russellstarke.com

Hey all - a few very cool things have happened lately - first, the most interesting is probably the fact that we (as MATTOWAX) just got offered our first publishing deal from a publisher in Germany. We’re still hammering through the details of this arrangement, but so far it looks like they’re interested in a limited license of the track “Most Likely To Succeed” from our latest EP…so things could get interesting pretty soon!

Second, the After School Specialists got together this weekend to watch our movies be screened as a part of the Roslyn Film Festival, part of the revitalization project in Roslyn PA. More than anything, it was a nice evening of watching a bunch of locally produced films with some really nice people, and there was a very cool “small town” feel to the whole thing. But, our film from last year’s 48 Hour Film Festival, “Against The Wind”, probably had its most appreciated showing (lots of laughter and audience reaction - very satisfying!), and we ended up winning a little trophy (yes, a trophy…ha ha) for coming in third place (by audience voting). Very fun.

Finally, we’re still waiting for the EP to be up on iTunes for purchase, but that doesn’t have to be your only option - you can actually get the whole thing for under $4 on Amazon by clicking here. So, although we’ll probably wait until it’s on iTunes to do an official e-mail blast, it’s out there!

A lot of people have been asking about the new MATTOWAX EP and where it can be purchased…well, we’re waiting to send out a big promotional e-mail blast until it’s up on iTunes as well (should be very soon), but the EP is already alive and kicking up on Rhapsody. For those who use it (I heartily recommend it - Rhapsody has replaced my physical CD collection and has saved my bank account and possibly even my marriage in the process…ha ha), the EP can be purchased outright or streamed if you’re on a subscription plan. Just fire it on up and do a seach for “mattowax”!

In other news regarding the EP, we’ve sent out MANY packages to publishing companies across the U.S. (and one or two abroad as well) and have gotten some positive initial response, and are now waiting for things to trickle through the rest of the organizations (which typically takes a month or more). Who knows what (or if) will come of it, but it’s very interesting to be doing a full-court press like this with a recording - I’ve never quite hit it this hard, but we think the recording is a really solid one and worth this kind of effort - so, we’ll see! And, if nothing comes of it, well, the next EP is already about 3/4 of the way through the recording phase!

Hey, alright! The After School Specialists recently created another short film for Dogfish Head Ale entitled “Fruitcake” (for the 2008 Off-Centered Film Festival); this year the theme was “underdogs”. While we didn’t get first place this time, we did get an honorable mention and our film will be screened down in Austin, TX in the beginning of April at the Lake Creek branch of the Alamo Drafthouse (I’ve actually been to one of the ADHs and they are AWESOME…would be nice to have something like that up in the northeast). I’m guessing that video will be up on the site for viewing in near future (or at least on YouTube) - I was really only responsible for the music this time around since the filming happened during a particularly hectic period! Anyway, if you happen to be in town, go check it out (the poster and link is below) - if not, stay tuned for the posting of the video soon…

Hi all - Used Wigs Radio podcast #45 is now live, featuring an interview Todd and I conducted with indie cult hero Daniel Johnston (as well as a bunch of other good stuff). Check it out by clicking the image below!

Hello all - Used Wigs Radio podcast #44 is up - with this sparky lil’ graphic accompanying it…thanks to Jeff for beating on Todd and I for our new facial hair styles…click below to listen!