They’re really starting to take off.

I remember less than a year ago when I’d stumble upon a new videosong that had been public for a week and it would only have ~1,000 views.  The video I posted today has been live for less than a week and it already has a staggering ~50,000 views.  So what am I trying to say? I don’t know. I’ll happily tell people “I knew them when…!” and laugh in their faces because I’m so much better than they are… but beyond that, I’m just so happy for these two.

Their talent is undeniable, they’ve found their nitch, and now they’re finally getting the recognition that they deserve.  Also, as much as I’m in love with Nataly, I want nothing more than for Jack to put a ring on that.  These two need to be married forever just to remind me that this kind of relationship is not just possible, but desirable.

And it probably wasn’t as many as I should have, and here’s the reason: my concern for preventing other people’s butthurt has led me to butthurt of my own.

I had basically stopped reading my twitter stream all-together over the past month or so.  A few times a day I’d scan a couple of the most recent posts, but otherwise it all got ignored because there was just too. much. noise.

The result of all that noise is that I missed some really cool things that I shouldn’t have missed, and things that I’m quite disappointed to have missed.

The straw that finally broke the camels back came last night when I discovered that Pomplamoose - the band that I’ve ofted preached my love for here on my blog, frequently sharing videos and audio - had been in Rochester for the past month, producing local YouTube superstar Julia Nunes. (Footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEzgi5crHxE)

Furthermore, this new album is being produced and recorded at GFI Studios, which is the same studio at which my band FMGreen recorded our debut album in 2001.

Even further, Julia Nunes was a student in the school at which I’m employed, from which she graduated in 2007.  She would often be hanging around in the media production lab after school a few times a week, playing with iMacs and Garageband while I’d be doing repairs or installations or whatever… essentially honing her craft.

So in summary: two of my favorite artists (Jack Conte & Nataly Dawn [when combined they are Pomplamoose]), were living in the town in which I live, and producing a talented artist that I have a direct connection with, at the studio where I spent nearly 150 hours making an album earlier this decade.

Had I paid more attention, over the past month, to @jackconte, or @julianunes, or @pomplamoose, perhaps I may have had a chance to make a connection with some of my more recent muses, but instead I was following 237 people and not reading anything anyone had to say.

That’s just unacceptable to me, so I’ve made an effort to clear out some of the noise so I can focus on those people that I follow that matter the most to me and that have the most to offer me.  It’s a very me-centric attitude, and I don’t care.  I anticipate I’ll continue to cut people loose in the coming days.

I’m not sorry.

For those that can no longer send me DMs, I can always be contacted via email at this address: steelopus at gmail.

I still love you all, I just need to stay in better touch with the news and opportunities that mean the most to me in my life.