Lyric Video for Amos Saint Jean's New Single "Simply Incredible"

Check out the lyric video for inspirational artist, Amos Saint Jean's new single "Simply Incredible" (Also, available on iTunes for download)

Establishing Your Sound/Formula

Being a professional musician & producer in this music industry for more than 15yrs requires a lot of guts and "stick-to-it-tiveness." I've learned so much through observing other professionals and industry greats and its helped me to establish my own sound and formula.

Well, it's tough to establish your own sound and create your formula. Reason is that for many, it's convenient just to become a "carbon copy" of another successful musician or producer and its tougher to do the necessary ground work to develop your own thing. 

So what do you do with a music industry that has a lot of "carbon copies" and not too many "originals"????  

You continue to create... That's my answer. You continue to push past the unfamiliar and experiment with your sound until something breaks through.

Quincy Jones, David Foster, Timbaland, Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis, Teddy Riley & Harvey Mason are some of my favorite producer/musicians.

I've been able to gleam from their work and learn to establish my own formula. It's an ever-evolving process to establish your sound, because you can not stop learning and gleaming from industry greats such as these guys... 

So, all I'm saying is... Don't just shoot to just be a "carbon copy"... Learn to become an original.

Later!

LIFE, never take for granted

A few months ago, I was sitting in the chapel at my job preparing to participate in a funeral of an 84year old mother/grandmother and I decided to reflect on my own life and realize that I was able to wake up this morning with ease.

Someone else didn't....

So, why today out of all days??? My answer... I don't know

I guess it has to do with realizing that we all have a time and a purpose...






The other day I was watching "Oprah's Lifeclass" on OWN and in this particular episode it featured a well-known and favored preacher, Bishop TD Jakes. They were talking about PURPOSE...It caught my attention and I realized that there's someone out here that doesn't realize how blessed they really are. Many of us live our lives taking so many things for granted...


Why do we do that??...

I don't think that folk realize that TOMORROW'S NOT PROMISED... And if we don't operate with a sense of appreciation and value, I believe that you're living a life being blind...Who wants to live a life in the blind when you don't have to?

I've read Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" a few times in my life thus far and I encourage you to take 40 days and enter that journey, especially if you're looking to better understand your God-given purpose in life.

SHIFT'

Well, we've made it to the last day of the first month of the year 2012. I asked myself, "describe in one word, what best describes the first 31 days of 2012?" My answer is...... SHIFT.

Why SHIFT, out of all the other words in the English language??? Well, I'm glad you asked... since the year has started, my life has been going from one emotion to the next... happy, sad, confused, mad, joyful, pitiful..... It's hard to explain, but the overall feeling I get is SHIFT.

Now what I mean with SHIFT is that, things in life occur for a reason and a season.  I believe that the things that has occurred to me in the last 31 days (good, bad & ugly) are a part of a BIG SHIFT.  Events like, my father passing, job promotion, purchasing a new home, etc... are considered MAJOR life occurrences.

How do you handle it???  Good question... I have no clue, LOL... but when people ask me how am I doing my response is..."Taking it one day at a time..."  You know what??? I think that's the most appropriate and accurate response one can give at a moment like that.


Just a thought...

Building my Home Recording Studio (part 1)

It's been almost a year since I moved out of my commercial studio space and I'm in the last few stages of purchasing my first home w/my wife.  It hasn't kicked in yet, but I believe it's an exciting feeling to finally be a homeowner... (I'm screaming excitement deep inside, really wish you could hear it, LOL j/k)

When I made the decision to break my commercial lease and look to purchase a house w/my wife and basically build a smaller studio space in the basement of the new house.  I thought that would be a good idea, because after 18months of having a commercial studio space I realized that it's not easy, plus most of my clientele are exclusive. So, I basically won't be dealing with too many "walk-ins" so why try to run with a commercial facility when I can get away with having it in my house.

Of course, I'm a little worried with building a studio in my new townhome, cause of the "noise" factor.  I've been doing some research on sound absorption and floating floors and I'm realizing that there are many ways to help minimize the traveling of frequencies and vibrations between rooms.

So, I'm devising a plan now once we move in to assess the space and design a room that can handle "LOUD" noises and vibration. It's tough and some what expensive, but the end result will be soooo worth it.

Along with designing a new studio space/suite in my new home, I'm also thinking about upgrading my studio gear.  Currently, I'm running Protool LE 8.05 through a Digi 003 Rack and I have a Mac Pro Quad-Core and a MacBook Pro 15" (1st Gen).


