Tag Archives: Indie Rock

AI, Advent, and Playing Guitar (Music Newsletter)

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[Note: I’m reposting my latest music newsletter. I am now using Substack for all my music-related communiques. It might be a good time to sign-up if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest from JimBaumerME.]

When we moved from Maine to Virginia in 2022, I thought my days of snow and storm closures were over. And during that first winter, Virginia seemed to be a land free from ice and snow.

Our realtor told us that it rarely snowed in Virginia, but when it did he said, “the entire city shuts down.” Friday, we had three inches of snow and I was reminded of what he told me. I work for Lynchburg City Schools and they cancelled school for the day. Much of Lynchburg was also closed. Then, on Sunday night, with another similar snow event set to hit the Lynchburg/Roanoke area, I received my robo call from the school system saying we were cancelled on Monday.

 

This morning (Tuesday), I awoke to a frozen winter wonderland outside. Last night’s snow and frigid winter temperatures in the teens had made the roadways sheets of black ice, so once more, I’m home on a snow day. Given that it’s December and I haven’t put out a newsletter since the summer, it feels like a good time for an end-of-the-year summation of 2025.

Live music opportunities in Lynchburg continue to be rare events. I couldn’t have picked a worse place to opt to play original music. But, rather than allow bitterness to poison my musical well, I try to use my downtown productively—working on my guitar skills and writing new music. Then, when school gets out, I take my one-man-band show known as JimBaumerME on the road

In 2024, I met a small DIY community in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. A musician named Chad James hosted shows on his property outside of town. His bills at The Shack gave me an opportunity to find members of my musical tribe. Chad, Kip Gunnells (of the band, Kip Gloss), Chad’s girlfriend Alecia, and a few other people made me feel welcome that very first summer and so this June, I stopped off in Murfreesboro again. Even better, I got to play a show in Nashville at Betty’s Grill with Kip Gloss (Chad plays drums for them), and meet Milo and the boys from Wonderbad, as we shared an amazing evening and a really cool bill at one of Nashville’s dive bar gems. Prior to my foray into Tennessee, I played Asheville, NC, the hometown of MJ Lenderman (arguably one of the biggest names in indie rock at the moment) for the very first time, rocking out at The Burger Bar.

As AI continues to take over the world, I often wonder what will become of music, literature, and maybe, the future of mankind. I honestly don’t know the answer to that. However, since no AI has been used to write this newsletter or produce any music in 2025 (and this will continue in 2026), no new data centers have been erected to further the reach of JimBaumerME.

Since it is the season of Advent, I thought it appropriate to share some related news. In May, after decades of being spiritually adrift, I was curious about the Hallow app I kept seeing advertisements about. I downloaded it on my phone and began accessing a vast array of Christian material. Initially, I didn’t know it was a Catholic-based app. Having grown up as a “cradle” Catholic and walking away from my faith in college during a “born-again” phase, and then later, attending Bible College, my faith got tested and I apparently failed the challenge. Catholicism was the last thing that I thought would offer my life meaning. But after visiting a host of evangelical churches that dominate the religious landscape in this area, the Catholic Church felt like coming home.

I have been attending Mass every week since June. I find that practicing the Catholic faith helps ground me and offers me hope that I’ve rarely had, especially since the death of Mark in 2017.

So, what does this have to do with music, Jim? I’m not sure. Honestly, I don’t plan on releasing an album of Gregorian chants come RPM season in February. But don’t be surprised if my faith doesn’t pop up in some of my lyrics from time to time. One of my idols during my time in evangelical Christianity in the 1980s was a musician named Larry Norman. He is sometimes called “the father of Christian rock.” Larry was more than some marginalized Christian rocking out to Jesus lyrics, however. He was a talented songwriter, musician, and thinker, a friend to Dylan, Joplin, and others. I remember receiving his Solid Rock newsletter back in the 1980s while living in Hobart, Indiana, recovering from legalistic Christianity. Larry was a breath of fresh air, as he’d be referencing G.K. Chesterton, Malcolm Muggeridge, and commenting on how the church’s take on music and culture was lacking. Being more like Larry might not be a bad look for future JimBaumerME projects, but we shall see. At the very least, I might add another Larry Norman song to my repertoire.

