Welcome to Reginator.net! This is the website of indie electro-alternative musician Reggie Barnes. Reginator's debut album, Entomology, is out now!
Happy 2013 and welcome back! With the New Year I bring you the latest news: I’ve started recording new material for my next album. This is an exciting time because I get to play around with my synths and guitars to make the sounds that I’ve imagined for each song. I have to give thanks to my iPhone because of it’s handiness in letting me compose and record demos anywhere.
Prior to this I was very busy reorganizing Glade of Utopia, my personal studio, over the past few months. I replaced all of the old instrument cables and patch cables that were giving me trouble. I also built a new equipment rack and two platforms to hold my synths and controller keyboard. The platforms allow the Minimoog Voyager and Roland JP-8080 sit side by side. The newest addition to my synth arsenal is the Waldorf Microwave Mk1 Rev B and it was installed in the new rack. I also refreshed all of my guitars with new strings and did extensive modifications to the Epiphone Dot Deluxe to bring it more in line with an actual Gibson ES-335. The Fender Stratocaster was modified as well. Everything was tested, tweaked and then tested again, and now all of my gear is in tiptop condition and ready to go.
Well, time to get back to recording. Happy Chinese New Year!
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Seasons greetings to everyone around globe! News of what Reginator has been up to coming your way next month. Until then I leave you with a possibly little know cover of Something by The Beatles.
I’ve spent quite some time over the last few years in Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore. When listening to the local radio it’s surprising how much music from the West you can hear. Not just Top 40 songs but also tunes from the 90’s, 80’s and even the 70’s grace the airwaves. I remember sitting in the back seat of a taxi in Singapore hearing Ring My Bell by Anita Ward sneaking thru the dashboard radio…it gave me a smile!
I’ve also heard a lot of great music from the East. There are two artists in particular that I have in regular rotation on my iPhone: Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai. I first learned of Jay Chou while watching the movie Curse of the Golden Flower starring Yun-Fat Chow and Li Gong. Jay Chou’s character in the movie is Prince Jai who battles for his mother’s honor. The haunting song at the end of the movie, Ju Hua Tai (Chrysanthemum Flower Bed), was performed by Jay Chou. It’s a beautiful song and very delicate. This song is also on his studio album Still Fantasy.
I found Jolin Tsai while searching for music by Jay Chou. She has a lovely voice that’s very sweet and engaging. It also blends nicely with her musical production and its so infecting that I now own three of her albums of which Cheng Bao (Castle) is my favorite so far.
There are other artists and musicians from the East that I’m beginning to explore. It’s like a whole new world of music that I’ve just woken up to – exciting! If you’re interested in sticking your big toe in the waters of popular music from Asia I recommend giving Jay Chou or Jolin Tsai a listen and then go from there. I haven’t found the Alternative, Electronic or Synthpop groups yet but with time I’m sure to stumble across the Eastern equivalent to Depeche Mode!
It is always nice when someone likes what you do. I want to thank everyone tuning in to Jango internet radio and for supporting my music – 谢谢 [thank you]!
What I did not anticipate were listeners in countries other than the US and Canada. I’m fortunate to now have fans from Germany, Israel, Spain, Czech Republic, Lao, Peru, Netherlands, Ireland, France, Australia, Italy, Brazil, Korea, England, Chile, Denmark, Venezuela, Russia, and Singapore. Every day new fans are checking in and my appreciation goes out to each and every one.
Music is truly universal. Maybe one day I’ll have listeners on Mars. 
I’ve entered A Bee in the CLA song competition. The winner will have their song professionally mixed by Chris Lord Alge, the multi-GRAMMY® award-winning mixer of groups like Green Day, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, and Daughtry.
Voting is from April 4 to Apr 10 so hurry.
*Edit*
Well, I didn’t win the competition however the groups that made it thru the final round were very good. It was fun to compete and to also get some exposure. I did get a $100 voucher from Waves for entering the contest so all is not lost. My studio is pretty well appointed with the latest software so I’ll probably use the voucher towards something fun like the OneKnob series.
Many thanks for all your support!
Lewis Evans is a good friend of mine and also happens to be an accomplished artist and novelist. I first learned of Lewis thru his art. In particular; Cuban Girl which I saw hanging in Café Natura in Vancouver. Every other morning I would stop in for a coffee and the Cuban Girl always greeted me at the door. Her penetrating eyes and emotional face held me captivate. I had to know who painted her. The owner of Natura told me the artist was Lewis Evans. A few days later the Cuban Girl accompanied me home.
Since that first acquisition I’ve increased my collection with two additional paintings by Lewis. He also created the cover for Entomology. But that’s not all he can do…
Lewis can also write. And I mean he can write on par with Dan Brown and Michael Crichton. Hominine is Lewis’ first novel and was published in February of 2011. I purchased it on release day and as I read thru the pages I thought, “Holy cow, this is good stuff!” I had just finished reading Prey by Michael Crichton and was delighted to know that I was back in the middle of another thriller. This time it was Lewis taking me on a fast paced adventure that skillfully spanned cultures as well as continents.
The writing in Hominine is splendid! It’s so good that I was on the edge of my seat as the suspense crept in; waiting to see what was going to happen next. My favorite character in the book is Troy King: there’s a Peter Falk / Columbo-ness about him. If you love a good thriller then this is the book for you!
Artist, Novelist; Polymathic man. I believe Lewis could also run a small country if he were elected!
There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes when you release an album. So much that I can see why it’s a full time job for many people and agencies. But in the whirlwind I’ve been able to copyright the album along with register the content with BMI.
Entomology will be available for download on CD Baby January 31st. It will also be available on iTunes and Last.fm but not until February 14th. There’s a plan to release a limited quantity of physical CD’s on CD Baby February 14th. A lot to do in a short time.
See you on the 31st!
Reginator announces release of Entomology January 31, 2012
Reggie Barnes under the guise of Reginator is proud to announce the release of his debut album, Entomology on January 31, 2012.
This release delivers layered guitars, ample doses of analog & analog modeling synthesizers, electronic drums and multi-range vocals in the genre of Electro-Alternative music. Reminiscent of electronic music of the last 30 years, Reginator vitalizes the sound with rhythmic pulses, syncopation, shifting keys and the unexpected. The album was recorded at the artist’s personal studio, Glade of Utopia / GoU, located in Georgia. All songs were produced, arranged, composed and performed by Reggie Barnes.
How different are we than our insect brethren? Entomology explores this synchronicity with introspective songwriting. From the opening track “The Ant” thru the albums finale “Mantis”, you are taken on a musical journey of semblances. Ten songs in all, each named after a particular creepy-crawly and given the Reginator treatment.
More album details to come…
