December 12, 2011

Recording some new stuff today

laying down some preliminary tracks with Chris today :) :) been getting over a 2 week cough (shoot me in the face) so I'm finally in good enough voice to lay down the "rough draft" with him. when we finish today/tomorrow will post some previews ;)
hope you're having a wonderful day. it's rainy here in LA! puddle playing time!!! reminds me of home.

<3

October 5, 2011

steve jobs



my favorite living genius just passed away. it's a very strange mixed sadness i'm feeling. feels sort of like my favorite composer just died, or maybe even the inventor of the piano or the guitar or singing. just about every creative act i take part in other than live performance is executed using tools he created and refined. feels weird to write so heavy-handedly about it, but the apple computer has played an enormous role in my creative development since childhood. my dad brought home an Apple 2GS in the mid-eighties and i was on it constantly. i was mezmerized by LOGO and even used it to write my papers in jr high. in the early nineties, we got an Apple Quadra 660AV. i logged hours scouring CD-ROMS of the encyclopedia, playing games, and using Claris Works to draw and design. in 2000, i got my first iBook and to avoid a much more lengthy explanation, it made college a possibility for me. it was then that i got my first copies of finale and protools. since then, i've been writing, recording, mixing, producing, notating, and listening to music constantly. all on the apple computer. i feel that my life would have gone in a much different direction had i been without the device that i'm typing on right now. it's been the means by which i've brought almost every creative idea i've had in the last 25 years to fruition.

so long, buddy. thank you for giving my creative mind an enormous vocabulary and a voice box. =)

September 23, 2011

Post-travel day shows!

Just finished a 6 hour drive after about 5 hours of sleep. I am mega-tired! hope I wake up before this gig gets rolling. Perhaps one more coffee...?

September 22, 2011

My android speech transcriber, doing its best with what the captain is saying:

"free this afternoon new york new york practice please push back a new york charlotte news offices of myself a stone's throw the end of 1 st new york new york clear fork they want anything to her about 425 charlotte"

September 13, 2011

We're coming to Seattle!!!


You guys! We're going to Seattle again :) Wahooo! We love this city and can't wait to hang out with our Seattle homies. Seriously, need to get a party train going.
Every time we have been to the Seattle it has been sooo beautiful. Not a single drop of rain. Crazy, huh? Well, we'll see this time. I wouldn't mind playing in some puddles. I'm just sayin.

<3

August 21, 2011

What to do when the rain won't stop coming down.

Schedule a Disneyland day and know that the sun will shine again.
It always does.

May 31, 2011

2:37am, in La Jolla, recording the Tritones

...which would be exhausting except that they are complete and total sweethearts.

=)

though it will very soon be time for bed...

May 25, 2011

I got a personal trainer

It's a dog...and his name is Max. And I've been dog-sitting him for almost two weeks. And with 4 walks a day he and the hills of Silverlake are kicking my ass.
It's for the best :)

May 23, 2011

Recording a Chris song today

He likes to have us sing 30 second snippets and then he does a bunch of magic to the stems and BAM!! You have a rockin, sexy song. What a dick. Aidiosmioimayustkeeeething!! :D

May 2, 2011

finishing up the re-records....

On Motherless Child today :) :) :) :)

Excited to get it to your little ears!! We love you and can't wait for you to hear this tasty JFree arrangement.

April 27, 2011

gratitude

we just cleared our goal. holyholyholythanksbetoeverylastangelofsupportandlove.

=) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =)

April 3, 2011

s m a c c ! ! !

I wish we could do one a cappella conference per month for the rest of time. It makes Sonos' whole world go round when we get to sing for this many people who love what we do. Thank you, EVERYBODY HERE! =]

March 21, 2011

March 20, 2011

join the grassroots project

Kick it into high gear! Join the Sonos team and help us keep making music! Here we come in-ear monitors, live fx rigs, and a new album!! We're excited to take this journey with you :)

KICKSTARTER: kick it in the pants!!