I'm seriously considering the move to Protools HDX System and the Apogee Symphony I/O System.  I really take my music very seriously and I want my sound to exemplify that.




Now, the question I ask myself all the time is "are you still planning on using Commercial Studios???" "if so, why go all out for a home studio w/room construction & gear upgrades???"  Well, to answer my own question (LOL), I believe that "God blesses a child who has his own..." So, I'm investing in having my own space and gear so I can create music to the best of my ability and if (only if) I would need usage of a Commercial Studio, it would be for "minimal" usage.

I can't wait to start the building process, I will make sure to take pics and blog (even vlog a little).

Moving Forward

Haven't posted in a while... been dealing with a lot since my last post... My thoughts and mindset of LIFE in a whole is changing daily.  One day you think you get a decent understanding of LIFE, then you are side-swipped with a tragedy and/or a crisis... What do you do when you're faced with situation like the lost of a loved one or dealing with crisis at your home, church or job???

I would come from just from a spiritual perspective this time, but I won't....  I wanna also come from a natural/human perspective... Many people who know me often question why am I so calm in high-traumatic/stressful occurrences.  Well, because of what I've endured in life thus far, I've acquired an interesting mindset when it comes to LIFE (and death).

You see, everyone here has a purpose in life... a season...a time. Some may know what it is and some don't... For those who know there purpose, season or time may operate in a different sphere and mindset than someone who doesn't.  Their composure, posture and disposition are different cause they are clearly aware of what they're here on earth for and when they have fulfilled their purpose, season or time they TRANSITION.

Some people find it hard to deal with the loss of a loved one, but for me although it gets tough at times,  I generally accept the reality and do my best to MOVE FORWARD.  Moving forward is not easy, but it's necessary especially for those who know and understand their purpose, season or time...  All of us know the saying "Life is too short..." well, IT IS!!!

We must understanding the BIGGER PICTURE and operate with the knowing that we must fulfill our purpose.  Now, if you don't know your purpose I encourage you to take time to figure it out, cause without that awareness you will find yourself dealing with an emptiness and living a life with no direction.


Love,

RIP Dad

So, on the same day of my last post, a few hrs later...... My father passed away in NYC............................................................................................

My father was 83yrs old, had a full but HARD life... My dad told me that he lost his parents at the young age of 8... He basically had to raise himself along with his two sisters... While developing his love & passion for music, he overcame soooo many challenges throughout his life to the point he was afforded a great opportunity to create a better life for his family by moving from Haiti to USA.

I'm so thankful for him taking that opportunity, (because I probably wouldn't have been born).... I am the youngest of 7 siblings (3-sisters/ 3-brothers & me). I believe that he and I had a special connection.. I was truly blessed enough to be his and my grandfather's name sake. Honestly, I don't know much about and still learning things about my grandparents, but based on how my dad was, I truly believe that they were AWESOME!!!

When I was younger, one of the 1st times I witness the true (physical & spiritual) strength of my father was when I saw him deal with his bout with Prostate cancer and overcame it...Wow!!! To see him go to chemotherapy and deal with the ups and downs truly humbled me.

The 2nd thing was seeing him deal with the loss of my mother, his wife of 32yrs... I was 19 at the time and to personally grieve and also seeing how he grieved was life-changing. My dad was a very private person... Didn't share much, didn't express much publicly, but one thing for sure he wasn't ashamed to show his love and affection towards me all of my life... Most of my siblings (even my mom when she was alive) said that he favored me... Personally, I never believed that (lol), but I truly appreciated his love and affection that he showed consistently all my life.

At the age of 6, my dad sat me down on our piano bench at home and began teaching me the fundamentals of Music Theory and from there I started playing Classical Piano...

I can't imagine where my life would be without my dad's hand in my life. I thank God for his time here on earth and I pray I can carry on his legacy.

Big shoes to fill...smh

Love you forever Dad!! RIP

Jr.

MARRIAGE: Nothing to play with, smh

So, ok... if you pay any attention to the media in the past 6-8months, you have probably seen or heard about several celebrity couples filing for divorce, smh...

C'mon!!! Is this a joke??? I mean, does anyone understand the true meaning of Marriage anymore??? Is Marriage the new "going steady???" LOL, smh.... It's not funny, but it's funny cause it's becoming so "blahhhh" nowadays... Some of these people who are influenced by these celebrities are now probably thinking that Marriage is like a "boyfriend/girlfriend" relationship and when it doesn't work, just file for Divorce....HUH?? WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TOO??? I could talk about this for days, but I'm not, LOL.



