A few days ago, Magnatune.com- Justin’s non-exclusive label- made some abrupt and drastic changes to their site and business model. Instantly gone was the site’s physical CD sales, with founder John Buckman citing numerous issues with their manufacturer. Also killed off was the site’s streaming membership; essentially a high-quality pay-per-month radio station. Variable pricing, one of Magnatune’s killer features, was traded away in favor of $12 album pricing. Magnatune’s new product? Buffet. Magnatune.com now offers a $15/month download membership. Download whatever you want, in almost any quality you want, and keep them forever. Their new slogan is “Ten thousand songs for only $15/month” and they clearly mean it.

A few days ago they ditched album sales altogether. No more CD sales, no more digital album sales, not even for $12 apiece. It’s download membership or nothing.

I respect Magnatune and the marketing power they’ve helped put behind my music. Their music licensing capabilities are what helped fund my continued music production, and I value their partnership. I also think this is dead wrong. Variable pricing (the idea that you can choose what you’d like to pay for an album, between $5 and $18) was unique, and it was a great act of faith that helped solidify their market. Most people paid more than you’d expect, and felt good knowing half went directly to the artist. Full streaming before purchase was right on, and DRM-free music was there long before the rest of the industry figured it out.

The truth is, though, that Magnatune was always a company with a shrinking niche market. It was only a matter of time before the digital music industry matured and ditched DRM, making things simpler for customer ever more reluctant to open their wallets. The commodity of Magnatune was their willingness to stand up and say “we think we have great music, and we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt in the hope that you’ll think so too.” Now, it’s more like “please, take it, because it’s getting dusty.”

Numbers don’t lie, but there are two things going on here. First, the economy sucks. Second, if you push a product that’s far cheaper than the rest, your numbers will point straight towards it. That doesn’t mean that it’s the right choice in the long run. Raising prices on album downloads will clearly push more people to the membership when the difference is $3.

So I’m rethinking the future of my music. Is it worth it to me to get virtually nothing for months of work? Is it worth the emails I get from strangers telling me how much they loved it? Music is important- not just to listen to, but to create. I have passion for it and probably couldn’t stop if I tried. Heck, if enough people read this and tell me they agree, I’d even consider opening my own variable pricing store. But to say that a huge chunk of my best work is worth some small portion of $15 is simply short-sighted.

Let me know what you think. Tell me what you want. If it’s this, then I’ll eat my hat.

http://ambulephab.us/re

About this album

In 2008, Justin Bianco released an album of solo piano compositions, called Kingdom Crumble. Now, under the pseudonym Ambulephabus, he has released a complete recreation of the album with a more percussive, electronic sound. Each track is presented in order: a reinterpreted version of the key melody, concept, or vibe of the original. It is available for download free of charge.

The Nocturnum LP has been updated to work with AppleTV software 3.0, so check it out if you can at the LP page.

Quoted as best as I can from memory: “We had been working with a piece for a while and it just wasn’t clicking, so Giacun [Caduff, Producer] and I started searching online for something. When we heard your song, we just knew immediately that it was perfect for the scene.”

It was a lovely evening (despite the terrible rain storm!) and I’m more glad than before to have been a part of this production. If you get a chance to see it, either via their upcoming international screenings, or their eventual and hopefully imminent DVD release, definitely do so. Thanks again to Jeff and Richard!

As you might have heard, Kingdom Crumble and Nocturnum already have free LPs on my LP page. I’m already working on others, but it’s taking time away from finishing up my latest musical project as Ambulephabus- “Kingdom Crumble Re-imagined.” So I intend to get back to both of these projects and make major headway, but alas, Apple has released updates, and they’re causing some interesting… things… to happen.

You can now view iTunes LPs in fullscreen mode. Neat!

Without their special manifest document, LPs can’t be imported into iTunes correctly. The files have been fixed, but that’s the problem with working on an unpublished “standard” (calling it that is a bit of an oxymoron at this point.)

