In Saugus, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, Michael Leonard has been hard at work over previous few years writing, recording and releasing independent music. Recording under the name of brushstrokes, Leonard has recorded and released two previous albums. But, with the upcoming Hello, I Am July, he prepares to make the move into music's digital age, releasing the album over iTunes rather than producing CD hardcopies. The album is set to land on iTunes sometime in the first weeks of August.

There's no denying the effect digital music has had on the industry—not just from a business standpoint and the consequences it holds for popular bands and record companies as they adapt to a new wave of media, but also in allowing bands like brushstrokes to release their material to the masses for download. Previously, for an independent band like brushstrokes, creating and establishing a fan base was reliant totally on playing live shows and winning over audiences. Now, for a low-fee, anyone can upload their music onto iTunes and other media outlets for download, free to price their albums and songs as they see fit.

Leonard seems both proud at the outcome of Hello, I Am July, and excited about its release on iTunes. Leonard says of the album, "It's the most dynamic group of songs I've written: the aggressive parts are really aggressive, and the same goes for the calm and quiet parts. I feel like it works as a whole; the album should be taken as a complete six songs, rather than as singles." On constructing the album compared to his previous efforts, Leonard says he "never [tries] to be better than previous material. I just try to make sure it's good music. When you strive to be better at something you end up forcing it." He references his influences to the album to bands such as Sigur Ros, Dredg, Radiohead and the Dear Hunter, claiming them to be "bands that don't have to define genres, but just redefine themselves" with each album.
Despite recording all the guitars, piano and vocals for the album, Leonard is quick to claim Hello, I Am July to be "hardly a solo-effort," referencing help and recommendations during the writing process to drummer Mike Nevin and Fred Sladkey, who recorded and mastered the tracks. Leonard sees writing material solo to "allow for more freedom. You have an idea and you're able to quickly interpret that idea exactly how you imagined," but that having other people work with you it allows for what you imagined to be altered, and he sees it "necessary to have a second opinion during the writing process." Of being a musician in the Boston area trying to make a name for himself Leonard says "the amount of bands [in the area] is very intimidating, but with all the clubs out there, the local scene is by no means slowing down."

On the coming of the digital age of music and the effect iTunes has on independent musicians just starting out, Leonard sees it all as a double-edged sword. He says "Twenty years ago, if you worked hard enough, you'd be one of the few names to be recognized in the underground music scene. Nowadays, you can have a following of 20,000 fans, but so can a million others. Getting your music heard is easier, but actually making it in music is harder than ever with all the competition."

What Leonard says is true. It is a lot easier to get your music out there to the public, and millions have through iTunes, PureVolume, My Space, and even You Tube. As Leonard says "the listeners win big, but I can't say if it helps or hurts the artists," who in turn have a lot more competition and hardship in trying to make it in the music business. Keep an eye out for Hello, I Am July on iTunes and possible Brushstrokes shows in the Boston area, as well as upcoming music from The Fury Coast , another band Michael Leonard performs with.--John Hillis, Associated Content Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.