Morning earworm: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, Gary Moore. A scorching cover of the old Zombies classic, from his early days.
I once again made the mistake of stopping by Facebook before coming here, and was rewarded by yet another idiotic post by a bunch of my supposedly enlightened flaming Liberal friends. I can respect that we don't share some core beliefs, but there are times when it still pisses me off to no end, especially when one of them has the cojones to invoke "fiscal responsibility". $14,000,000,000,000, and he's only halfway through one term - but then, this is exactly the sort of fiscal responsibility one should expect from a bunch of people with six figure incomes and unlimited expense accounts. F***ing Communist pinheads - AARRRGGGHHHH!!
Sorry ... where was I?
Guess I'll be working on the heavy song today - lol. This has been a challenging week, having two totally different pieces vying for brain space. Definitely feast or famine. I need to enjoy this while I can, as band work resumes either tonight or tomorrow, occupying the next six weekends. It will be an interesting gig tomorrow, having largely purged my system of country music over the last few weeks. Then again, it might actually be easier than it is now, divided between a capella folk music and cinematic tribal metal - juggling three balls is not nearly as difficult as juggling only two.
Speaking of cinematic - part of my admittedly weird listening habits includes old movie soundtracks. I had quite a few of these in my record collection as a kid, and every now and then their influence shows up. One particular favorite was Michel Legrand's soundtrack from The Three Musketeers (1973), partly just because it was such a great movie. I also had soundtrack albums from most of the James Bond movies, Connery / Moore era; educational in many ways. While most of these were scored by John Barry, I think my personal favorite was Sir George Martin's work on Live and Let Die - but one would expect no less from him. There are even some hints of that particular work showing up in one of my current songs - no telling what one might assimilate over the years :)
If nothing else, at least I am in a better mood now - thanks, Morning Pages! =))
The musician has three disciplines: the disciplines of the hands, the head and the heart.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Coming Up For Air
Morning earworm: Midnight Shuffle, an old original fragment. This was just a working title, honoring the late hour at which it was written. That is one thing I do miss about the old house - it was a two story thing, and I could work all night down in the basement without disturbing the wife sleeping upstairs.
Feeling the mid-week sag here. I confess it's been awhile since I've done this much creative work in so focused a time; it is exhausting, in a different way than sustained physical labor. Yeah, I know - whine whine snivel. Still much to be done, but I think I will be focusing a bit more on the practical aspects for today; hardware, signal routing, and such, giving the creative side of the brain a little time to digest and process this massive and multi-faceted download.
I can't help but notice that I went into this with the intention of generating some new material for the solo gig, and yet most of what is appearing is full-production band material, largely undoable in my solo context. So it goes - as I have said before, I have no real control over the process; I ask the Muse what needs to be played, and this is what I am getting. Arguing is pointless - I am grateful to be taken into Music's confidence at all.
A test of our understanding is whether we can apply it in practice.
Feeling the mid-week sag here. I confess it's been awhile since I've done this much creative work in so focused a time; it is exhausting, in a different way than sustained physical labor. Yeah, I know - whine whine snivel. Still much to be done, but I think I will be focusing a bit more on the practical aspects for today; hardware, signal routing, and such, giving the creative side of the brain a little time to digest and process this massive and multi-faceted download.
I can't help but notice that I went into this with the intention of generating some new material for the solo gig, and yet most of what is appearing is full-production band material, largely undoable in my solo context. So it goes - as I have said before, I have no real control over the process; I ask the Muse what needs to be played, and this is what I am getting. Arguing is pointless - I am grateful to be taken into Music's confidence at all.
A test of our understanding is whether we can apply it in practice.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Immediate Payoff
Morning earworm: Vicarious, Tool. That'll get you going - lol.
The deed is done. "Arecibo" was taken off line and deleted at 9:07 yesterday. Not the easiest choice in the world, but a necessary one. I suspect that it is not entirely coincidental that yesterday was one of my most productive and creative days in a long time - housework and chores done, and not one but two song fragments appeared. As if that weren't enough, the two ideas are about as different as they can possibly be, to the point that they might not even belong on the same CD. One is sort of an experimental vocal piece, coming from some other listening over the weekend; the other, a strangely odd-metered tribal instrumental, which is evolving some Tool overtones, possibly resulting in this morning's earworm.
