Hi everyone-  

it’s been a few months since I’ve posted and it’s high time that I gave everyone an idea of what’s been up with me.  I’ve been struggling with chronic headaches (and myriad other pains) since the beginning of February and while I’ve had some optimistic patches along the way, I’ve just started feeling significantly better for the first time since February (I started biofeedback a week ago and the impact is huge).  I’m going to try to blog about some of my thoughts as I’ve gone through this in an effort to help me understand what happened and to put it behind me.  A few overview thoughts on the ordeal that I’ll use as somewhat of an outline:

1.  Thank goodness for One Medical Group.  The whole practice has been an amazing network of knowledge for my from primary care to counseling to acupuncture.  More here.  
2.  The cause of head pain is very difficult to diagnose, especially in determining whether it is physical or psychological.  More here.  
3.  My admiration for One Medical notwithstanding, a nutritionist is often more helpful that a doctor, especially when you’re making a major diet shift.  I’ve come to the belief that we should see a nutritionist every 6 months at least.  More here and a recipe for granola here.
4.  If there’s a traumatic event that you haven’t addressed in your life, find some help and deal with it.  A bunch of stuff (a technical term) piled up on me and was exacerbated by past events.  Don’t let that happen.  More here.  
5.  Pay attention to your doctor and what she tells you, especially in terms of prescriptions- don’t assume they always get it right.    
6.  Healing takes time.  We’re used to instant cures- sometimes you have to let things take their natural course.   Here are some of the things that have helped me.  

The worst thing about this for me was having to leave exfm.  I love the team, the vision and the product and  hate not being there.  Having said that, I hope to start helping young companies again very soon- nothing gives me more satisfaction than helping a dream grow.  You can reach me now at smithc at gmail dot com.  

Thanks for reading, more to come.  

Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu! 

This Saturday exfm is hosting the first Monthly Music Hackathon NYC! This is a free, monthly, all-day event for musicians, programmers, composers, and engineers to come up with new music-related project ideas, spend the day making them, then perform or present what they came up with at a concert in the evening.

There are only 2 slots still open for hackers! and still (FREE!) tickets available for the concert portion. You can RSVP for either HERE. We hope you come check out some radical experimentation with music and technology.

In addition to the ecclectic group of musicians, music researchers, and music industry programmers presenting fascinating projects, we also have two very special artists in residence this month:

Didier Aschour: is an experimental guitarist and composer from France. He’s in NYC for the summer on a grant from the French Institute working with American composers Christian Wolff, Alvin Lucier, Pauline Oliveros, and others. His performances — both solo and with his acclaimed ensemeble Dedalus — of the music of Tom Johnson, Harry Partch, James Tenney, and Michael Pisaro are widely praised. He’ll be collaborating with the hackers in attendence on music for acoustic and electric guitar, and will perform his composition Buzzing which explores a technique to make multiphonic sounds with the guitar.
Piste 15 by Tom Johnson

Joe Drew: is a fantastic trumpet player, keyboardist, composer, and Stockhausen scholar based in NYC. His 9-, 12-, and 24-hour performances of John Cage’s ASLSP are legendary. He’ll also be collaborating with the hackers on music for trumpet, and will perform a piece for trumpet and pre-recorded sound.
ASLSP by John Cage

EVENT DETAILS:

Saturday, July 28th, 2012
ADMISSION IS FREE!
10 AM hacking begins
8 PM concert/presentation of projects
Space is limited, please RSVP

Follow Music Hackathon on Twitter: @musichackathon
And join the Mailing List for Monthly Music Hackathon NYC for information and updates.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you there!

“It’s just me, myself and I
Proud, I’m proud of what I am”

— Me, Myself and I by De La Soul

Few things in this world bring me more joy than taking care of Paraguay, Bean, and Reese. Still, it’s critical I take time for myself. That means Friday mornings are mine. All mine. It’s when you’ll find me tucked in a corner deuce at Buvette alone with a book or notepad. My hour of solitude. I need it. Afterward I walk the length of Bleecker to work, stopping to grab a coffee at Gimme on Mott as well (if you can’t tell I also like routine).

So, yes, absolutely, positively make time for the ones you love. Though remember, take time for yourself along the way. It’s vital.

User Spotlight

David Hoang

This week we caught up with one of our favorite exfmers, David Hoang. David is one of the nicest and friendlist music lovers you’ll meet. He’s also a fantastic graphic designer. If you’re out and about in New York at a show you can’t miss him. He’ll be the guy with the great big smile.

What is one of your favorite/most magical musical experiences?

It was this year when I went to Coachella for the first time. You get to be out in the sun with awesome people and walk around listening to bands you’ve been stoked to see and also explore music you’ve never heard. It’s like IRL ex.fm!

If you had to pick a favorite artist(s) who would it be?

It would definitely be the Beastie Boys. MCA was my favorite one, too — RIP. I’ve been listening to these guys since I was five-years-old and have always loved the clever lyrics, diverse musical styles and the way they pioneered sampling and remixing in music. No Sleep Till Brooklyn was the first reference to the borough ever, and now, that’s where I dwell. :)

If you had to share one artist right now who would it be? Why?

Probably a “duh” one but M83. I say them because they have such a great sound that all of my friends would enjoy, not matter what genre of music they were into.

What genres of music are you into most?

Right now it’s any Electronic or House from France. When I was in Paris last year people kept telling me about this kid named Madeon (who was at Coachella). So much good music coming from that country!

Anything else music related, hobby related, or whatever related you’d like to share?

I just love the ex.fm community because it’s a bunch of music lovers. Music is really intertwined with our lives and when you meet people who love music you tend to find similar interests. I don’t have any musical ability, but it drives so much of what I do — designing, drawing and painting.

Recently Loved Tracks from David:

And be sure to check out David’s Own Site. On top of being a super nice guy he’s a super talented designer.

If you’d like to be featured or have someone you think should be drop us a line

ex.fm продолжает тихонько развиваться.

Переработан раздел Sites. Теперь здесь тоже красиво (а не подобие файлового менеджера) и 3 новых подкатегории:

• Featured. Отображаются сайты из раздела Site of the Day.
• Recent. Что мы посещали недавно.
• Following. Лучшая история! На блоги и аккаунты интересующих артистов (в Soundcloud/Bandcamp) можно подписываться. Во-первых, это удобно, потому что под рукой. Во-вторых, будет совсем здорово, если и уведомления о новом материале появятся.

Обратите внимание на сайдбар, под основными разделами теперь отображается активность. Список друзей, что они слушают прямо сейчас, кого бы вам зафолловить и подписки на сайты.

В прошлый раз я забыла рассказать про раздел Labs с разными забавными штуками:

• The Super Awesome Music Blog Finder Thingy™. Вводим имя пользователя last.fm и получаем список рекомендованных блогов (в соответствии с предпочтениями, конечно).
• Listen Along. Слушаем песни с друзьями. Похоже на Soundrop.
• Local Music Player. Плеер для локальных файлов. Скробблит.
• Full Screen Player. Симпатичный полноэкранный режим.