The iTunes LPs will work with AppleTV software 3.0. Unfortunately, no one knows how yet, since even the iTunes LP’s currently sold by Apple are incompatible. So, as soon as we know, we’ll fix ‘em up and get them out the door all shiny and new. Until then, everything should work the same way in iTunes itself.

Oh- and one more thing. The Etienne! screening is next weekend, so if you responded with a “maybe” on Facebook, it’s time to commit! Go do it!

Thanks for the continued support and cheer, everyone! You’re the best.

Kingdom Crumble
Nocturnum

Also, Justin has been hard at work designing his first iTunes LP. Because iTunes doesn’t allow for anyone but a very select handful of big-name artists to participate in this fairly basic (technically) initiative, he has decided to offer LP files for free right here. Kingdom Crumble will be the first up, and it should be just a few days before we have more to report!

[Update: The first LP is now available here!]

Ambulephab.us is back up, and looking better than ever. Play individual songs from the upcoming album right on the homepage, and see all the latest happenings right away! Check it out at ambulephab.us.

The Magnatune iPhone app has been rejected by Apple. It’s not the end of the road for the app, but it is a big step in the wrong direction, so the timeline is now much longer. We’ll let you know as soon as something changes.

The screening of Etienne! at the Olympia Film Festival is approaching fast, so remember to clear your schedule if you can make it!

CreateSpace is still producing proofs for six albums that will be available via their (pretty fantastic) disk manufacturing services. Forge is already available, but since they’re doing six proofs this time (and they offer them for free) I can’t complain that it has taken over a month so far.

Update: More info on the Olympia Film Festival here. Etienne! will screen on the 7th at 4:30PM, and we’re coordinating an event on Facebook if you’re interested in going!

Also, a week or so back we brought up some concerns with disk production via Lulu.com’s print-on-demand service. Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do to improve their services, but we’ve found two incredible alternatives. CreateSpace (an Amazon.com company) makes disks the exact same way for almost exactly the same price, but the quality is FAR superior. Forge is up there now, and more will be arriving in about a week or two. Expect Lulu.com to lose all disk printing options shortly thereafter.

However, since the quality at Lulu was about the same as you could expect from your own home printer, we’ve concocted an idea to cut out the middleman. As labels and companies struggle with proprietary solutions and half-standards, we’ve gone the simple route: build-your-own album. “Build-Your-Own” links have appeared on select discography pages (the “Music” link above) allowing you to download the same files used by CreateSpace to print their liner, tray, and booklet inserts. From there, you can, well, build your own album. Jewel cases will eventually go the way of the dinosaur, but we’re still a ways off from that. For now it’s a simple way to offer not just the music, but an entire album to everyone. Check it all out: Kingdom Crumble, Nocturnum, Blackbird, Siren, Forge, and Finality.

More importantly, you can now search for a song name and find out which album(s) it was on. You can see albums released under Justin’s name, or under the pseudonym Ambulephabus. A few albums now also have downloadable artwork that you can use to create your own jewel cases. What are you waiting for, check it all out!

So I’d like to apologize to anyone who has bought a physical CD of mine through Lulu. With as much attention to detail I have when it comes to designing every part of my albums, it might as well be yesterday’s recycling to them. My designs are deliberate, and I think my entire production is being ruined by this form of media.

I’ll open it up to the public. I’m considering removing all physical media from the Lulu store. Would anyone be sad to see disks go? Commence commenting.

You may have noticed that this site has been (for about three months now) called ambulephab.us.  While justinbianco.com has redirected here, this is just a step towards the inevitable divorce of the two genres.

And so, I now introduce you to two distinct artists, though they are the same person: Justin Bianco, continuing on in solo piano, and Ambulephabus, exploring electronic sounds.  Ambulephab.us will soon stand alone, and JustinBianco.com will begin to function separately and of its own accord.  This will take a little while, so please be patient, but it seems to be the right thing for both parties.  Or the same party.  It’s confusing.

To further confuse matters, the first stand-alone Ambulephabus album will be a remake of Justin Bianco’s “Kingdom Crumble,” in a more percussive manner.  Stay tuned right here for much more in the coming weeks.  It’s been an amazing decade of music, so welcome to the next!

