Blog

Interview, Miscellaneous Milestones & Updates.

Hello folks,

Just a brief post to let you all know I’m finally getting my head back in the game.  Expect some new music and podcasts soon.

Of note:

• I recently did an interview for the site Vox Electro. Read the interview here.

• There’s a sale going on at hush records.com. Find the lowest price ever on my Box Set.

• I recently uploaded the entire Sound Of Picture production Library to Bandcamp, with a few new collections: DuetsMarimba, Vibrophone, Chimes & Bells, and Solo Instruments.  These songs are performed very naturally, so the tempos breathe.  Great for videography. And now it’s all downloadable for free in CD quality or your favorite file type!  To see some video work that caught my eye and incorporates my music, head over to soundofpicture.com and click on any of the portfolio categories.  Here’s one that I thought was stunning:

It opens with my track “Corridor”
• Earlier this year I broke the one million download milestone at freemusicarchive.org!  I’m sure this had a lot to do with the encouraging response to my new Sound of Picture License Shop.  In the last six months I’ve sold over 200 licenses directly to producers.  Thanks FMA, and thanks shop customers!  I’ll be making improvements to the site and the collection in the coming month!

Lastly, I’d like to thank This Americans Life for continuing to introducing my music to their listening audience.  Unfortunately they don’t provide programming notes, so for those who might be searching Google, here’s where my songs can be heard from a few recent show episodes

513: 129 Cars at 107:25 “Vibe Drive”

509: It Says So Right Here at 58:41 “Filaments”

507: Confessions at 31:19 “Dry Air”

503: I Was Just Trying To Help at 4:50 “Vibe Drive”, 22:50 “Happiness Is”, 29:50 “Proliferate”

504: How I Got Into College at 8:45 “Filaments”

Soundtrack for new iOS game Swing King!

From the hit factory publisher of Angry Birds, a new iOS game hit the market just yesterday, featuring a soundtrack from Podington Bear!
Swing King!

Screen Shot 2013-01-04 at 1.21.23 PM

“If you like physics-based puzzle games, this is one that is well worth your time, as it features fun gameplay, beautiful visuals, and a fantastic soundtrack” – TouchGen.net

I’m excited for opportunity for a lot of new people to hear my songs while enjoying such a gorgeous, and whimsical game that is both familiar and fresh in its gameplay.  Check it out in the iTunes App Store and if you like it, tell a friend!

Screen Shot 2013-01-04 at 1.21.50 PM

 

New album released via the Free Music Archive!

Highly regarded by creative professionals and amateurs, The Free Music Archive is featuring the latest album from Podington Bear on their site.  This profile and interview  illuminates the decision to release work in this way, and expands on the history of the artist Chad Crouch, known here as Podington Bear.

Why did you use the CC BY-NC license for this project?

It seemed like a reasonable thing to do.  It’s like the Velveteen Rabbit:  For me the music becomes more real if it’s not just heard, but played with and cared for.

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

The Free Music Archive is an interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads. The Free Music Archive is directed by WFMU, the most renowned freeform radio station in America. Radio has always offered the public free access to new music. The Free Music Archive is a continuation of that purpose, designed for the age of the internet.

Every mp3 you discover on The Free Music Archive is pre-cleared for certain types of uses that would otherwise be prohibited by copyright laws that were not designed for the digital era. Everything that Podington Bear has composed and recorded including Egress is available for use under the Creative Common BY-NC (Non-commercial with attribution) license. This includes personal videos, podcasts without advertising, bed music for your pro-bono work for non profit institutions, low-budget films for inclusion in festivals, and so forth.  (Basically whenever you [1] make something for free and it [2] does not promote a commercial entity.)  For a fast fair commercial license just contact podingtonbear[at]gmail.com.

One Year Late, 3x Larger: The Sound Of Picture Production Library

I’m pleased to finally announce a resource for creative work or entertainment: a 300 piece music collection dubbed The Sound Of Picture Production Library. The entire collection is free for NC-BY Creative Commons personal use and as a tool for producers, directors, game developers, etc.

Visit soundofpicture.com to search and audition individual tracks by mood or instrumentation category, and / or Download the entire 300 cue collection in four parts:

Sound of Picture Production Library Part 1 (~300mb)

Sound of Picture Production Library Part 2 (~300mb)

Sound of Picture Production Library Part 3 (~300mb)

Sound of Picture Production Library Part 4 (~300mb)

Podington Bear on Twitter and everywhere else.

Follow podington_bear on Twitter

I know, I know.  Not long after premiering a song called “Twitterflated” and remarking I wasn’t convinced of the relevance of Twitter [speaking for myself] I’m now trying in earnest to adopt it into my digital life.  And I have to admit, it’s kind of weirded me out these first few days.  Nonetheless I’ve got Tweetdeck fired up, I’m following a few friends and I’ll be tweeting the moment new podcasts go up, and incidentally, if inspired.  “Follow me”–I feel really stupid writing that–at @podington_bear (Yes, once again I’m late to the party and have to resort to the underscore).

And psst: There’s a boss song (seriously, I’ve been saving it for something special) on my Facebook Page. Be a pal and consider becoming a fan!

