UPDATE 10/31/2011: Now available on iTunes! http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wild-green-life-ep/id477253038 AND Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Green-Life/dp/B0061XC0LW/
UPDATE 7/20/2011: Digital and a limited run of physical copies are now available.
Hey, I’ve released my record!
Hey! I’ve been writing about the album I’m working on over at nightdriverecords.com. Check it out!
Back in August, we had a bbq, and ended up putting on a little impromptu show. These are selections from that day. The balance is a bit rough around the edges, but I sorta like how you can hear dogs, cicadas, various aircraft, and other fun things in the background. Credits to Alan on mandolin, Brian on guitar, Eric on bongos, and Joe on rhymes in Change the World. Enjoy!
Download all four tracks here (40mb), or stream them separately…
01 Window -Guster
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02 Silhouettes -K. Shoul
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03 California Gurls/Tik Tok/Just Dance -Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Gaga
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04 Change the World feat. Jmags -Eric Clapton
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I was in St. Augustine’s church last weekend rehearsing for an upcoming wedding, and had a bit of extra time, so I did one take of this Train classic. One mic for vocals, one inside the piano pointed down toward the lower octaves. Vocals are shaky in spots, but what is great about this recording is how little I did to the sound. The combination of a great piano in a great room is noticeable. Enjoy!
Download here (right-click > save link/target as…)
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I did a quick recording of The World Spins Madly On by The Weepies. It was tracked all in one shot, guitar and vocals together (though I added some harmonies toward the end). Setup was as follows..
Studio Projects B3 for vocals
AKG Perception 220 on the soundhole
Shure SM57 on the fingerboard
Enjoy!
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Lately, perhaps the past three months, I’ve been playing guitar more than usual. On an average day I’m playing for at least forty-five minutes — it has become a part of my day in the same way working out has. I know I’m not playing on the order of a virtuoso, but my improvement is noticeable.
What I often find myself dissatisfied with is not knowing where to go next, in that I’ve gotten caught in a rut of complacency with a technique or playing style — or even certain songs. Once you’ve mastered playing Wonderwall, unless you’re tinkering with the arrangement, I’d imagine every time you play this tune thereafter will be less and less exciting. More so though, I begin to feel I’m wasting my time playing something I’ve conquered, when I could be learning something new. I suppose people play things they know well because it’s fun.. it’s affirming to hear yourself do something creatively notable. But at what cost? I might not end up a master, but I could definitely be in the top 1%.
My solution to this is being tested. I’ve been sticking to a plan where I play a few tunes that haven’t seen the light of day recently for the purpose of keeping them fresh in my mind. After a good warm up with this, I can move on to new songs, new scales, new ideas. It satisfies my human need to hear myself do something well, and warms up my fingers, while making sure I’m not letting time waste away playing the same old riffs every day.
Firstly, as an fyi, I uploaded most of my old recordings last night. These include the fabled “College Demo Sessions” from way back in high school. I was young then, so go easy on me–two jazz tunes, and two classical pieces.. consume at your own risk. The entire process of putting that demo together undoubtedly planted the right ideas in my head about what I might enjoy down the road. I learned some basic things one doesn’t usually consider going into their first recording experience. The most frustrating of these, is knowing you have a stellar grip on a tune you’re going to record, and when the mic goes in the piano and the red button is pressed, you tense up. It’s crazy–especially if there’s no one else around, but it happens. I’ve learned that piping up the environment to make you feel like a rock star goes a long way–incense/candles lit, dim those lights, stand up, put on the big headphones, and seep it all into the mic.
I’m just about done with a song I’ve been working on for a few weeks. I’d really kill for another verse though, so I’m going to try and make that happen over the next few days. Unfortunately, I’ve been at a loss for inspiration, and have found it difficult to write a song titled “There’ll Be Snow” when it’s been all spring fling this past week. With any luck, we’ll be back to the romance of freezing rain and glassy roads in no time.
Tags: high school, lyrics, recording, snow, writing
Well, I didn’t sleep all day, but I did get up around 11:30 to record a quick one take cover of Jason Mraz’s tune.
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I’ve been thinking a lot about lyrics lately, and how they dynamically work with the supporting instruments. These thoughts are underdeveloped, but I felt the need to share. Writing effective lyrics has always been a difficult area for me — I feel much more capable of writing interesting progressions. The way vocals complement accompaniment is somewhat of a creative science though.
It seems that some words/phrases sound extraordinarily well with their accompaniment. Phonemes have, what I think, the ability to uniquely bring life to a musical phrase. Think of a phrase in a song that for some reason sounds perfect the way it is, and now change the words — retain the melody, but switch up the words. Now, ignoring the chance that you picked silly words, think about how the notes feel with the phonemes of your new lyrics. The variation in vowels and consonants play a significant role in flow of the song.
Every so often, I just hear the perfect implementation of music and lyrics, and I think of how that phrase came to be. I imagine there are no rules for a finding these phrases, and it’s more of finding out what is dynamically compatible with your own voice and playing style.
Tags: lyrics, music, songwriting