Continuing on yesterday's discussion of unusual listening - I quite by chance caught a piece on NPR Sunday morning discussing a new album by Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble, featuring a capella arrangements of early Armenian folk songs and church hymns with sax improvisations over the top. I can't help it, I just find this sort of thing so unspeakably cool. It almost immediately brought to mind the Bulgarian Women's Choir and pop chanteuse Imogen Heap, with their dense harmonies and Eastern European influence. Naturally, I thought this would be something cool to explore, and soon remembered that I have a stack of lyrics buried somewhere in the Bunker awaiting music - not mine, of course, but from an old collaborator / writing partner. One of these immediately suggested itself for such an application. While I do have the tech to pull it off, it is so far outside both my experience and comfort zone that the challenge is too great to pass up.
The downside is purely of a practical nature -work on both of these is revealing shortcomings in the current studio set-up, admittedly still under construction; which means I'm looking at at least a half-day of physically rearranging and rewiring stuff. The continuous upgrade - a necessary evil. It needs doing, but can potentially disrupt the creative momentum, even though it involves a measure of creativity all its own. Oh, the challenges I face - lol.
And somewhere in there I have to make dinner, too. Sure hope we aren't rehearsing tonight - there are a couple of songs I need to learn for the band, and that would prove a significant disruption :)
Be very careful about the beginning.
Then, be very careful about the end.
Then, be very careful about the middle.
The deed is done. "Arecibo" was taken off line and deleted at 9:07 yesterday. Not the easiest choice in the world, but a necessary one. I suspect that it is not entirely coincidental that yesterday was one of my most productive and creative days in a long time - housework and chores done, and not one but two song fragments appeared. As if that weren't enough, the two ideas are about as different as they can possibly be, to the point that they might not even belong on the same CD. One is sort of an experimental vocal piece, coming from some other listening over the weekend; the other, a strangely odd-metered tribal instrumental, which is evolving some Tool overtones, possibly resulting in this morning's earworm.
Continuing on yesterday's discussion of unusual listening - I quite by chance caught a piece on NPR Sunday morning discussing a new album by Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble, featuring a capella arrangements of early Armenian folk songs and church hymns with sax improvisations over the top. I can't help it, I just find this sort of thing so unspeakably cool. It almost immediately brought to mind the Bulgarian Women's Choir and pop chanteuse Imogen Heap, with their dense harmonies and Eastern European influence. Naturally, I thought this would be something cool to explore, and soon remembered that I have a stack of lyrics buried somewhere in the Bunker awaiting music - not mine, of course, but from an old collaborator / writing partner. One of these immediately suggested itself for such an application. While I do have the tech to pull it off, it is so far outside both my experience and comfort zone that the challenge is too great to pass up.
The downside is purely of a practical nature -work on both of these is revealing shortcomings in the current studio set-up, admittedly still under construction; which means I'm looking at at least a half-day of physically rearranging and rewiring stuff. The continuous upgrade - a necessary evil. It needs doing, but can potentially disrupt the creative momentum, even though it involves a measure of creativity all its own. Oh, the challenges I face - lol.
And somewhere in there I have to make dinner, too. Sure hope we aren't rehearsing tonight - there are a couple of songs I need to learn for the band, and that would prove a significant disruption :)
Be very careful about the beginning.
Then, be very careful about the end.
Then, be very careful about the middle.
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Next Chapter
Morning earworm: Honey Sweating, Polytown. I couldn't even begin to describe this - fallout from some odd listening over the weekend. Found some cool new stuff, which led associatively to some cool old stuff, bringing all manner of inspiration - one can ask for little more.
Music, I think, is no different than any other specialized craft or trade. There are some things that everyone can do, and times when you need to call in an expert - lol. Part of my job as an "expert" is researching and learning deeper and further afield than the average lay person, finding and exploring the exotic, unusual, and sometimes just plain weird which goes unnoticed by the mainstream. Some of this is exactly that - research. You hear something cool, and ask Who is that? What else have they done? The aforementioned Polytown was that sort of find. A mid-nineties project done by David Torn with Mick Karn and Terry Bozzio. I've long been a fan of Torn, and was familiar with Bozzio's work with Jeff Beck and Frank Zappa; Karn was an unknown to me, so a little digging was done. Turns out he was the bassist with Japan, a moderately successful art-pop act from the eighties. Naturally, I had to check them out - it is some pretty cool and cutting-edge stuff, especially for eighties pop. The band also featured vocalist David Sylvian, who has gone on to a respectable solo career, and keyboardist Richard Barbieri, another favorite of mine from his subsequent work with Porcupine Tree. After awhile it almost becomes a six-degrees type game, because it seems like everybody has played with everybody else somewhere along the way.