First Flight: A Mother Hummingbird’s Story is an adorable book (and now a dvd as well) by photographers Noriko and Don Carroll. The DVD has now been released and features Justin Bianco’s “Mischief” from the album Forge. It’s a heartwarming story, and you can check out the trailer below, or find out more at hummingbirdstory.com.

For those who aren’t familiar with the film, it features two songs of the album Blackbird. Read articles about CineVegas and Etienne! at Reuters, Entertainment Today, and read a quick interview with Jeff on IndieWire.

Note: There are a lot of sources to sift through when getting this information, so please understand if information is incorrect or changes after this post is published. (“Dammit Jim, I’m a musician’s site, not a news source!”) Nonetheless, please let me know via the about page’s contact form should there be any inaccuracies or if you have information to add.

The winner was this entry:

Hey, Magnatune still doesn’t have that album listed? That’s why I need it as a free version!

Two birds with one stone, I say. Yes, Magnatune is an incredible company with a great vision and some awesome ideas. They’ve also been sitting on my new album for over four months now. So, with a lot of gratitude (but a little bit of spite) I choose this entry. I know, I have a slightly twisted nature.

Thanks, Glue, for the entry, and expect an email shortly. Until next time, contest friends!

P.S. No hard feelings, Magnatune; you pay me- I am grateful.

Now that the site has been moved over and all that spring cleaning brought back good memories of contests long ago, it’s time for another. Hence, the Kingdom Crumble WIDAFA contest begins. Thanks to the new infrastructure of the site, you can simply respond to this post in the comments and a winner will be announced on June 2nd; one month from today. Remember to make it about a normal-sized paragraph (a few sentences) and keep it funny, clean, and clever.

Good luck!

No purchase required, one entry per person, yadda yadda yadda. Spambots need not apply.

The built-in links are a little inaccurate for buying albums, so check back here for that if you’re interested. Otherwise, it’s quite neat! Here’s the current lineup: Forge, Finality, Phoenix, Blackbird, Kingdom Crumble, Extrasensory, Nocturnum, and Siren.

Some of the pages are a little spartan at the moment, but will be filled out shortly. The resources are all there, it’s just the presentation that’s a little shallow. The most pressing issue, however, is the gorgeous day we’re having outside! So if you’re having exceptional weather today, enjoy, and if not, you have all sorts of new justinbianco.com pages to explore.

(EDIT 04/15: The podcast is up on the iTunes store and looking great, despite some slight initial formatting quirks.)

Where am I headed with this? Well one of the eight Jackpot Premieres is Etienne!, which features two songs off of Justin Bianco’s Blackbird; End of Man and The Light (Part I).

Here’s the press release: CineVegas Film Festival – Opening Night and Jackpot Premieres
And info about the film can be found at their site, www.hamstermovie.com.

Now for some real news. Kingdom Crumble is in the hands of Magnatune, and has been for a bit now, so it’s just a matter of waiting for them to get the album up with their next major batch of releases. (Releases get lumped into major updates, instead of trickling in every week. It means they can do more with their resources, and it’s worth the wait, I promise.)

In the mean time, Justin has been working on new piano compositions. Keep your interwebs tuned to this channel for more soon.

And for those of you who were around then, remember the JustinBianco.com mascot, Pablo?

Otherwise, styles continue being tweaked, and content formatting rages on…

About this single

The only singe from Kingdom Crumble, it features some b-sides and a remix.

About this album

Kingdom Crumble, Justin Bianco’s sixth solo piano album, is a mix of moods, all with deliberate, carefully spartan emotive melodies, and with a slight hint back towards the percussive in the track “Algorithms.” The final song and keynote is an eleven-minute-plus journey through Justin’s classic minimalism, written and recorded on the fly in one take. The one single from the album is Leus Ang.