Find other facets of my digital life at:

chadcrouch.com (visual)

soundofpicture.com (The instrumental alter ego to P Bear: short, moody and adventurous compositions)

hushrecords.com (this is the label I have run for over a decade.  You can buy the BOX SET here (10 CDs), or download various P Bear albums free/$upport)

podingtonbear.bandcamp.com (bandcamp page: just an alternative method of downloading albums, allows 128K mp3 totally free downloads, and higher quality for $upport.)

chadcrouch.bandcamp.com (bandcamp page for SoP: you will find Vol 1-4 including Satie & Ambient. Download up to lossless quality for free/$upport)

The Box Set ON SALE

Only $22.99  $15.99. Get it here.

Or buy the complete download for only $9.99

Now featuring instant download, so you can start enjoying the music immediately.

The definitive Podington Bear collection includes 10 CDs, 135 songs, and over 8 hours of music. Podington Bear is a modern music internet phenomenon. Profiled on NPR, Wired, heaps of blogs, and selected as a Best of 2007 podcast by the iTunes Music Store, P. Bear’s original method of music delivery has reached listeners far and wide. He serves up thousands of songs every day via his podcast on iTunes, cycling through the parade of music now contained in The Box Set. The music itself is 100% instrumental, inventive, delightful, and accessible. The sonic palate varies widely, juxtaposing acoustic instrumentation with synthesized and distorted sounds. The songs are constructed of simple melodies that mutate modally with surprising twists of composition. Touchstones would be Hot Chip, Björk, The Album Leaf, or early Múm. Little is known about this character except that he lives in Portland and prefers to work anonymously. This body of work is represented uniformly by a simple line drawing of a bear, invoking a legacy and an ethos that surrounds the music. It is a collection that works in the foreground or the back.
Features two small booklets and 10 CDs with 135 songs. Currently shipping complete with 135 tracks on 10 discs. Hooray!

Podcast: Now With Or Without Jabber

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m no candidate for pro radio host (even in the trademark casual style of Ira Glass), so you’ll have to bear with me as I begin to refine my narrative skills.  Having been a recluse for so long it’s nice to open up a little, but I’m also aware I’m on a slippery slope toward detracting from my music.

The solution? Two versions of each podcast episode.  Borrowing yet again from TV/DVD formatting (as with ‘seasons’) one version will feature commentary (good for context and illumination) and one will feature only the music (good for repeat listens).

(I hope.)

Subscribe to the Podington Bear Podcast via iTunes

Out Of Hibernations with Season 3

The kids are back to school, the TV networks are premiering their fall lineups, and the leaves are starting to change.  And so it goes, Podington Bear has put his paw in the ring with a podcast format change that would seem to say, if you can’t beat them, join ‘em.  The bear–who savvy readers may know is actually typing this–debuted with a podcast format that consisted of one song per episode and over the past couple years racked up about 190 such episodes.  No voiceovers, no ads, no jingles.

Well bring on the jingles, because it’s time for The Podington Bear Show:  the radio DJ style show where P Bear  makes it up as he goes, sharing some of his latest tracks/compositions/ditties in a a 20-30 minute mix, every Friday.

Subscribe to the show via iTunes

Vol 3: Ambient, 3 week $3 discog Sale

A couple months ago a made this batch of songs which I kinda liked. They are notable for being different from anything I’ve done before:  Ambient.  Now I’m thinking it’s time to set the audio free into the world, so voila, Sound of Picture Vol 3.

Download for free, or suggested donation in the HUSHshop.

sopvol3

Sound of Picture Vol 3 sampler mix

I also made videos for them. Here’s one for the first track, “Sad Cyclops”.

They can be seen in a continuous playlist here.

For more instrumental music consider downloading Vol 1 & 2; short, simple, melodic compositions to accompany photographs

Also:

magicthree

Total bargain alert!  We’re having a special sale beginning today: That’s right: 3 albums (aged 3+ years) on sale for $3 each, for 3 weeks only! This will be a limited-time offer with rotating specials from the HUSH back catalog.  Available in the HUSHshop.

I’m going to be the guinea pig and step up to the plate with a sampling from my own discography over the years.  Beginning in 1997 we have my only canonical vocal solo release, entitled Portland, Or.  Jumping ahead to 2004, my band Blanket Music released Cultural Norms, maybe the snappiest offering from Yours Truly, and has the footnote distinction of breaking into the CMJ top 20.  Pitchfork spake thus:

Crouch understands the difference between getting in people’s faces, and inviting them to come to him… he easily could have erred in the other direction by pitching headlong into the cultural wars. Instead, he found a perfect balance, and this is his most compelling album.

Five years on, I’m not sure if I understand anything really, but I am inviting you to consider owning this artifact and judging for yourself.

Lastly, the short-lived Toothfairy mini album Formative is an interesting foray which looks back and forward simultaneously.   The lyrics paint a detailed pastiche of adolescence while the electronic palette is certainly an antecedent to Podington Bear, my outlet for instrumental ditties.

So, have a listen and consider for your collection.

Blanket Music - "Cultural Norms"

Blanket Music – “Cultural Norms” Sampler Mix

Chad Crouch - "Portland, Or."

Chad Crouch – “Portland, Or.” Sampler Mix

Toothfairy - "Formative"
Toothfairy – “Formative” Sampler Mix