Kick it into high gear! Join the Sonos team and help us keep making music! Here we come in-ear monitors, live fx rigs, and a new album!! We're excited to take this journey with you :)

March 18, 2011

New entry to the list of words invented while on tour:

Pretenternet: free internet provided by a hotel, that actually turns out to be slower than the internet provided by my phone, even while it's in 3G mode with only one service bar.

(this blog sent from the boonies outside Austin, TX... from my phone)

Thai dinner in Cincinnati

Our friends, Simon and Laurie (who own the haunted mansion in Kentucky), have a kickass son named Jeffrey, who's taken us to dinner at a place called Teak! Smells good...

(this blog mysteriously did not post until now, several days late, as I've submitted it again. Hmm...)

March 16, 2011

kicking it into high gear..aka in the pants

I rather like this little band of singers :)

With the making of "Sonosings", we experienced so many amazing things...being on NPR's morning edition with Leanne Hansen, Chris Douridas' (KCRW) top album of 2009, Studio 360 with Kurt Anderson, collabs with Ozomatli and Anne Lit of KCRW, the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Co., along with doing some amazing music festivals including Sundance and SXSW this year! We were also fortunate to gain support from Verve Music Group enabling us to build a wonderful family of fans as we have toured the country for the past two years. We are continually astounded and eternally grateful for all the support we experience for making music. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

This spring, we are beginning to write and record our next album. We are riding the wave of inspiriation and kicking it into high gear, pursuing the creation of progressive, inspiring, vocal music. This album is going to be one of kind, with everything written, recorded, and mixed by us "without the assistance or influence of a label, a bank, or a fairy godmother". (Nice one, Chris)

With the creation of this album, there is opportunity for tremendous growth. Our goal is, not only to push our musical creatively, but also to widen our sphere of influence. We are challenging ourselves to fine tune and invigorate our live shows with precision and energy that will set us apart as a force to be reckoned with. We are pushing ourselves to write music that inspires, intrigues, and brings joy to people. Striving for television and film placements, in ear monitoring systems, expansive live effects rigs, and more musical collaborations are a few of the goals that we are aiming to achieve in this next phase.

Another really cool thing we're doing is Kickstarter. Kickstarter is "a new way to fund creative ideas". Basically this means that our fans - you! our true supporters - are able to get in on the production ground floor. If you love the music we are making, if you love seeing us live, if you want to be part of the vocal music movement, you can join us in our "Grassroots Project". This gives you a real, material, physical way to support independent music creation and support Sonos. :)

We are so proud and blessed to have such wonderful fans. We can't wait to take this journey with you and share all the new music and new experiences with you!! Love and Peace, Sonos

March 15, 2011

Thai dinner in Cincinnati

Our friends, Simon and Laurie (who own the haunted mansion in Kentucky), have a kickass son named Jeffrey, who's taken us to dinner at a place called Teak! Smells good...

March 10, 2011

SXSW


Hello world! We are so excited for our upcoming showcase at South by Southwest! If you or anyone you know is going to the festival, please send them our way :) It will be one of our first big, public performances as a 5-piece group, as well as the debut of some awesome, new, ORIGINAL material. We are stoked. Singer-songwriter Allie Moss will be performing before us at 8pm, don't miss it!

SONOS, SXSW Showcase
Thursday, March 17th @ 9pm
Creekside @ Hilton Garden Inn

March 8, 2011

The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics

this resonated with me very much when i was a child. someone mentioned it on a podcast recently and it made me very happy to revisit. =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGh97__-uLA

twiddle my thumbs waiting for the Muse to return

well, i'm in the car trying to finish up a song i've been working on, but i just can't seem to get pat the writer's block. any suggestions?

March 3, 2011

back in Cedar Rapids

love it here!!!

living in a very swanky hotel for 2 nights, doing master classes with groups...

etcwsome. =)

February 17, 2011

a wave of inspiration

Still feeling the East Coast time change...was planning on going to bed over 2 hours ago. What am I doing? Writing, writing, writing. A wave on inspiration crashed over me. And when they come you have to ride them. Ride them like a wave.
Sometimes there are so many ideas flooding my brain that I feel like I'm in a dream world trying to catch these fairies darting about. That. Is the Muse. She keeps you up at night and sometimes even wakes you from sleep.


