Rejected by the New Yorker - Volume 9

In August I submitted 10 comics to the New Yorker. In December (last month) they finally let me know they didn't want them.

Here they are!

I planned to send 10 ideas a month starting with this batch, but after sending it I didn't have any more ideas.

I'll update again if I ever come up with any more!

New Year, New Yorker

atmospheric - a new album by sethifus (and a self-indulgent article about it)

I have a new album!

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

It's an album of instrumental tracks with calming sounds and guitar. I recorded it to help stressed out people calm down. I use it at work every day. It helps me calm down.

Here's the youtube video playlist:

That's pretty much all you need to know about "atmospheric".

If you're at all like me in that you like to know the story behind things like this album keep reading. The rest of this article is going to be just that. I'm going to go on and on about this album because I really like it. I'm proud of this album and want to talk about it.

It all started with this:

This is "Lynn Monologues". A 5-song EP of solo guitar I recorded a couple years ago (2015).

I recorded each song in one take. It shows.

I still think it's a pretty good album for what it is. (one of those songs has the same basic guitar part one of the songs on "atmospheric").

After that I recorded some other albums. For 2 of them I recorded the first 2 songs on "atmospheric".

First "Popcorn" for "SIP":

And second "Out in the Rain" for "SHOES":

After that I decided to do a full album of that kind of song.

I decided to give myself a couple of restrictions because... I guess because I keep hearing that having limits helps fuel creativity. I did the same thing with my comic "IMPENDING DOOM!" which I thought was pretty neat, but I'm biased.

Restriction 1: The background sounds for each song (except the bonus track) had to be natural sounds that I didn't doctor too much.

Restriction 2: The only other sound could be guitar.

That was it! With those limitations I recorded 12 more tracks like the first two (and one weird bonus track).

I think it's pretty good. But I'm biased (as I've said).

I tried to make all of these tracks soothing. I picked noises I thought could help whoever listens to them calm down, fall asleep, meditate, or whatever they want to do with calming music. (Just... you don't need to let me know what you do while listening to it...)

As I recorded I realized that I wanted to make music that could be on a loop in the background of a level in a video game:

or in the background at a section of a theme park:

Or anywhere that needs a bit of atmosphere.

I ended up using a lot of water sounds. I have a few other ideas that I didn't include... maybe I'll make a sequel album.

For the guitar parts I tried to write riffs that sounded nice, weren't too raucous or loud, and could help soothe without distracting too much from whatever was going on. (again, I don't need to know)

Huh... I thought I had a lot more to say about this album, but I think that's all I got.

GO BUY "ATMOSPHERIC" AND CALM THE HECK DOWN!

Any questions?

Working on a few more albums...

The Worn: Scrooge's Worry Room!

This is the first in (hopefully) a series of articles I plan to write about things that have been worn, broken-in, and loved into something much better than the original items.

I am fascinated by this concept. So much so that I wrote a song about it (see the above video). That song is the theme song for this (probably) ongoing series of articles.



For this first "The Worn" article I'm going to focus on the first time I remember noticing the concept of things wearing down over time. Scrooge McDuck's Worry Room!

(pictures from HERE)

Whenever Scrooge got worried about something and needed to think he would go into his worry/thinking room and walk in a circle, wearing a groove in the floor.

I wanted one of these!

I went so far as to try to walk around in a circle in my basement to try to start my own rut. I gave up soon after.


This idea has stuck with me since I first saw it on DuckTales all those years ago.

On another episode Scrooge had a Lazy Susan Turntable thing he walked on in his worry room.

(Picture from HERE)

I liked this idea too, but I prefer the idea of doing something so often it changes the environment you do it in.

This was the beginning of my fascination!

In elementary through middle school we had neighbors who would walk through our backyard every morning on their way to school. They stuck mostly to the same path. By the time we moved into that house there was already a path worn where they walked.

This path reminded me of Scrooge's worry room.

Now that the new DuckTales is coming out soon (I really enjoyed the first episode!) I decided to start reading through the collections of Scrooge McDuck comics that are in the public library.

They have pictures of his worry room too!

(pics taken by me!)

I guess the second picture isn't the Worry Room, but it's the same concept.

I still love this idea and would still like to have a Worry Room of my own! Since I doubt I'll ever get to swim in a ball pit money bin, maybe I'll have to figure out a Worry Room...

Until the next The Worn article...

