New Look for Artwork

In case you haven't seen it yet, the Artwork section of the website has a brand new look. It's not totally done yet, but my goal is to keep it as simple as possible, while at the same time making the navigation very precise. All the art is now located on Flickr, so it makes the presentation aspect a bit more managable.

I also have a few new "Small Worlds" in the pipe that should be out soon. Stay tuned via twitter (@stofte) for the latest updates.

Update

I apologize for the lack of updates but it's been for a good reason!

Brandon Warren and myself are currently working on tracks for an upcoming EP. I've been recording and mixing a few songs for the past few weeks now from my home studio, and things are turning out pretty well.

In the midst of this, I've taken the time to update my MySpace page. There is now new music posted on it, so go check it out! Also, you can check out a couple of new songs in the "MUSIC" section of the site. Keep in mind, these are probably not going to end up on the WarrenScott EP.

Paying Respect to MJ

I made a pilgramage down to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem on Monday afternoon with the intent of paying my respect to Michael Jackson. Apparently I wasn't the only one. There were hundreds of people there, signing a long sprawling wall and leaving messages, or momentos for MJ. There were a lot of tears, and a lot of music playing. I just hope that the signatures and messages get sent to the family at some point. They deserve to see how much their son was loved.

Michael Joseph Jackson

It's been a very rough night for me, and I know I'll catch some flack for this, but the death of Michael Jackson has affected me greatly. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm the guy that will always stand up for MJ when someone starts talking crap about him, and they know that I can sit and listen to his albums, or quote facts with the most hardcore of Jackson fans. I would like to try to get down to what it is about this man that drew me in so deeply for my entire life.

The first music that I remember hearing was Michael's. I have vivid memories of running around my house singing "Bad". One of the earliest memories I have is of my sister, 15 years older than me, sitting me down on the floor of her bedroom, and putting the "Thriller" LP on the turntable, and exposing to me this whole new batch of songs by this guy who sang "Bad". My first musical memories.

I credit by strong devotion to being an MJ fan with a lot of my own self confidence. Any MJ fan will tell you, it's not always easy trying to support the guy, but we do it anyway. I got teased and mocked a lot throughout my life because of the fact that I listened to his music. Standing up to people my whole life, even if just for the stupid reason of trying to 'protect' my favorite singer, gave me the confidence to always do my own thing, to not follow the crowd.

As I matured, I began to take a deeper interest in Michael's performances. I tried my best to emulate his dance moves, and I think I did pretty ok. His music would infiltrate my soul to the very core, so much so, that sometimes, it was like a drug; I just HAD to hear "Baby Be Mine" or "Lovely One" in order to get my day on track.

Though it may seem silly to mourn a celebrity, Michael Jackson has been intertwined significantly into the last 20 years of my existence. Today has been a very difficult day, and I feel like I lost a close friend. I admit, that I'm not sure how I'll react to all this tomorrow, and frankly I'm a little scared of the fact that the greatest entertainer in the world is no longer in the world. On a positive note, most of the media coverage I've watched has been resoundingly positive. It's just too bad Mike didn't get to see it. My heart goes out to Prince, Paris, Michael, his parents Katherine and Joe, his 8 siblings, and the rest of the Jackson family.

Weekend Update - New Gigs, New Songs

So Brandon and I played a place called "Patrick's" in Elmira, NY this past weekend, after having our show in Corning mysteriously cancelled. All was for the best though, we got to put our 2-man show through its paces, and all went well. People were clapping, compliments were coming at us left and right, and people really seemed to enjoy the original material, especially our newest tune, "Virtual Crush" which made its live debut this weekend. We've been working on this song together for the past few weeks or so. I wrote the core of the verse melody and lyrics, and then Brandon took it, smoothed out and added some words and a streamlined concept, and put together a killer chorus.

Fun Surprise

So I got my copy of TMNT #30 in the mail today, and rapidly flipped to the inside back cover. You see, the artists that work on the book sign a limited number of them with a turtle sketch.



Here you can see the full-body Leonardo sketch done by the penciler, Jim Lawson. I find this incredibly cool, even if it is just a one-off, quickie sharpie-marker sketch.

Upcoming Gigs! updated 6/11

New round of impending gigs:

June 13th - Buffalo, NY - Private Part

June 20th - The Snooty Pig in Corning, NY - Crazy Chester will play classic rock hits from the 60's, 70's, 80's and on

July 4th - The Snooty Pig in Corning, NY - Brandon Warren and I will get Star Spangled as we tear through original tunes and covers at our favorite joint!

July 17th - The Snooty Pig in Corning, NY - I'll be playing drums with funk/soul/rock group "The Bay Ridge Allstars"

New Stuffs

I've added a few bits of Artwork in the last week or so, including a new "Small World" strip, so please, take time and check them out. There's something there for Trekkies and TMNT fans alike.