To completely change the subject, this is a little odd. After 2½ years at the other venue, this is going to take a bit of getting used to - but I'll manage :D There are a couple of major advantages to being here which immediately present themselves - I don't need to be quite as discreet, and I can now post links. Who know, you might even be able to hear some of these earworms for yourself before long, and find out just what I've been babbling about all this time.
Listening is a craft.
Hearing is an art.
Music, I think, is no different than any other specialized craft or trade. There are some things that everyone can do, and times when you need to call in an expert - lol. Part of my job as an "expert" is researching and learning deeper and further afield than the average lay person, finding and exploring the exotic, unusual, and sometimes just plain weird which goes unnoticed by the mainstream. Some of this is exactly that - research. You hear something cool, and ask Who is that? What else have they done? The aforementioned Polytown was that sort of find. A mid-nineties project done by David Torn with Mick Karn and Terry Bozzio. I've long been a fan of Torn, and was familiar with Bozzio's work with Jeff Beck and Frank Zappa; Karn was an unknown to me, so a little digging was done. Turns out he was the bassist with Japan, a moderately successful art-pop act from the eighties. Naturally, I had to check them out - it is some pretty cool and cutting-edge stuff, especially for eighties pop. The band also featured vocalist David Sylvian, who has gone on to a respectable solo career, and keyboardist Richard Barbieri, another favorite of mine from his subsequent work with Porcupine Tree. After awhile it almost becomes a six-degrees type game, because it seems like everybody has played with everybody else somewhere along the way.
To completely change the subject, this is a little odd. After 2½ years at the other venue, this is going to take a bit of getting used to - but I'll manage :D There are a couple of major advantages to being here which immediately present themselves - I don't need to be quite as discreet, and I can now post links. Who know, you might even be able to hear some of these earworms for yourself before long, and find out just what I've been babbling about all this time.
Listening is a craft.
Hearing is an art.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Place Holder
Yes, this is it :D
Just blowing the dust off and tidying up a bit, after letting this sit idle for six months. Semi-regular posting to commence next week ... probably.
Just blowing the dust off and tidying up a bit, after letting this sit idle for six months. Semi-regular posting to commence next week ... probably.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Recapping
It has been a rather busy and tense couple of weeks here. Those who follow my other blogs are by now familiar with - and probably sick of hearing about - the ongoing fiasco of the studio project. This has had me wound a little tight, to say the least; additional factors have only added unnecessary stress to the mix - a tight cash week, car repairs, property taxes, and surprise dental work, to name a few. Tension began rising to a fever pitch, and finally broke this week. During the intervening time, the band neither played nor practiced at all, and had not even decided which songs to do for the studio project. A desperate last-minute rehearsal was scheduled for Tuesday night, then canceled on Monday. No reason given. For once, I didn't mind, as I was at the dentist first thing Tuesday morning, having two teeth pulled. This alone went a long way to improving my outlook on life, even without the meds.
Last night, the moment of truth. We finally entered the studio, and things went surprisingly well. A considerable amount of what I had gotten myself worked into a tizzy over did not materialize, though largely because my biggest concern was finally addressed and recognized to be right - we went in without the click track, and had everything tracked in two or three takes. Smooth sailing for there. My few overdubbed solos were all first and second takes, and we even made it to the vocals on two of the five songs. Despite my initial misgivings, this should turn out pretty good. Yes, I am publicly admitting I was wrong in many of my assumptions, realizing that they were exactly that - I assumed, I projected, I jumped to conclusions. I'm an idiot. Even though I was partly right ;-)
And so, the weight of the world has been lifted for the moment. Next to be addressed - work on the car, and a gig Friday. Business as usual, in short.
