tease: NEW PROJECT!

The past few months, I've been working with singer Natasha on a new project Green Tease. Check out the MySpace profile over at http://www.myspace.com/greenteasepop!

The debut EP Desolate Pool (MP3 release) is available at CD Baby, which you can BUY NOW for $7.98! Also, we're going to shoot the Desolate Pool music video, so keep your eyes peeled for more updates coming very soon!

But for now, go over to the Green Tease MySpace profile and friend us!

Also, don't forget to check out the limited edition Undeniable release (also available in MP3):


Undeniable (MP3) - $9.99 (CD Baby)


Undeniable - $9.98


Undeniable AND The Dino Soars CD Combo - $14.99

Undeniable Orders

Order a copy of Undeniable NOW!

Links:


Undeniable (MP3) - $9.99 (CD Baby)


Undeniable - $9.98


Undeniable AND The Dino Soars CD Combo - $14.99

Much easier than emailing me ;)

PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard accepted!

Undeniable Cassette And CD-R (Order Now!)

Happy Birthday to The Dino Soars! It was released exactly 1 year ago, April 8, 2008!

And with that, I'm happy to announce that the Undeniable EP (actually about 1 solid hour of music :] ) is being printed and will be sold beginning...onetweothree NOW!

I'm doing a limited, 10-run release of cassette tapes and a limited, 10-run release of CD-r (all made-to-order). Each piece of art will be custom printed, and will come with exclusive parcel art (check my other posts if you want to know what I'm talking about).

Each piece is 10 bucks (Undeniable) or 15 bucks (if you want a copy of The Dino Soars AND Undeniable TOGETHER) shipping included! You can buy directly by contacting me at steg.rex@gmail.com or by snail mail at:

Stegosaurus Rex
19144 Brookview Drive
Saratoga, CA 95070

Here's the tracklisting for the CD-r version:

1. Undeniable
2. Radical Un
3. Desolate Pool (Instrumental)
4. When I Mean Nothing To You
5. Next Time Around
6. Radical Deux
7. Collapse
8. This Is How It Goes
9. Fallen Vision
10. Radical Trois
11. Gyroscopes
12. Connective Collective
13. Radical Quatre
14. Serpentine Turpentine
15. Cellulose
16. Radical Cinq
17. Fovea
18. Painful Words

Annnnd the tracklisting for the tape:

Side A:
1. Desolate Pool
2. Undeniable
3. When I Mean Nothing To You
4. Next Time Around
5. Collapse
6. This Is How It Goes
7. Fallen Vision

Side B:
1. Fovea
2. Serpentine Turpentine
3. Gyroscopes
4. Connective Collective
5. Cellulose
6. Sea Breeze
7. Painful Words

The Undeniable EP was originally going to a collection of my New Wave work, but I decided to throw in a second half that covers some more of my electro stuff! More than 60 freakin' minutes of Steg Rex material!!!

Order now, because these are the firstest, freshest, most limited makes of the release! Snag a piece of limited parcel art NOW!

RPM Challenge 2009 (One Album Recorded In One Month!)

Check out my RPM album Can You Dig It?: http://stegrex.rpmchallenge.com/

Sorry for the lack of updates in the past few weeks : / I've been pretty busy with a bunch of stuff.

In February, I decided to take part in RPM (Record Production Month) Challenge where people around the world try to write and record a whole album in one month.

I decided to take part in it to see if my normal output could cover that volume of music without burning out.

Wasn't easy.

The first week, I came up with two amazing tracks, one complete with ideas for lyrics. And then, there was writer's block.

I usually write something or doodle some music every week, but I won't come back to revisit that particular idea for another month or two. In that way, I usually have an assembly line of material being streamed out at the rate of one track per week, but each individual piece of music would have been sitting there for a while before I go and finish it.

For RPM Challenge, I decided to write everything and record it on the fly, without taking old material or ideas to record. Everything was built completely from scratch.

Finishing a track is definitely not my strong point, so for two weeks I just sat there, not able to get moving. I though that I wouldn't make it, that I wouldn't finish 35 minutes of material for RPM.

However, that last week, I decided to just crank it and improvise on my keyboard. In 3 days, I did the remaining 4 tracks, all improvised, ambient little pieces, just so I could finish the whole thing.

The end result was the RPM album Can You Dig It? which is available for you to listen to at this link: http://stegrex.rpmchallenge.com/

I hope you like it!

And... if you haven't seen my new music video for Undeniable, check it out now!

Undeniable Music Video

The music video for Undeniable is now out! Directed, shot, and edited by Johnny Darko. Check it out now!

Also, Undeniable is slated to be released end of March on digital and limited edition cassette tape (limited to 10!)

The cassette features more than 60 solid minutes of Stegosaurus Rex material broadcast by that radio station from the halls of imagination, Radical 98.3 FM! Time travel to 1980s universe that is Undeniable!

If you'd like me to reserve a cassette copy for you--it'll come with cool custom parcel art and maybe something else ;)--email me at steg.rex@gmail.com

The Dino Soars Contest (Final)

Congratulations to Andrew from Ohio for the final winner of The Dino Soars contest!
Thanks to all who participated and watched my music video!