1. Titan
2. The Best Of Intentions
3. Faith
4. Kingdom Crumble
5. Canvas
6. Six
7. My Downfall
8. Spline
9. Procession
10. The Cost Of Peace
11. Loss
12. Algorithms
13. Leus Ang
14. Closing Lines

Tracklist:
1. Leus Ang
2. Tragic And Beautiful
3. Forgive/Forget
4. Animus II
5. Leus Ang (Remix)

In other news, two of Justin’s songs from Blackbird– “End of Man” and “The Light (Part I)” will be part of the upcoming feature-length film, Etienne! Screenings will be announced shortly, so stay tuned to hear more about that.

“SO atmospheric, we love the moody modernism of Justin Bianco’s original
piano compositions, and his style of playing is very natural.
Contemplative, elegant, and slightly brooding, this is the perfect music
to usher in your late fall. Highly recommended.”

In other news, Forge continues to hold strong over at Magnatune, and has become the best-selling Justin Bianco album of all time by quite a long-shot. It also holds the honor of being the highest-valued album this month, which is an interesting byproduct of Magnatune’s pay-what-you-want pricing scheme.

Secondly, it looks as though several Justin Bianco albums are primed and ready to be offered in the higher quality, drm-free iTunes Plus variety. At the moment the “iTunes Plus” label means little, as the tracks are still in their old format, but many sites are reporting that an announcement will be made soon regarding this. Stay tuned, and if you’re planning on buying any Justin Bianco music from iTunes, you might do well to wait a few days. This post will be updated when more information is available.

[Update: As suspected, Siren, Finality, and the Magnatune Compilations featuring Justin Bianco are now offered as iTunes Plus tracks for the same $0.99 per song or $7.99 for the album. The remaining albums will be upgraded when their respective intermediary companies (CDBaby and TuneCore) finish re-submitting their catalogues.]

Finally, Nocturnum (the full version) is available as a physical CD from lulu. Check out the Nocturnum page or the store to buy it.

Also, Magnatune has released another compilation, entitled Music For Meditation, which features the title track from Forge as track 9. Check it out!

About this album

Nocturnum EP quicky became one of the best-selling Justin Bianco albums ever, and in order to expand its audience to include Magnatune-based distribution, the EP was expanded to attain full album status. The additional songs came from recording sessions for the album Extrasensory, and were released as Extrasensory: The B-Sides for people who had already purchased Nocturnum EP.

About this album

Much more material was created for Extrasensory than for any album before it, and so selected tracks that were not quite right for the album have found a home on this B-Sides collection. These b-sides, along with Nocturnum EP, formed the full Nocturnum album.

About this album

Strongly electronic by nature, but with distinct influences from acoustic guitar and piano, Extrasensory is a full-bodied album that explores the shadowy undercurrents of realities beyond our own perspectives.

The cover artwork was created by Justin himself (as are most of them), but this one was conceptualized and created from the ground up using a variety of 3D modeling and photo manipulation applications. [As a bit of random trivia, the photo in the frame from which the skeleton emerges is of the Steel Bridge in Portland, OR, and was photographed by Justin as well.]

Nocturnum EP

Justin’s first EP, Nocturnum was originally written in only three days. Each first letter of the names of the nine tracks form the name of the album itself.

This album was later released as simply “Nocturnum” and more information can be found here.

Speaking of Magnatune compilations, Nothing Left, also from the album Phoenix, was featured at the Creative Commons Salon back in August. More information as well as full streaming of the entire compilations is available by clicking on the links below. [links removed during archival]

About this album

Blackbird, a follow-up* to the very successful “Forge,” abandons the imagery of submersion and waves, and instead replaces it with a journey through growth, exploration, and gratitude. Amongst the more traditional tracks are several songs that have a structured, measured, percussively layered groove to them. This style was later employed in other Justin Bianco albums, but was first used briefly on the album Duality, and pioneered here in tracks like Polaris, The Binary Voice, and Tension At Pitch.

*Although the album Duality was released between Forge and Blackbird, it was released as the other half of a joint production that began with Siren. Blackbird is a standalone album, like Forge.

Meanwhile, mastering is just about complete on Blackbird, which should see the light of day shortly. As always, stay tuned for much, much more.

