New Music?!? Live at the Double Door EP.

It has been quite a long time. Over two months since our last blog! There is new music! Just not ready for release yet. In the  meantime we have a live bootleg of some select tracks from our May Double Door performance in Chicago.

Our recent efforts have been focused internally as we experiment with new material and continue touring around the Midwest, selling records and meeting so many lovely people.  The most exciting things along the way have made their way to this blog or to our webpage but everything else is just silly stories and videos that will end up on You Tube sooner than later.

In the last year, over 125 shows, we ended up with a good collection of solid recordings of some of these many live performances. Some live videos have made their way to our You Tube Page while the rest of them have been collecting digital dust in a desolate file folder.


Our initial effort to share some of these recordings with you was sidetracked by a remixing of Dreams & Bones for some TV licensing opportunities so it wasn’t until very recently that we had an opportunity to rummage through these videos/audio files.  


Using our Twitter page we asked Strangeloves what songs of live performances they would love to get their hands. Thankfully we were able to fill all of the requests and were able to put together a short live EP. 


We printed 100 custom and limited copies of this record and released them to our Strangeloves in Chicago this past Saturday’s show at Martyr’s. Today anyone can download them in a pay what you want format by visiting our Bandcamp page. That package includes different audio options as well as 4 Hi Resolution Photos from the actual show, and the album artwork. If you don’t want to donate, or even enter 0 (it's pay what you want.. you can pay 0..) but if you are just lazy and don't want to leave this page and just want the audio files you can click here but this one doesn't include all of the fancy stuff mentioned above. Just sayin!

Preview of the Artwork - Ooh la la! I guess you could technically get the artwork here too.. Hmmm.

For a limited time you can grab a remaining hard copy at any Live Model Stranger show.

Discussions of a new record are still in the process as we decide exactly what it is and how it is that we want to record this next group of songs. A lack of new material is actually not an issue; in fact it is the opposite as we are sitting on over a dozen potential song choices and even more song snippets.  Discussions with numerous producers, studios and discussions amongst us have ended with a big hmmmm and altered our usual concise decision making process. What to do… Should we do an acoustic record? How about we release all of those ambient dancey numbers we have been working on? Should we release another Rock and Roll record? 

It is more than likely we will be releasing an EP of some sort over a full length. We will have more news to come regarding our next effort over the next few months.  In the meantime we will be trying some of this new material live and seeing what sticks.


What would you like to see Model Stranger do next?


Thanks for reading.


Stephen Francis - Aka Stevie Frankie.

Unofficial She Don't Music Video... from Germany?

It isn't everyday you wake up and a music video is completed for your band.


This becomes especially true if it were to happen without your knowing. A month ago a fan posted a music video for "She Don't" on our Facebook wall.

I saw it and I said.. “We didn’t make a music video for this song? Suhweet!”

Curious by the image of the girl on the thumbnail, I pressed play, sat back and tried to deduct how this came to be. The quote under the video says "Ooooh Miri don't care everything! D". "You and her both Miri!," I blurted aggressively towards my computer monitor. Then I asked myself, who is this girl? Where is she from? Do I know a Miri? So... there I sat with my confusion quickly being outweighed by this flattery. Sure.. WE didn't do this video.. WE didn’t approve this… BUT… Who gives a shit?

I decided that I should reach out to her and thank her for making this video. So I did just that. Miri replied the next day and explained that she found Model Stranger on the Steam Engine Blog. She shared her excitement for our record and told me how her and her friends listen to it all the time. It took me a second to comprehend that a teenager from Germany and her friends were listening to something we recorded in Chicago.

I mean sure, we have fans but they are fans that we have made mostly from touring.. and we have never toured Germany. This video installment made by a sweet German teenager made my day.. and then I forgot about it... and then I remembered it.. forgot about it again and now I am blogging about it... because its awesome how the internet continues connecting us to new fans. It is awesome to live in a world where people can interpret your music on their You Tube Pages. A simple mention from Reverbnation on Twitter and a feature on The Steam Engine Blog... and suddenly we have fans from around the world.

Very special thanks to Miri for sharing our music on her You Tube page and a million thanks to the Steam Engine Blogspot for continuing to support us and spread the word. Also to Reverbnation for showcasing our FB page last week. So appreciative!

Without people sharing content on the internet this would be a completely different story now wouldn't it?

Radiohead Conceals DIY Fan Funding Approach With King of Limbs Release

As Radiohead fans around the world rejoice in the sudden announcement that "The King of Limbs", the much anticipated follow up to In Rainbows, will be dropping in digital format on Saturday I am joining in on the celebration and personally applauding them for pushing the envelope once again.


Whether you are a larger national act with a million plus fans or an independent band with a whopping 314 likes on your Facebook page you should be taking notes at just what Radiohead is really doing and why it works.


Radiohead is adopting techniques and retail options from the independent music community and further closing the gap between independent acts and Nationals. The only difference I see here is the perception in the way they pitch the sale.


During my first glances on the King of Limbs homepage the thing that caught me off guard was the fact that physical copies of the record will not ship until May, almost four months from the date of the initial digital release.

This presale will give Radiohead funding and a good idea of just how many packages and physical items they will have to print. This isn't very different from a 'fan funding' approach that in the independent music community has started to become popular over the last 2 years. In fact any pre-sales of records are fun funding, it just doesn't feel that way when it is coming from a band with the success or stature of Radiohead and when the music is available right away.


Independent bands around the world use sites such as Kickstarter, PledgeMusic and Artistshare to commonly raise money to print their records, go on tour, or go into the studio. I have even seen bands ask for money to fix their van.