With that, the contest is officially over, but tomorrow, an update on Undeniable...

The Dino Soars Contest (Week 2 And Week 3)

Congratulations to Jimmy from Santa Rosa, CA who won last week!
And for this week, congratulations to Don from Oregon!

This is the last week of the contest, so... if you want The Dino Soars and some tight fucking original parcel art, go to YouTube (this is the last week!) and check out the music video of Nowhere To Run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdV5p1fh4ws

Watch it all the way through and let me know what you think! At the end of the week, I'll choose the awesomest comment and I'll send that person a copy of The Dino Soars for free!


Rules:
1. No spamming, flooding, or hate. I want to see some quality, not necessarily quantity!
2. One CD will be given away every week until the end of February.
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdV5p1fh4ws

The Dino Soars Contest (Week 1) Part 2 (New Artwork, Parcel Artwork)

(Above artwork courtesy of Laura Mardon, who has been doing new artwork for me. Thank you, Laura! Check out her Flickr portfolio and her MySpace profile!)




Guess what winners of the YouTube contest will be getting?

Custom Steg Rex parcel art done by me!

Here are some examples...

So... if you want The Dino Soars and some tight fucking original parcel art, go to YouTube (until the end of February) and check out the music video of Nowhere To Run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdV5p1fh4ws

Watch it all the way through and let me know what you think! At the end of the week, I'll choose the awesomest comment and I'll send that person a copy of The Dino Soars for free!


Rules:
1. No spamming, flooding, or hate. I want to see some quality, not necessarily quantity!
2. One CD will be given away every week until the end of February.
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdV5p1fh4ws

And...if you haven't seen it, Laura Mardon also made a bomb Steg Rex video logo:

The Dino Soars Contest (Week 1) And RPM Challenge Update!

OK, it's been one agonizingly long week, with a lot of people who went onto YouTube to comment!

We narrowed it down to 3 comments that we liked, and we threw dice and flipped coins to decide who won!

Congrats to Terri from CA, who won for this week! (To the two of you who didn't win, you're still in the running for week 2!)

And just in case you forgot, the contest is still running! If you want a copy of The Dino Soars, go to to YouTube (until the end of February) and check out the music video of Nowhere To Run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdV5p1fh4ws

Watch it all the way through and let me know what you think! At the end of the week, I'll choose the awesomest comment and I'll send that person a copy of The Dino Soars for free!

Rules:
1. No spamming, flooding, or hate. I want to see some quality, not necessarily quantity!
2. One CD will be given away every week until the end of February.
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdV5p1fh4ws

And...

RPM Challenge Stuff:

I've begun writing tracks for RPM Challenge!

So far, I've gotten down 3 tracks, and they're available at the following URL:

http://www.rpmchallenge.com/component/option,com_comprofiler/task,userProfile/user,5654/

Check the tracks out, and check out the blog for info on influences!

Win A Free Copy Of The Dino Soars

The economy sucks right now, and it's hard to justify buying too much music.

Want to win a free copy of The Dino Soars? The month of February, I'm showing some love to my fans by giving away one copy a week!

Go to YouTube starting tomorrow (until the end of February) and check out the music video of Nowhere To Run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdV5p1fh4ws

Watch it all the way through and let me know what you think! At the end of the week, I'll choose the awesomest comment and I'll send that person a copy of The Dino Soars (Elita Likes Electro / Unfun Records) for free!

Rules:
1. No spamming, flooding, or hate. I want to see some quality, not necessarily quantity!
2. One CD will be given away every week until the end of February.
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdV5p1fh4ws
4. Winners will be contacted through their YouTube accounts.

Contest has been posted elsewhere at:
http://contests.about.com
http://www.contestguide.com/
http://acontestblog.com/
http://www.grandmajam.com/
http://www.sandysrealm.com

1 Album, 1 Month

http://www.rpmchallenge.com/component/option,com_comprofiler/task,userProfile/user,5654/

http://www.rpmchallenge.com/

I'm going to attempt to create an album from scratch in the month of February. That's 10 songs, 35 minutes total, 28 days.

I know that I've already released The Dino Soars, but I want to see what my output can really be. At my output peak in college, I made about 3 tracks per week, sustained for about 2 months.

Unfortunately, I burned out pretty quick and never got back into that kind of groove. I know that Undeniable is right in the works to be released soon, and I feel like I should be working on that (but the music is being copyrighted at the moment, so I'm stuck). This is sort of a lull where I can just go back to being the pure musician, and step away from the producing, mixing, marketing, etc for just a short while.

So. February 2009. Year of the Ox, bringing back the cycle to me, giving me the mojo I need, resetting and refreshing the musical mind of the dinosaur.

I'll keep up a weekly update for the month of February for RPM Challenge, as well as anything new from Undeniable.

I can feel that this month will be a nice, busy one.

Connective Collective (And Update)

I just finished this track last week. Check it out on my profile!

http://www.myspace.com/stegrex

I'm still trying to fit a few more tracks to the upcoming release Undeniable. Connective Collective will be featured on the B-side cassette.

1-2 more for the A-side. I'll try to finish them up in the next few weeks!

And if you haven't seen the music video for Nowhere To Run, it's available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdV5p1fh4ws

--Stegosaurus Rex