First, Phoenix got some new cover artwork, because-

Second, the Magnatune catalog is going to be offered shortly via physical CD distribution, which means that you’ll be able to find Justin Bianco CDs in stores, cafes, and more. More information will be posted here once it’s available. [Edit: It's live, so just head over and check them out!]

Typically, a single is a song that best represents the album in general. In this case, the opposite is true. Mechani, and the b-side Comet are both songs that are highly structured and almost artificial. This is a stark contrast to the very natural, free-flowing compositions that mark the rest of the album. The single artwork represents that style, with a very constructed and smoothed glowing look. You can find the cover artwork and the download in the Duality special.

Also, the first and only planned single from the album, Mechani, will be released within a few days. Some information is available now from the Duality special, so head on over and take a look, and remember to check back in a few days for the free download.

About this single

This single, off of the album Duality, features two songs- Mechani, from the album itself, and Comet, a new track. It is available for free download below.

About this album

Duality was released as a second, separate half of the album Siren. In the same way that 2002’s Days and Innocence represented the same concept created with vastly different styles, Duality and Siren are the yin and yang of a musical journey. Duality’s “Mechani” was the first song to employ the rhythmic structure often used in later solo piano albums.

This means that linux users now have full access the Magnatune catalog, including four albums by Justin Bianco, directly through their music player. The internet is quite abuzz with news and interest in this new feature, so we’re doing something a little different today. We’ve created a new Special, but this special is not for an album or project. The Magnatune+Amarok special is a central location where news and information on this development can be found for those who are interested. You can find it here. [Edit: links removed during archival]

About this album

A best-of album, featuring a previously unreleased song that is also the title track.

Also in time for the holidays, 56 Ways should be complete within a matter of days. 56 Ways catalogues over ten years of music, including the hand-picked best songs of each album to date. It’s a personal snapshot of years of music, brought together in a very raw and real way. Context change the meaning of any one thing, and the synergy of these personally selected songs brings the music to a new level.

While Magnatune licenses its catalog for many different kinds of projects, audiobooks represent a natural pairing of words & music. Portuguese poet Rui Diniz recently contacted us about using the work of Magnatune artist Justin Bianco for his new audiobook project “Corte d’El-Rei.”

Offered in both print & audiobook versions, the work is a collection of poetry and two tales exploring illusion and reality. For the audiobook Luiz Gaspar, a famous professional voice in Portugal heard in many commercials and documentaries read the text.

Forge has been highlighted lately by a series of requests for featuring several or all songs from the album on both commercial and personal projects. In other news, Justin is still in the process of moving and getting set up in Portland. Although he will be available through email, the site will be expectedly quiet for the next month, so please pardon the absence.

About this single

This single, featuring two songs and a video, was released along with the album Siren. It has been discontinued.

About this album

Created in tandem with the album Duality as the electronic half of a two-sided project, this electronic release is ripe with downtempo electronic currents and introspective sounds. It was released alongside the only singe from the album, Sol.

Also, a new Justin Bianco publication hits the streets today: Bones. Bones is the original score for six of the songs on Forge. The book is 30 pages, 8.5×11, retails for 11.99, and is available now.

In the midst of a very confused industry, Magnatune rises to the occasion by offering a sort of open-source attitude for their business approach. With a non-exclusive contract, variable pricing model and build-in commercial licensing capability, it was no contest when I was approached by MagnaTune to sign a deal. There are many nuances to the structure and attitude of the Berkeley-based label, so I’ll leave much of the explanation up to their site if you’d like to learn more. And, or course, as more details are finalized they will be announced here. In any case, it is quite an honor to be offered a spot on a record known for high scrutiny of the content they provide. Stay tuned for more!

About this album

Elemental themes of flood and fire usher in this bold solo piano release that quickly became (and still remains) the most quintessential and successful Justin Bianco album to date. Unlike his 6-track piano debut, or their partial re-issue in 2002’s Innocence, this album is complete and original, aside from the second track, Dragonfly In Amber. This version is a re-recording of Justin’s first piano composition, which he created when he was only 12 years old.