Hallow has a great 25-day Advent challenge. The holidays have been tough since losing Mark. And, my wife Mary will tell you I’ve always been a bit of a Scrooge come Christmas time. But this year, I am finding new meaning in the story of Jesus and his birth.

Over the last two months, I’ve been learning a ton of new songs. These are covers and I vowed I’d never go back to playing cover gigs again. But, learning “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon, “Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp, “Roadrunner” by The Modern Lovers, and even “Born in the USA” by Springsteen has breathed new life into my ever-burgeoning set of originals mixed with covers. I look forward to playing some shows in the New Year and surprising people with some new material.

My guitar-playing continues to evolve and I marvel at how far I’ve come over the past seven years after picking up the guitar again to deal with grief and loss.

Please mark your calendar for January 10th. I will be doing a livestream, most likely via Facebook Live. I hope you’ll tune in and check out the ever-evolving stage persona of JimBaumerME. Also, for that music lover who has all the latest and the greatest, surprise him/her with some merch from my Bandcamp page.

From snowy Virginia, here’s wishing you all the Happiest of Holidays and the Merriest of Christmases.

Soros Jamming

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I wrote my first song about George Soros during COVID because I felt we’d become so Balkanized as a country that there was little that opposing factions could say to one another. The binary polarization had made dialogue nearly impossible to have.

I also recognized that this division and strife was being funded on the left with money from George Soros.

Liberal Democrats had become so enraged about anything connected to Donald J. Trump.  A term called “Trump Derangement Syndrome” was coined on the right to describe and explain it. Stephen King definitely suffers from it. Probably Rosie O’Donnell, also. This seemed odd because there was a time when Trump was a beloved cultural icon, often referred to as a “tycoon.” But not any longer. Most on the left have imbibed the narrative that Trump is anathema to our democracy.

Additonally, the left conveniently began turning a blind eye to the rioting and mayhem fueled by Antifa and BLM groups. You may as well lump in the litany of vaccine and mask mandates for businesses and schools and it began to feel like chaos was a strategy that Soros was funding, with the playbook being written by Saul Alinsky. This is an overly “glowing” account of Alinsky’s how to get whatever you want.

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Back from the Road/TennVaMa Tour 2024

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Six years ago I set out on a musical journey that I had no idea where it would lead me, if anywhere. Tragedy was its catalyst and something necessary for me to pursue.

I can still remember my first few awkward open mic appearances, just me and an electric guitar, trying to figure out what it as I wanted to be as a performer. I certainly had bands and artists I aspired to be like, or allow them to inspire me through their music. I’ve recited many of them before: Neil Young, Guided by Voices, Swearing at Motorists, Lou Reed, Pavement, Polvo, Elliott Smith, and so on.

Moving to Lynchburg in some ways was necessary in order to get out from under a mortgage. The city is cheaper in terms of housing and other factors–the weather is considerably more moderate compared to the harsher climate of the Northeastern part of the U.S., particularly the winters.

In terms of music however, there isn’t any sort of underground music scene. I know gurus like Matt Bacon talk about connecting and building collaboration within your local scene, but there’s really nothing here to connect to. My few attempts reaching out to a handful of people playing original music have been rebuffed. For the past 18 months, I’ve been figuring out some sort of Plan B. Rather than play 65 or 70 times a year like in the past, I’ve managed a handful of shows, playing covers mainly, which I no longer want to do. Continue reading →

The Final Leg

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Two more sleeps at home before I hit the road for the last dates of my first regional tour.

The vision for this tour came together at the end of January. That’s when I first reached out to Happy Nomad Booking. I had an itinerary in mind that I hoped would take me to places that used to be solid indie rock stops: places like Morgantown, WV, then over to Pittsburgh, then back down through Virginia, before heading south.

Morgantown never materialized. I did play Harrisonburg, then Friday night was a great gig in Raleigh, aka, “indie rock city.” I sing about it on “Out of the Mainstream.”

Played a small dive bar near downtown called The Night Rider. Funky space and amazing sound (low ceilings always help). What was cool is that the original act, a power trio that wasn’t a good match for me, cancelled. Cooper Uglow ended up being a last minute replacement. He was perfect, playing solo, opening my show. Got to talk some inside baseball with him and Joe, the terrific bartender for the night. I rarely get to talk music with people who get my vibe.
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Loading Them Road Cases

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Since moving to Lynchburg, I’ve been making a musical transition. Oh, I’m still making and playing music, but my journey has diverged from the path where it began seven years go. Back then, I was just hanging on, struggling with the loss of a son, and my guitar became a means of finding some way forward after a devestating and seemingly senseless tragedy.