GO BUY SOME MUSIC!!!!

Rejected by the New Yorker! Volume 8

Just one comic this time.

I'm going to try to come up with 10 ideas each month to submit.

We'll see if I can even think of one...

New Yorker.... sigh...

3 Taste Test/Reviews!

I recently went to the best grocery store I've ever seen!

JUNGLE JIM'S!!!!!

It is amazing!

It's a huge store that has pretty much anything I could ever think of or want from a grocery store, plus it has animatronics and other weird decorations!

I was too overwhelmed to even know where to begin taking pictures. So check out the website  and if you ever find yourself in the Cincinnati/Fairfield Ohio area I highly, highly recommend, can not recommend enough that you check it out.

It's about 1 hour and 45 minutes from my house, and I will definitely be back.

Several times.


On this trip I got this haul:

Yes! They have Jelly Babies! When I see a package of Jelly Babies, I buy it.


I also got Jolly Ranchers Watermelon-flavored soda!

I didn't review that in a video. I drank it on the drive home. It's good! I'd drink it again.


But I did review the other 4 cans!

Here are 3 new taste test/reviews!

It's fun to do a bunch of reviews in one day!

Plus now I'm all hopped up on sugar!

I think my favorite part of these reviews is that I got to use my new Ponder Couch Spit Bucket!

Is there anything you'd like to see me review? Drop me a line at sethifusp@gmail.com!

SUGAR!!!!!!!!

Soothing Background Sounds...

I've been working on ambient songs for my album of instrumental songs.

Here're a few more:

All perfect for meditation or nap time or playing while you work!

Now if I could just get my album of non-instrumental songs finished...

Rejected by the New Yorker! Volume 7...

I sent a couple comics to the New Yorker a looooong time ago.

They finally got back to me today!

I got rejected again...


Whelp, here are the 2 newest rejections...

I'll get one in one of these days!!!!

(probably not...)

Playing Catsup!

I've been making stuff! 😀

And not posting it here! 😟

Here it is!

A song I wrote as I recorded it!

It's... you can tell.

But it's going to be on my new album anyway!

I've started working on another album (besides the one I mentioned a sentence ago)! This one is going to be all instrumentals over soothing background sounds!

The video above is one of those songs.

And here's another!

A couple of the songs from my post about Instrumentals will be on it too!

I finished the second of the 3 albums I've been working on! (neither of the other two albums I mentioned).

This one is all music box songs made with the software to create 3D printed records for the Fisher-Price Music Box Record Player!

Since I can't get the 3D printing software to communicate with the song-writing software, this is what will be available for now!

The video above is the full album!

You can download the full album or any of the songs you like by clicking HERE!


That's all of the stuff I made that I can show you, until the first album I mentioned is finished...

Mmmm... Ketchup...

Pumpkin Update! 7/15/17

I've grown my own pumpkins for the last 3 years, and this year's first is almost ready to be cut from the vine! I am growing 3 types this year. 

1. The giant kind you see at the fair. When I see the ribbon-winning pumpkins at the fair, my Halloween season officially starts! None of mine are growing on the vines yet, but it is getting flowers and I see bees out there every day.

 2. Mini pumpkins! These I think are technically not pumpkins, but they look just like them! A mini pumpkin is the first one that is almost ready to be picked! 

(hand in shot for size reference)

There is a 2nd mini pumpkin about the size of a grape tomato! 

3. Regular-sized jack-o-lantern pumpkins! These are the pumpkins I've grown every year! I planted seeds I saved from last year's crop. There are two pumpkins about the size of promotional mini basketballs or a decorative foam skulls from Michael's. They're still as green as watermelons, so they'll be much bigger by the time they're ready to be picked!

I am so excited for Halloween season this year!

Here are all 5 of my Pumpkin Carols (songs I wrote about pumpkins)!








I hope to someday make 7" records of my Pumpkin Digital 7".

Read more about it here!

Pumpkins!

Instrumentals!!!

I have written a few instrumental songs.

I think they turned out pretty good!

First there was an album of instrumental songs called "Lynn Monologues".

Here's a video playlist:

(You can download it here!)

Then I wrote one and decided it was about Candy Corn.

(You can download it here!)

More recently I've written a couple of instrumental songs with background noises.

First a song about Popcorn!

(You can download it here!)

Then there was a song about Rain!