About this single

The second single from the album Finality, available as a free download at Lulu.com.

About this single

The first single from the album Finality, available as a free download at Lulu.com.

About this album

A series of thoughts more than an album, Finality brings together small clicks, dark sounds, and lofty existentialist ideas in an auditory exploration of life.

There’s no news from February 2005 to October 2005. It simply can’t be recovered. Weep and then move on.

About this album

Featuring auto-tuner effects and collaborations with Ontagon (known now as IQTU), this album is about as electronic as it gets.

Horizon has been released! Oh, and it’s going to get it’s first review in a week or so, so stay tuned for that.

Other releases in the forecast: For February, Children Sublime might finally surface as a downloadable album, it depends on the possible collaborations. (Ontagon and I have been working towards something, but whether that’s Children Sublime or a whole new project is still up in the air. Once we figure that out, CS will most likely be released here.) Also in February, the elusive “Dragon Song” will also finally surface. My first piano CD in years; it’s kind of exciting to return to it.

March will see it’s fair share of releases as well, including a new album, tentatively entitled “Finality.” Also, a new website, but I don’t want to give away too much too soon. Just stick around, because there’s never a dull moment here. Oh, have you downloaded Pablo’s game yet? Check it out!

Just waiting until the HORIZON release date. Then it’s onto marketing and advertising… The soundtrack is awesome, and although the print quality is slightly less than I’d hoped, that’s the downside to print-on-demand. And, since I have no money for investing in high-quality products that I may never sell… well, you get the point. Go take a listen, and hang out. Remember, you can also hear a bunch of streaming audio on the media page, download some music, or sign up for the members-only section and hear ‘Flesh And Bone’ streaming.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep you all interested, I’m releasing a free mini-game. It’s a sort of racing game thingy, featuring our very own Pablo. You see him jumping up and down in the corner, don’t you? Well, you wouldn’t want to keep him waiting! DirectX 6.0 or later is required, along with a semi-decent computer. Other than that, you’ve got what you need, so go download and play! Tell me what you think, too, so I can find out what y’all like. Justin at JustinBianco.com.

About this album

Horizon was a game created by Justin Bianco, and unfortunately has since been discontinued due to compatibility issues, but the soundtrack featured original compositions by Justin, as well as featured songs by Ontagon (now creating music as IQTU).

In Horizon news, I just recieved my official ‘HORIZON’ tote bag. What? You haven’t looked at the store lately? Well you had better! Yes, tons of merchandise to start out the new year. Besides, after all the giving, isn’t it about time you get a little something for yourself?

Happy holidays everyone, and into 2005 let us all hope for as many good times as this year. (I already know it’ll be a fabulous year, since it is starting out with the release of HORIZON, which will take place in January…)

About this album

An album of acoustic remakes of older Justin Bianco songs.

Now onto other news: It is with pleasure that I announce the latest in a string of upcoming releases – Flesh And Bone. That is, of course, the condensed title. The full thing is ‘Flesh Of One Flesh And Bone Of One Bone: Justin Bianco – Unplugged.’ Now you understand the necessity of a condensed version. Anywho, it’s an all-acoustic album with some older songs and a few new ones. Check it out in the ’specials’ section on the right. Oh, and Pablo will be working hard to finish his promotional work for ‘Flesh And Bone’ in the next few days. Hopefully he’ll meet his deadline, with the help of coffee and whatever else it is that bugs of his stature prefer.

“Join us for the 36th Annual Progressive Lawyering Day (formerly Alternative Law Day), from 9:30am to 4:30pm on Saturday, October 9, 2004. Organized by the Bay Area law school student chapters of the National Lawyers Guild, law students, attorneys, legal workers, and activists will gather at the University of San Francisco School of Law, located at Fulton and Shrader Streets, to discuss progressive lawyering and public interest law under the theme “Reclaiming Democracy.