I've been waiting for her to come back. Hope she stays a while :)

February 16, 2011

15 days on, 14 days off (or so...)

the point is, home for 2 weeks!

tired, overwhelmed, happy to be back in LA and to begin work on the next record...
entirely original stuff! wonder if i'll rework any of the wordless pieces from Gods & Marionettes, give them lyrics, and make songs out of em...

we shall see. friends, loved ones, and the universe have all transpired to give Rach and i a place to stay for these bits when we're home, and i am so incredibly grateful. i feel intensely fortunate and inclined to not waste a moment.

get work done!

February 8, 2011

tickets for sale!!

Tickets are officially on sale for our Feb. 23rd show in LA. It's at the Bootleg Theater and it's Paul's last show! Let's send him off with a blast :)
Come out and let's make it a crazy night!! There are some special music in store :)

beautiful house in the country, just outside Washington DC

it is quiet, peaceful, gentle, clean, and clear here. very easy to focus and to remain relaxed.
last night our host introduced us to a game called "Settlers of Catan" (which Ben knew how to play already).
five minutes in, i was bored to death and was ready to quit.
15 minutes in i was addicted. =)

January 21, 2011

And then there were five...

Dearest friends & fans,

If you did not know already, it is with great sadness & love in our hearts that we let you all know that Paul will be leaving Sonos next month to pursue his passion for acting. His role in the formation, evolution and success of this group is undeniable and he will be greatly missed by us and fans alike. All five of us are honored to have shared the stage with him for three years, and are humbled to call him our best friend. We wish him nothing but the best and know he will succeed in following his dreams.

Catch Paul's last shows with Sonos on tour in the first half of February, concluding with a hometown Los Angeles show in the latter half of the month. Stay tuned for those details!!! You all must be there :)

As many of you are probably wondering, we will not be replacing Paul at this time and are moving forward with the five of us - with change, comes opportunity. It will be a new chapter for us, defined by original music from all five of us, a building rig of effects, and a new album in the fall. We have already begun to restructure our material for 5 people, incorporating more cool effects and in some cases reworking the arrangements a bit to bring them to a new, different place.

If you have curly red hair, crazy falsetto and are really, really funny, give us a call and we may change our minds ;) Seriously though, we thank you for the amazing support & look forward to showing you what the "new" Sonos has up its sleeve..

WE LOVE YOU PAUL PEGLAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



love love love,
jess, kathy, rach, ben & chris

PS - To keep up with Paul and his artistic endeveours, follow him on twitter@ppeglar or become of a facebook fan of his and Ben's music/comedy duo, Dakaboom. They are going places!!!!

** Also, if you did not already see it, Paul wrote a note of his own which you can read below, or here on facebook....
http://www.facebook.com/notes/sonos/a-special-message-from-paul/10150093737278537

January 18, 2011

rehearsal rehearsal rehearsal

2nd rehearsal for the day. 1st in the morning for Gods and Marionettes. Chris has written some awesome new music for it :) You guys betta come out to see that shit :) It's pretty dope.
2nd rehearsal revamping existing material for 5. Lots of electronic stuff :) Very exciting!!
xo
R

January 14, 2011

A Special Message from Paul

To all the fans I’ve met over the years; to all the people I’ve worked with and for; to the many nameless faces and faceless names who have supported us in a myriad of ways; and to family and friends of the band who have journeyed with us on this incredible ride…

I am writing to let you know the time has come for me to leave Sonos.