In addition, I will be playing a couple of gigs over the next couple of weeks. First, I'll be filling in with the "Bay Ridge All Stars" on drums for my buddy John's sisters wedding on the 13th. My first ever wedding band gig, and I'm very much looking forward to it.

Secondly, I'll be playing with my buddy Brandon Warren at the Snooty Pig in Corning, NY on the 20th. That one is open to the public, and will be a blast, I guarantee.

Artwork Update

Hey all, I posted some of my Buffy Between The Lines covers over on the "Artwork" page. These are the first real "commissioned" works I've ever done, and I'm really proud of them. Take note, the colors were done by other artists, and by clicking on the covers, you'll be taken to the Buffy Between The Lines website where you can read the scripts, download episodes, and see the additional artists.

There's also been a couple of new "Small Worlds" posted in the last two weeks if you've missed them. Comments are always welcomed.

Small World 3-02

Another "Small World" is up over in the Artwork section. If you're wondering about the numbering system of the strip, I'm running it like TV seasons. The initial run of Small World strips that were published in Fredonia's paper "The Leader" were 'season one'. The 3 strips I drew (which I intended to be more) in 2007 were supposed to be 'season two'. This new crop is, you guessed it, 'season 3'.

You'll notice tiny little design changes in characters from season to season. I also aged the characters a bit from season one, where they were supposed to be elementary school kids. At some point, I'll establish a bit of a "Small World" guide so that the background on various characters can be known by all.

Brand New "Small World"

Head over to the Artwork section of the site to check out a brand new "Small World" strip, the first in a very long time! The artwork is getting better and better every time I draw these things. I also appreciate comments, so take a second and tell me what you think.

New Art Posted

So I'm in the process of re-uploading the artwork to the "Artwork" section of the blog. There are a couple of new posts over there. I'm taking time to re-up my "Small World" comics a couple at a time. Hopefully this will inspire me to start putting my pencil to paper again soon, as Sparky and the gang must be getting pretty lonely.

Weekend Gigs

So last weekend, Brandon and I played a couple of two-man shows, one in NYC at Wicked Willy's, and another in Corning at our favorite bar, The Snooty Pig. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone that came to either show for giving us a chance to perform some original material. Secondly, I would like to thank those same people again for actually getting onto the dancefloor during those original tunes.

As a songwriter, one is constantly looking for the audience to enjoy the music one creates. Granted, Brandon writes most of the tunes in our sets, but for people to be visibly boogying to something they've never heard before, fills me with confidence. We got a lot of compliments on those sets, and people seemed generally impressed with the cohesiveness of our sound despite the lack of a bassist. I'm very excited to play these songs again with a full band, and give them their proper due.

Thirdly, I am now accepting recommendations for band names for our group. Leave 'em in the comments. If we pick yours, we'll put a "thank you" in the liner notes. Not exactly a great reward, but hey, I don't really expect any responses anyway.

Make sure to come check us out again at The Snooty Pig in Corning, NY on June 20th at 9pm

Weekend Record Excursion

So this weekend I decided to engage in a little bit of vinyl-therapy. I hit up Off Centre Records in Utica, and Soundgarden in Syracuse on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. I actually snagged a pretty nice haul. Got "Where The Light" is by John Mayer, which is a fantastic live album. I'm amazed that this guy has only been around since 1999 or so, and has released 4 official live albums already, and a handful more on iTunes. I also picked up "Return Of Saturn" by No Doubt, "HIStory" by MJ, and "Blame It On Gravity" by The Old 97's. These guys are a new favorite of mine. I just discovered them, and apparently they've been around forever.


This whole 'only buying vinyl' thing is going really well so far. It's forced me to pay a lot more attention to the music that I'm buying. Also, I find myself willing to step out of my comfort zone a bit and grab music that I wouldn't normally listen to. I find myself looking for my next musical obsession. Seeing as I've spent the last 2 years basically rotating between MJ, The Police, and The Eagles, this is a welcomed change.

Still A Work in Progress

So as I make this transition from Tripod to Blogger, the website will be lacking some certain features. Give me some time as I relearn all the design aspects, and figure out how to link up all the old pages to the new ones.  There will be some cool new little doodads and whatnots, so the wait should be worth it. 

Take it easy, and for those still wanting the old site: http://eaglefreak2k.tripod.com/sthome

JS&F @ Sherrill Summer Concert Series

Eisenhower Acapella

John Schmitt CD Release

New for' '09

So here's the new skinny on ScottTofte.com: I've moved the site. I'm hosting my webspace on Tripod.com, but the blog part is now over here at Blogger, which offers me a lot more fun toys to play with. I hope it doesn't throw too many bookmarks out of whack, but just in case, I'll throw up a link at the old page so as you all don't get confused.