I initially thought I wanted to see if I could work-up a setlist that would allow me to get booked into clubs and other venues on the “cover circuit.” Every state and region has one.

What I learned is that if you have enough drive, and you can get on the phone and/or craft a compelling booking pitch, you can play regularly. Or, at least that was my experience in Maine. Before I knew it, I’d moved into playing some clubs in Boston, thanks to making a connection with a small booking agency. My first few years of playing live music, I’d play 60 to 70 gigs a year. That changed when COVID hit.

Then, my wife and I made a monumental decision. Real estate was at its peak in New England. We realized that this was our time for a new adventure and no more winters in the northeast. Off to points south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Lynchburg had affordable housing and it wasn’t a dump like some places that are affordable. But Lynchburg also has been a very hard nut to crack in terms of trying to book shows. I’m not going to belabor the reality that I was initially bitter and then, disappointed in the lack of places to play original music in the city and nearby.

Lynchburg, Virginia, USA downtown skyline.

What that initial experience provided, however, was the chance to really work on my songwriting craft. I’ve been putting out material on a regular basis. Then, putting it out on various streaming platforms, the central one being Spotify.

What has happened over the past two years is that my streams on Spotify have slowly ticked upward. Unlike many of the local musicians who get all the gigs, but have less than 100 monthly streams, my numbers have shot beyond 1,600 monthly streams and continue hitting upward. I attribute this to being willing to “feed the algorithm,” or the “Al Gore Rhythm,” as one of my songs on my new release, Some Singles+ talks about. Continue reading →

February Is a Tough Month (for Love)/RPM 2024

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This year’s RPM Challenge was a walk in the park for me. Maybe, if I’d decided to push it and make a full-length and not an EP, it might have been a bit harder. But for some reason, the song ideas were flowing and I even have my next single in the can from this creative exercise.

My latest release

With this release, I embraced a bit of genre-shifting, or at least, I diverged somewhat from my usual indie rock. Granted, the first two tracks align with most of my previous input, save that the overall quality of recording has improved.

On the opening track, “Al Gore Rhythm,” I wanted to tackle the notion that to succeed in music these days, it really does come down to “feeding the beast,” which are the social media algorithms (or, Al Gore Rhythms) that seem to drive everything, talent or songwriting prowess be damned.

The second song on the new release, is an update in my musical narrative that really began with the death of my son, Mark Baumer. January was the 7th anniversary of his death and music has allowed me a space to find some healing of sorts. “100 Days (7 years later)” is an update on the story about Mark, and also serves as the single on this release.

The next track is probably one of the peppiest numbers I’ve done (at least in terms of music and melody, if not lyrics). Breaking out of my usual 115 BPM, “Rocket Store” could certainly fit the bill as a single. On this one, I really embrace Auto-Tune on my vocals.

During the making of FIATMFL, I’ve been playing around a bit with synth loops and other effects. That exploration delivers the fourth track, “Synth Wave Sweep,” which uses a synth loop to create a bit of “space” on the record between songs.

In 2008, I wrote my first Moxie book, Moxietown, which detailed how Moxie and my hometown of LIsbon Falls became epicenter of the Moxie universe. The central figure in that narrative was Frank Anicetti, “the Moxie man,” or better, “the Mayor of Moxietown.” This track, a simple acoustic number is my paean to one of the more interesting characters I’ve met in my lifetime. Glad I took the time to pay attention his stories.

The final track is me, my electric guitar, and a pedal board. Decided to have some fun, crafting a song, “Future Gaze,” best described as shoegaze, with lots of delay, distortion, and compression.

If you use Spotify, please add me to your playlists and give the new single a spin or two when it drops on Friday.

It’s a Wrap on 2023 (JimBaumerME Newsletter)

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Bunker Rock/JimBaumerMe

Movin’ On (A New Musical Home)
Vol. 3/Issue 2

I’m actually working on this newsletter on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I don’t love this time of year, where, at least in these parts, the days start out dark and the light fades far too early.