Supervisor Matt Gonzalez, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, will deliver the keynote address with an introduction from San Francisco Police Commissioner Peter Keane. This day-long symposium will cover issues including civil rights, prisoner’s rights, sex and the law, military law, combatting international violence against women, the significance of Brown v. Board of Education, and the implementation of San Francisco’s “Care Not Cash” program, plus many more. The symposium will be followed at 4:30pm by a beer and wine reception, including a performance by Nyla from Justice NOW!”

Nyla, of course, is a part of “The We That Sets Us Free,” of which I did the sound design. Also present will be one of the co-directors of Justice Now, Tre, an artist also on the CD, as well as numerous others. Please join us if you are in the San Francisco Bay Area.

End Future Justin Note.

Original post:

Meet Pablo.

Pablo, the newest member of our humble website, would like to introduce himself. He has prepared a small video to convey his enthusiasm about the things that go on here at justinbianco.com. Take a look. (Click on him in the top right corner.)

Now, onto more mundane matters. I have been working on a follow up to ‘Phoenix,’ and although the tone of this album seems a little more electronic, I still like to think of it as a continuation of the process I began with Phoenix. The name of the new album is ‘Children Sublime,’ and it should be out by the end of September. I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but each album I create seems so much better, so much more compelling than the last, that I love the process of making music, even if no one else in the world ever listens to it. Despite the rewards inherent to creating music, hopefully I’ll be able to pay the bills with this one… Ah, ever the struggling artist. Would I have it any other way?

Gift: Now offered for free download at the media page, along with a bunch of wallpapers and icons.

Destiny Of Heritage: Available now at www.lulu.com/justinbianco.

So, there you have it. Enjoy!

About this single

The only singe from the album Phoenix, it features both remixes and b-sides. It is available as a free download.

About this album

Ranging from subtle downtempo to unabashed worldly exploration, Phoenix is an enduring auditory and visual treat, that originally shipped as a cd and dvd set featuring a short film which will be re-released here shortly.

Two weeks after the release, as per my usual major-release style, will provide a solo piano CD, Dragon Song, to compliment Phoenix. More information on both CDs is available to the right. They will be available through CDBaby.com for the time being, although the upcoming single off of ‘Phoenix,’ entitled ‘Gift,’ will be sold through this website. Discussions with independent labels is in place as we speak, and a label re-release is the forecast for the end of the year, if not sooner.

Ahh, if you only knew the surprises in store for you. BIG changes going on behind the scenes. For instance: justinbianco.20m.com will no longer be a valid address for this website. From now on, it’s purely justinbianco.com, so update your bookmarks. Second: A new shop. It’ll all be happening shortly.

EVO is the name, and here is the site. Everyone, EVO. EVO, everyone. Now you’ve met. EVO is Justin Bianco and Alexander Moore, and their first album should be out later this year. Oh, and don’t try to email anything to the addresses on the ‘contact’ page of the new site, because the domain name is still under negotiation.

About my break: For the first few weeks I was in southern Oregon with my parents, where we almost got snowed in with about a foot of snow on the ground. Our new years’ visitors got stuck at our place for a few days. Also, I got an opportunity to see my newborn nephew (who is extremely cute, and about a month and a half old now).

From there we went to Kauai, which was a strange contrast to the snow of before. It was great fun, and now I’m back and ready for school to begin again. So that’s that! Take care, everyone.

So, first things first. Perpetuate The Evil will indeed be released on DVD on the 22nd, and it will be quite cool. I just tested everything out the other day, and it’s really something to see my work on a TV screen, rather than a computer. Anyway, hop on over to the special for more info, which is a little out of date, but should be redone today.

Next on the agenda, Destiny Of Heritage. Yes, indeed. I am having a bit of trouble with it, because every time I reread it, I’m not quite pleased with everything. If I’m going to do it, and I surely am, then I want to do it right. So, while the release date is still set for May 2004, don’t hate me if it is pushed back yet again.

Which brings me to “The Book Of Ronin,” which is my second novel being currently written. I am really enjoying the process, and I know it will be really neat when it is done. It is much more poetic than Destiny Of Heritage, so it takes a little longer to write. It will be worth it though.

Okay, enough chit-chat. Back to work.