I got married a little less than 1 year and 1/2 ago...  It was one of the best decisions I could've made as an Adult Male. The reason is that, when you are a driven, goal-oriented, successful, well-groomed Man, it gets difficult to move forward in life alone... it's awesome to have someone to share it with.  You see, I have the ULTIMATE WIFE, she's my best friend, my confidant, my lover, my fighter (LOL), my beauty, my "rib", my focus... Without her, I'd probably be a quiet, cool, mean, shy, hermit, unapproachable big talented teddy-bear (don't ask me how all that works, LOL)...  We have our share of challenges, but we both didn't enter into this with the mindset that it was going to be easy... the more we communicate, fight, laugh, make love (hehehehehe we "grown-folk" LOL), PRAY, sleep and eat together, the more our Marriage develops and strengthens.


You know what I think?  Many people out here are driven by their emotions and hormones, LOL... When two people are attracted to each other, one of the main things that draws them to each other is "physical" attraction... Most men I know are "visual" so once we lock-in to a female and her "features" we become driven to connect and conquer... Once the connection is made and survives "first-base" (movie date, dinner, starbucks LOL) or sometimes "first-base" is bypassed and goes for a "grand-slam" (no pun intended, LOL)... Well, if the two don't just become FWBs or FBs (not talking about Facebook, LOL) they may fall into the "relationship" zone.

This zone (just like everything else in life) has a "honeymoon" season and if both parties are both thinking long-term then there's a strong chance that they'll make it "over the broom" (marriage)... But nowadays many couples are "comfortable" with being "life-partners" instead of being "married"... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM????

To me, that's crazy... what happened to wanted to spend the rest of your life with someone??? What happened to a women wanting to give up her "last-name"????  What happened to a man who wanted to be considered a "provider" and not just a "partner"... Now, don't jump on me, I am a believer in a woman also being a provider, but there are certain things I still hold on to that a women can do that a man can't do... the same vice-versa.  Maybe I'm too old-fashioned, smh

I want to go back to the days of my Parents, before my mom passed in 1999, my parents were married for 32yrs. THAT'S AWESOME!!!  I loved seeing my parents interact with each other... it was magical.  Nowadayz, it's rare to see Married Couples stay passed 10yrs... the other day I saw an article about a 99year old Italian Man divorcing his wife of 77years over 70 year-old affair... THAT LITERALLY BLEW MY MIND!!!

Well, although we see a lot of negative news on Marriage, I still believe that there are still great examples of beautiful marriage, like our President and First Lady :-)

I love what they represent, brings joy to my soul (sigh)

So, let's hope that the media will shift their focus off of the negative aspect of marriage and switch to the more positive (I strongly doubt they will, smh).  Until then, I'm going to hold on the examples I got from watching my parents when I was younger... If they made it, I know my wife and I will make it. 

Later :-)

Ok, so I'm a Small-Business Owner?

Being a small business owner in this bad economy for the past few years has been a tremendously, burden & blessing.  I started FamousAmos Music, LLC in Aug. 2008 while living in my apartment in College Park, MD.  I felt that as a Recording Artist with a unique style & sound, it would be difficult to get signed by a Major Record Label... So, I started my own... Uhhhh ohhhhhh..WHAT WAS I THINKING??? LOL

Well, it all started off GREAT!!!! I started writing and producing new music and with the help of my close sister Erica and girlfriend at the time (who is now my wife) Jasmine, I launched a new CD campaign entitled 'TELL THE WORLD"

In Feb. 2009, I released "Tell the World- EP" on iTunes and that's when the journey began... It was exciting cause I also came up with the idea to film my first music video and teamed up with Blue Artists Films, LLC and filmed it... Not too many people know this but the reason I decided to film it cause I knew that it would be difficult to service my single on the radio (because of industry "politics" smh.. that's another story)... but I realized that Music Videos submissions in my music genre doesn't happen often (especially High-Quality ones), so I assumed that certain TV Networks would LOVE to put a new video in their rotation...

My music video did very well on the charts (see below)...the momentum was building up, especially for me being an indie artist releasing a sophomore project... EXCITING!!!!!! But....

As an Indie artist, without resources for Marketing/Promotions to further the success of my video... The "buzz" will die down quicker and unfortunately... it did :-( But, I still learned a lot with the success from multiple Video Award Nominations and great reviews. 