Dec. 20 follows Dec. 19, which this year would have been the 40th birthday of our late son, Mark. It was nearly seven years ago that he was hit and killed by an SUV along a desolate stretch of highway in Florida’s Panhandle while attempting his second walk across America. Many of you know the story, so I won’t elaborate.

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The Music Shift (I Don’t Sing Like Taylor Swift)

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The song “Music Shift” is about music approached as an avocation, if not a vocation. The idea of working a “shift” in terms of labor dates back to 1809 and mining. Playing guitar may not be mining but it helps to approach music with that same sense of purpose and consistency.

I begin the song by saying that playing music is a “grift.” This emanates from much of today’s music promotion being about “pay to play.” Yet, this is nothing new. We know about the days of payola. In our time, it’s the constant enticements to pay for this or that in terms of getting your music streamed. Even if your song(s) get played, you’ll make little to nothing because any profits from Spotify or other platforms aren’t funneled equitably to the creators of the work. The con works because musicians want their music heard by others.

Since I began writing songs and getting my music out there, I’ve had a sense that people really don’t understood what I do. I play indie/alternative rock with influences from lo-fi bands like Guided by Voices. For fans of Taylor Swift and her overly-produced schlock and corporate façade, lo-fi with a DIY orientation sounds foreign.

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Spotify Heavy Weather

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Just like Oliver Anthony, I release my new songs via Distrokid. It works well because for a minimal annual membership, I can launch multiple tracks/albums via a host of streaming platforms.

Streaming seems to be where it’s at (even if no one makes any money), so I thought I’d take Distrokid’s suggestion and create a playlist of my own, including two of my own tracks. My playlist, “This is Indie Music” is a really good gathering of my influences and the bands/artists who inform what I do as a songwriter and guitar player.

Have at it!!

Oh, and feel free to add my songs to your Spotify playlists.

Spaceship Flying Saucer Bluze/AB Records Issue #105 (June 2023)

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Very pleased to be featured in the latest Aldora Britain Records – AB Records e-zine, The Independent and Underground Music e-Zine, Issue 105.

Tom Hilton champions true independent music from all over the globe. He obviously understood what I’ve been trying to do, especially the past two releases. Thanks, Tom!!

Spaceship Flying Saucer Bluze
Indie rock is an infinite field of sonic possibilities. It is a bracket that has been employed by thousands of bands and artists from all around the world. Some have lived up to its legacy, and some have fallen behind.

Out of Lynchburg, Virginia, contemporary singer-songwriter JIM BAUMER carves out his very own space on the alternative indie spectrum. Outings such as 2022’s Living in Some Strange Days and this year’s Home Sweet Home have stood up and been counted.

These selections showcase Jim’s fantastic approach to music, a glorious crossover of experimental rock, lo-fi pop, and one-man band indie. This musical approach provides a strong foundation for tales of darkness and pain, but also hope and real-life optimism. It is this relatable edge that really brings these LPs, and Jim’s music, to life.

Earlier this year, following the release of Home Sweet Home, Aldora Britain Records had a chat with this underground artist to unearth his journey so far.

Jim Baumer has previously contributed his track ‘Kick the Darkness’ to our ‘Knighted’ compilation. Listen or download HERE.

[If you enjoy this content, please consider making a small, magazine-sized donation at the following link. Thank you!]

Aldora Britain Records: Hello Jim, how are you? I am excited to be talking to such an innovative and creative contemporary artist. Thank you for your time. Let’s start off at the very beginning. What are some of your earliest musical memories and what was it that first pushed you towards pursuing this passion of yours?
Jim Baumer: My first memories of music were when I was eight years old, listening to my local AM station in the early 70s. Back then, you heard a great deal of rock on AM radio, not like today in the US where it is all talk radio garbage.

[Jim Baumer live, Loose Shoe Too, Appomattox, VA, May 2023]

I can remember one Thanksgiving, hearing the full version of Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ and thinking his talking blues was the greatest thing ever. Then, bands like Blue Cheer with their version of ‘Summertime Blues’ blasting out of the stereo console at my house. Also, our local drug store downtown carried rock mags like Creem and I remember reading about Marc Bolan and Lou Reed when I was like nine or ten.
Aldora Britain Records: And now, let’s take a leap forward to the present day and your impressive solo output. I love the lo-fi and DIY attitude that you have. That really appeals to me, for sure! Where does this drive come from, and what would you say this DIY approach brings to your musical output?

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