You can't download it yet, but when my new album comes out you'll be able to get it from my bandcamp page!

I really love how these last 2 songs turned out. I might make a full album of songs like that and call it "Atmospheric" or something like that.

I also made a couple Fisher Price Music Box Record Player-style songs:

I'm working on a full album of these songs. They're fun to make.

The first of those songs is available as an actual, physical record you can play on your Fisher Price Music Box Record Player!  You can buy it here! Unfortunately the software I use to make the songs and the software I use to make the 3D models aren't playing well together anymore. For now, that song is the only one that will be available in my store, until I can get the softwares working together again.

That's it!

I hope you enjoyed listening to those enough to buy some or at least share them or add them to a playlist or something.

Making things is fun.

3 New Videos!!!!!

1. A new "Eating Foods Wrong" video!

2. New Ponder Couch Station ID Bumper/Intro!

3. A taste-test/Review of Guinness Chips from Burts Chips/Crisps!

Please watch and share as you see fit!

I like Guinness...

sethifus, the discography: All of the sethifus albums so far!!!

I decided to make a list of all of the sethifus album so far complete with cover art and youtube video playlists!


1. Happy Mediocrity - Psalms of Malaise (FREE SPONGE)

This one does not have a playlist.

It's all music from my college days, and not that good.

But you can buy it HERE!


2. Pleasetube that Viewtube that Youtube so well

28 original songs from the start of my youtube channel until I made the album!

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE!


3. Holy Days

The first of 2 sethifus Holiday Songs albums, so far...

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!!!


4. Holy Days 2: Extra Holy

The second of 2 albums of original holiday songs!


DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!!


5. Lynn Monologues

Here is an EP of instrumental acoustic guitar.

I like this album a lot. There is a "student film-style" experimental video for each song. Watch them!


DOWNLOAD THIS ALBUM HERE! I think this one is really good.


6. Rabbit Rabbit

Here is an album of all the songs I recorded in 2015 (I think). At least it was all of the original songs I'd recorded since the previous album and it was released in early January 2016.


DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!!!


7. INTENTIONALLY BLANK

Here are all of the original (non-holiday) songs I recorded in 2016!

A sad album from a sad year.


DOWNLOAD IT HERE! Feel sad with past Seth.



8. SIP

I think this is the best album I've made so far! It's really, really good!

As good as I could do at the time.


I hope you all listen to it and love it and download it and buy it for all of your friends!




DOWNLOAD IT HERE! PLEASE!


You can also DOWNLOAD IT ON CDBABY!




9. ROUND and ROUND and ROUND - the EP

Here are 5 different versions of the same song! All acapella, all terribly silly.

The last song is downright stupid.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!


UPDATED 8/9/2017!

10. Pumpkin and Four-Leaf Clover digital 7" records!

Here are a couple digital 7" records I made!

You can read lots more about them HERE!

Pumpkin video playlist:



DOWNLOAD PUMPKIN HERE!


Four-Leaf Clover video playlist:


DOWNLOAD FOUR-LEAF CLOVER HERE!



11. Fisher Price Music Box Record Player Records Digital Album! (Original Songs by sethifus)

I recorded a 16 track, 12+ minute album of songs intended to be made into Fisher Price Music Box Record Player-style records!

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE!


FPMBRPRDA full album video:

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!!!!!




I also have a FISHER PRICE RECORD for sale HERE!

Here's a video of it:

It's an instrumental music box version of the riff from "A Car Song".

I'm really proud of this silly thing. Please buy one.




12. SHOES!

Everything I said for "SIP" when I first wrote this post... (see #8 above)... yeah... I feel all of that at least as much about this album.

This one and "SIP" go together. I wrote and recorded all of them this year!

You should get both of them together, today.


SHOES! video playlist:



DOWNLOAD "SHOES!" HERE!



That's it so far!

You can see all of these albums HERE!







I'm currently (as of 8/9/2017) working on an album of ambient background music... hopefully I'll finish that soon and update this discography post again!











Finally:


You can get a bunch of songs I've recorded as MisterSeth HERE!

It's all stuff for children and their grown-ups!

At least I hope their grown-ups don't hate it as much as some of the other stuff "for children" they're forced to listen to.

I like it.




That's it!

That's all of my music that's available!



Please check it out, download any of it you like, and share my music, videos, or at least this post with other people who might like, share, and download it too.

I don't like promoting myself. I wish someone else would.