Last night, the moment of truth. We finally entered the studio, and things went surprisingly well. A considerable amount of what I had gotten myself worked into a tizzy over did not materialize, though largely because my biggest concern was finally addressed and recognized to be right - we went in without the click track, and had everything tracked in two or three takes. Smooth sailing for there. My few overdubbed solos were all first and second takes, and we even made it to the vocals on two of the five songs. Despite my initial misgivings, this should turn out pretty good. Yes, I am publicly admitting I was wrong in many of my assumptions, realizing that they were exactly that - I assumed, I projected, I jumped to conclusions. I'm an idiot. Even though I was partly right ;-)
And so, the weight of the world has been lifted for the moment. Next to be addressed - work on the car, and a gig Friday. Business as usual, in short.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wound a Little Tight
Moodiness, angst and frustration are the order of the day. The band is preparing to go into the studio and record a demo. Next week. Last night was the first of two rehearsals for this project. And I'm here to tell you they are going about it all wrong. This is going to be such a freaking trainwreck that I don't even know where to begin describing it.
It is the classic scenario of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. Our other guitarist, who is an expert on every aspect of the music business, is pushing this through with his usual end-gaining haste. He's been in the studio twice before, and knows how things are done there. I, on the other hand, know nothing, in spite of the stack of CD's sitting here with my name on them as producer and / or engineer from the ten-plus years I spent as owner / operator of a studio. But, you can't tell him anything, so I just shake my head and try to get on with it.
This whole thing is a recipe for disaster. He is planning for failure, and doing everything possible to assure that outcome. Change everything at the last minute, practice it once or twice, then go in and rush through the first parts and go back to fix them later. I have only briefly met the engineer, and he seems like a good guy, and is by all reports knowledgeable, but I find myself a little leery of his insistence that we use a click track, especially given his reasoning. We have never played with a click before, and this is no time to start. It didn't go particularly well last night. And there is no faster way to suck the life out of a song than to lock it in to a click track. The whole line of thinking is that if we have one, it will make it easier to go in and fix our mistakes on the computer. It is already assumed we are going to screw up, and so we take steps to guarantee it. Rule number one: we aren't there to make his job easier, he's there to make us sound good.
I could go on for days about this, but it would only bore you and frustrate me more - lol. I'm hoping that I am reading into this, and it doesn't prove to be a case of somebody who is so enamored / addicted to Pro Tools that they forget the nuts and bolts of how to do things. The computer should not be what dictates how the session is run. It is easy sometimes to get so wrapped up in how to do things that we forget why we do them, and that sometimes a different approach is needed.
I really hope I'm just being paranoid, but I kind of doubt it.
It is the classic scenario of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. Our other guitarist, who is an expert on every aspect of the music business, is pushing this through with his usual end-gaining haste. He's been in the studio twice before, and knows how things are done there. I, on the other hand, know nothing, in spite of the stack of CD's sitting here with my name on them as producer and / or engineer from the ten-plus years I spent as owner / operator of a studio. But, you can't tell him anything, so I just shake my head and try to get on with it.
This whole thing is a recipe for disaster. He is planning for failure, and doing everything possible to assure that outcome. Change everything at the last minute, practice it once or twice, then go in and rush through the first parts and go back to fix them later. I have only briefly met the engineer, and he seems like a good guy, and is by all reports knowledgeable, but I find myself a little leery of his insistence that we use a click track, especially given his reasoning. We have never played with a click before, and this is no time to start. It didn't go particularly well last night. And there is no faster way to suck the life out of a song than to lock it in to a click track. The whole line of thinking is that if we have one, it will make it easier to go in and fix our mistakes on the computer. It is already assumed we are going to screw up, and so we take steps to guarantee it. Rule number one: we aren't there to make his job easier, he's there to make us sound good.
I could go on for days about this, but it would only bore you and frustrate me more - lol. I'm hoping that I am reading into this, and it doesn't prove to be a case of somebody who is so enamored / addicted to Pro Tools that they forget the nuts and bolts of how to do things. The computer should not be what dictates how the session is run. It is easy sometimes to get so wrapped up in how to do things that we forget why we do them, and that sometimes a different approach is needed.
I really hope I'm just being paranoid, but I kind of doubt it.
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