Radiohead can afford to fund their recording cost and aren't taking a desperate 'FUND OUR RECORD' approach in the pitch to their fans, obviously because they don't need to. However before they put up any money to print physical copies, they are going to raise some money towards the cause and get a good idea of how many packages they need to print at a first go round.


The perception doesn't seem desperate as it does for Indie bands though. Is that because every single person that purchases this record this week knows that they will get a great product? Does this display how important a rapport with a fan base is? Or is it because they don't really consider that they are actually funding Radiohead to print their record? I think the answer to all of those is yes. Indie bands far and wide can learn just why this works for Radiohead. Offering the free download up front is instant gratification and makes the exchange feel fair.

Its all about perception.

In fact this model reflects the way that the very popular Bandcamp processes orders for artists that sign up to sell music on their site, which is the first place I witnessed this download now ship later process. When you visit an artists Bandcamp page and purchase a record not only do you receive an immediate digital download at the time of purchase but you also have many different file formats in which you download the record, much like the options on www.kingoflimbs.com., and a physical copy will ship at a later date. Although other nationals such as Trent Reznor of NIN have offered multiple file formats in free download format, Radiohead widdled down the many options available in the modern age to two user friendly file types, .wav and .mp3.


They also created a price point between the two by giving them two different prices. Wav files take up more server space and therefore sound better so Radiohead is charging more for those files. I agree that .wav files should be more expensive and this is a great move.


In addition by giving their fans only two package options, digital or physical/digital, Radiohead is going to significantly increase their revenue for anyone that desires to own this record in physical format. Commonly bands sell posters and artwork, vinyls and CDs as separate items online. It is common for bands to sell only one item for presale. Radiohead has only the entire lot available.



To add to the clever aspects of this release, actually purchasing the record in digital format instead of downloading it for free is just as worthy as purchasing a lottery ticket. As the website states on both packages –


"1 Lucky owner of the digital version of the King of Limbs will receive an autographed 2 Track 12" vinyl".


So imagine if that was you. Out of the millions of Radiohead fans in the world YOU could be the one to end up with the “Golden Ticket”. This prize would truly a priceless item of merchandise. Any music listener knows that they can wait until Sunday and find a free download of King of Limbs somewhere online but the possibility of being the winner of that record, despite the odds, will have overzealous Radiohead fans and Ebay juggernauts around the world pulling their credit cards out once again. Anyone who plays the lottery should purchase this record. The winner will be famous and any Radiohead fan knows that they will be getting their moneys worth.


Lastly I think this is one of the rare times I can recall any band releasing a record with little or no heads up. A major label would probably view this as a PR nightmare. Who would release a record without press releases and reviews? There is really no time here to create a buzz right? Considering that 25% of content online is user generated content this isn't that strange. It has been 2 days since the band announced the release of the record and it is being mentioned dozens of times in every one of my feeds by the hour. Who needs the press when you have millions of fans around updating their status with your name and link to new record in it? The general population has become the press!


A lot of the reason while this works for a band like Radiohead is simple.


They are one of the biggest bands in the world. Not every band can get away with a stunt like this but at the very least every band can learn from this.


Radiohead continues revolutionizing their releases with the changing technological and consumer trends of the music business while increasingly closing the gap in the ways nationals and independents release music. We should be grateful for their business/social media savvy and road maps as much as their brilliant and often unparalleled music.


If you were Radiohead what would you have done different for this release and why?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.




Thanks for reading.

Stephen Francis

Although physical copies of both the CD and Vinyl come out in retailer stores on March 28^th Radiohead has chose their presale portion of this release, which is where Fan Funding is rooted, to only show two options. As this post is about the subject of Fan Funding and perception of how to do it in a clever and concealed way I left this information off. If you visit www.kingoflimbs.com there is no mention of this release date which is why it was not included in the original post. I believe Radiohead left that off on purpose. Do you think that Radiohead would leave that detail off on accident? - Ammendment in Re: to @ThisJustin's comment

Not So Blue Thursday

3 days after Blue Monday and I have a reason to smile. For the most part it
seems the winter has granted the band that balance we had been trying to

wrestle down in the late fall. Before we knew it we woke up and were in the

thick of another long winter. The Chicago air had begun bleeding its agents

of lethargy into our enthusiastic spirits and we were left disoriented with

not a clue on what to do next. It seems that if no one had anywhere to be

our world would come to a complete halt and everything else would continue

moving. A collective drag, the hangover of the holiday season was in our

bones.  Then suddenly it all made sense.

With such a shady despositon of the last month why would I have a reason to

smile?  I am comforted that there is a mutual relief amongst the band as of

late. Last years plans for us have seemingly completed their cycles and

soon enough we can get back to doing the things we intended. “The plate”

has cleared itself and now we are left to start creating again, get back on

the road and continue selling records.

What is next? We ask ourselves… Where are we going? Who is expecting us?

We don’t know much of anything in certainty at this point but we know that

we are anxious to work on some new music and hit the road more than any

previous year. Suggestions of 100 shows hardly made us flinch and the first

few batches of new music we have been working on hardly resemble our former

efforts. This is exciting and terrifying, yet intriguing and motivating;

the seed of imagination. Who knows though we could just pop out a rock baby

overnight and hone this stuff out.  Either way when it is ready you will

get a taste.

Plans for a short spring tour are in full swing and we will begin testing

out our new material live before we head into the studio in the coming

months. From the depths of my deepest hibernations I wish anyone reading

this the brightest day.

For those of you who want to chime in: What would you like to see Model

Stranger do in 2011? Where would you like to see them play? What can Model

Stranger do for you?

Go away? Nah.. We have been gone for long enough. It’s party time.

In the meantime here are a couple shows we do have booked.