Okay, with that said, there are two new releases. The first is the new ‘best of’ album, with some songs from ‘Future’ and some not. If you already own ‘Future,’ then you can buy ‘Future 2.0,’ which is shorter than the usual compilation (16 songs), and so is only five dollars. Cheers.

True story. Hence the title of the new album.

About this album

This album of short tracks is more a series of quick thoughts and musical experimentation than a traditional album.

More good news… Today is a very special day. Today brings the official birthday of the Blue Bottle Collective. “What’s that,” you ask? Well, it’s an online musician’s co-operative cross-advertising community. What that means is that everyone who is a part of it does neat stuff like put links to other collective members’ websites. Also, when another member releases a new album, all the other members help spread the word. Casually, of course, other members may be mentioned at shows, etc. www.bluebottlecollective.com. [EDIT: No longer, sorry!]

The collective now has four members, soon to be five. The newest addition is Amy René Anderson, who will be collaborating with me on my next album. She sings real pretty.

Yes indeed, I believe that’s all. Keep it real, yoozles.

Laurel Brauns also has a new album, and it’s awesome, so buy it. www.laurelbrauns.com

Yes, so now I blabber. No more.

Okay, so it wasn’t nearly that dramatic, but there was a fire in my apartment building this morning. I was in fact deafened by the noise of the alarm, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When I walked down the stairwell, however, I noticed a distinct odor of smoke. When I emerged from the building, I saw smoke wafting from a fifth-floor room. The fire was promptly put out, and there was no damage to most of the building, but we couldn’t enter it again for about an hour. By that time, I couldn’t sleep, and went on 3 and a half hours of sleep all day long. I am, therefore, quite ready for bed.

[Future Justin Note: From December '02 when I quit school until March of '03 I was in the process of getting my first apartment, which took far far far longer than it should have. During this time I had just quit school and was basically sleeping wherever I could- with friends, in the dorms, or wherever. Fortunately, never under a bridge! This is why, however, there is no real news during this period. Later during the summer of '03, a few albums were released that weren't all that great, and so I decided that re-posting the news items from their release was not all that important. In the Fall, I decided to move to San Francisco, and you'll see the news items pick up again at that point. Just thought you should know! End future Justin note.]

About this album

A meditational experiment of sounds, utilizing bowed electric guitar, piano, vocals, and an instrument created by Justin- a metal pipe with a single string.

The first, Chelsie’s album which is complete. The second, Michael Graham’s album is complete. The third; I am done with school. Yes, this is the end of college for me, at least for now. Tonight I sleep in the dorms one last time…

Yet this is not the end of the wonders in store for the world! Elle McKay, longtime friend of mine and accomplice in crime, has just unveiled her gallery of sorts in Haven coffee shop. Everyone should check out the wondrous visions of Elle McKay at Haven (35th and Hawthorne.)

As always, rest assured there are always plans and projects on the horizon!

About this album

Innocence is a re-imagining of Justin’s piano debut, Dragonfly In Amber, that was released in 2002 in conjunction with the album Days. Some songs were new, and others had an added violin accompaniment by Sarah Adamson. This album has been discontinued.

About this album

Days features collaborations with Megan Moran, Jeremy Innis, Alexa Nadeau, and others. It was released in tandem with the piano album Innocence.

Allright… Here’s the deal. I’m working on the latest CD of mine, which doesn’t have a name yet. So far I’ve recruited a few people to be on my CD, but the only confirmation I’m making at this point is that Alexa Nadeau, veteran to my musical realm, has returned for another album. Stay tuned, and rest assured; the new one is on its way…

About this album

In Justin’s second major release, he abandons his solo piano efforts in favor of electronic sounds that are just beginning to take hold, and although the sounds are all held back, like they’re emerging from within a cave, the trends leading eventually to his work as Ambulephabus are clear.

About this album

Justin’s debut album, of solo piano compositions. The title track is Justin’s first song, created when he was 12 years old. It was professionally recorded by Mountain View Productions and originally released with one additional track that was a cover and, due to legal concerns, had to later be removed for digital distribution.