In Sep. 2009 during my 30th-bday weekend, I release the LP version of "Tell the World" locally and raised money to secure a 1300sq. ft facility located at a shopping center in Laurel, MD (pics below)

Moving into a commercial facility as a new small business owner was excitingly nerve-wrecking, LOL.     I didn't have any investors or small-business loans, so all I had was a dream and a drive, smh... So for the next few months, after painting and small remodeling, I started to get settled...  Honestly, I never intended on entering the whole "Commercial Studio" game cause it's almost a dying commodity... All I wanted was a space where I can "create" my music and entertain my clients... Initially, it was a GREAT idea with soooo much potential, but as time passed and the true challenges begin to appear, it became very difficult to see "the light at the end of the tunnel"

My facility was located between a Dentist office and a Sports Bar, smh (#FAIL)... So, unless I pay an enormous amount of money for industry-grade "sound-absorbtion"(which I didn't have) I was going to have a difficult time making music, money and moving forward.. smh... That SUCKED!  Starting in October 2009, months and months and months passed with "trying to make it work out" and after getting married in August 2010,  I really began re-evaluating this "investment"... I kept seeing money go down the drain and began finding it hard to deal with the "balancing-act" of being a husband (provider) and a small-business owner.  Becoming a husband is a serious charge and responsibility... I take it SERIOUSLY, So, while looking around searching for new houses with my wife... I came up with an idea................................................. "why don't I try to break my 36-month Lease with my Studio and buy a house and build my studio in the basement???"  Because the money that I was spending between my studio and house rent could cover a "beautiful" mortgage, smh.

So, I met with the property manager at the shopping center where my studio was located and discussed to what I wanted to do... Well...... MY PLAN WORKED!!!!  The property manager understood my situation and we worked out an exit plan and in March 2011, I was able to break my lease 18-months early with very minimal damage :-)  Initially, after I moved out the studio... I felt like a failure, but I thought about it.... "I want to OWN my own property and no longer RENT and waste money?" so that's not a failure...that's WISDOM!

Well, being a small business owner has it's challenges and after 3 1/2 years, I'm starting to understand much better the mindset it takes to develop and grow my business. 

So wish me luck :-)

I'm new to this "BLOGGING" thing, LOL

Ok, so I'm now considered a "baby-blogger".... I mean, tweeting on Twitter or updating my status on Facebook is one thing, but BLOGGING????  What's the difference??  Well, so far I see that it takes some serious commitment and focus...

So far on my first official day of blogging, I glanced over some other blogs online and almost quit immediately, LOL... I mean, some of these profiles are "decked-out"... Mine's looks so plain and simple :-( .... Anywayz, I'll try to keep up with it cause I'm kinda tired of the whole Facebook/Twitter thing... It's cool, but I'm kinda over it...  My personal websites (www.AmosSaintJean.com www.FamousAmosMusic.com) are both in "Limbo" right now... I really need to team up with a very innovative/creative web-designer to help take it to where I want to go.  Until then, I'm going to try this "BLOGGING" thing until I set something up for my websites...

Whatchu think??? Any recommendations for any great web-designers???


Holla back at me!

First Post :-)

Well, Happy New Year!!!!!

I decided to start blogging in this new year, cause I have a lot to say nowadays, haha... Been in the music biz (musician, producer, songwriter, artist, engineer) for over 15+ years now and I'm starting to realize that things are changing (some for the good and some for the bad, smh).

I feel that blogging can become my "balance" as I witness and/or experience different occurrences (& even frustrations) in my daily life...Plus, I feel that I have a lot of "wisdom" to share to a lot of the younger and "up-n-coming." 

I don't consider myself to be in the "major-leagues" like some other guys like I look up to (Quincy Jones, David Foster, Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, Tommy Simms, Mano Hanes, Aaron Lindsey...just to name a few)... I haven't won any awards yet, but I do believe that I've acquired a wealth of knowledge in my journey thus far.... 

I've witness the transition from the demand for "Big Commercial Studios" to awakening of "Home/Project Studios."  Nowadays, if you own a Laptop and purchase (or steal/borrow, lol) DAW Software (i.e; Protools, Logic, Nuendo, Cubase, Digital Performer, etc...) you basically don't need access to a Commercial Studio, thus seeing the shutting down of the big famous studios like "The Hit Factory" in NY http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hit_Factory) back in 2005.

In the next few blogs, I'm going to share some of my experiences with trying to develop my career/business... It wasn't and isn't easy... But it made me be appreciate who I am and what I've accomplish thus far.

Talk to you soon