Beginning December 2006, my life took an unexpected turn toward a music career I never thought I’d have: from a wild idea to a four-year crash-course in business, psychology, artistry and self-exploration. I never could have imagined what awaited us as we ventured out on a path to reinvent a style of music that, lo and behold, finally has been given the attention it deserves. With great credit to Glee, The Sing Off, and Ed Helms from The Office, Sonos could not have emerged at a better time. We were heartily embraced by the a cappella community and widely accepted by those who had never heard the term ‘a cappella’ before. Across the country and across the pond to the UK, I have had the immense fortune of sharing my joy of singing with so many people. I have made numerous new friends and reconnected with precious old ones. I’ve worked with incredible talents and have been exposed to many more. I have seen beauty take many forms: the snowy mountains of Oregon and the river forests of Tennessee; groups of inspired high school and college students standing and cheering as they realize that their dreams are possible; and particularly the heart-warming comments from those who have been touched by our music. For all of this, I am eternally grateful.

So why am I leaving? I know this likely comes as a shock to many of you; it’s been a decision long in the making. Ultimately comes down to, “What am I really after?” Music has always been a huge part of my life and will undoubtedly continue to be so, but I’ve been acting as long as I have been singing. I went to school for it. It’s what I was pursuing before Sonos swept me off my feet. And ultimately, it’s what I want to do. Yes, I will miss touring. Yes, I will miss my band mates. And certainly yes, I will miss singing incredible arrangements of songs I’ve grown to love over and over again… and again. Certainly, I will miss sharing all of it with you, the fans we’ve garnered since that fateful November day in NYC when we first took to the stage. I sincerely hope to remain a part of the Sonos family, as it would crush me to lose touch with such a glorious community of people who share an appreciation and vivacity for the arts. You all have shaped me. Without my time in Sonos, I never would have been prepared to be the actor I hope now to be.

Jess, Kathy, Rachel, Ben and Chris – my Sonos compatriots – have become my family. Their passion both for work and life has made my experience nothing short of exciting. I have watched them all grow as people and as a band. The traveling, the performances, illnesses and arguments, the partying, the rehearsals, the deep conversations and mistakes – they are the memories, the breeding ground of preparedness that will allow them now to make Sonos even more a success in the coming years. I wish them nothing short of the best as they reinvent yet again what the human voice is capable of producing, and the great effect it will surely have on those who know, and the many thousands more yet to discover, the magic of Sonos. I love these five and will be rooting them on with the rest of the world.

And to our partner in crime, Hugo Vereker, whose grand ideas and unexplainable tenacity have gotten us to where we are: I thank you. Credit where credit is due, my friend.

I finish up my tenure with an incredible music-dance-theatre collaboration with Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company entitled Gods & Marionettes, Jan 29-30 at USC. The first two weeks of February will see Sonos on the road in the Midwest/east coast. My final performance will occur in Los Angeles upon our return. Details TBA.

Thank you, all of you, for everything you’ve given me by way of friendship, knowledge and support. I ask that you continue to give the same to Sonos once I’m gone. Some people fear change, but it is the best catalyst for improvement and rejuvenation. Be there to welcome them to the new heights they will soon hit; invite your friends. And if you’re ever missing me or just feeling sad, you should check these guys out (I hear they’re funny). www.facebook.com/thedakaboom :)

“Oh, what a world we live in…”


One of my faves from our unreleased photos.
"Sad, sad Sonos my butt."

Photo by Tyler Chesher

-Paul
paul@paulpeglar.com

thinkin of my three little nieces and my adorable nephew

My sister-in-law, Amy, just posted this on FB. Made me miss those little ones and reminds to see wonder in every little thing. Fills my heart with gratitude and joy. Hope it does the same for you.

Nothing is trivial that concerns a child; his foolish-seeming words and ways are pregnant with meaning for the wise. It is in the infinitely little we must study the infinitely great...
--Charlotte Mason

california

grateful every day that we live HERE!!! doing a lot of hiking lately, getting way, way up above the scramble of everyday life in this city really puts things in perspective. RIP gym membership




xo jess

January 13, 2011

randomness

going in for the longest session of my life today. 3 songs. 6 hours. hope i still have a voice left. hurray! "2011 - Do Things!"

January 7, 2011

G&M w/ LACDC in NYC

decoded:

Gods and Marionettes rehearsals with the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company in New York City.

having a blast! =)