The 30 Day Marching Band: Public Spectacle Review

Well, it is all finally over. Last night, between 10:30 and 11:15, Biggles Koskov, Mr Rascal and I regaled a small crowd of about 15 with a select number of our recently crafted songs. The size of the crowd was noticeably smaller due to the André Rieu concert in the city. The 75-100 year old demographic was noticeable scarce at Ric’s for a typical Wednesday night.

Assisting us on drums was the flamboyant front man of Deux Garsons, Mikey. I can’t believe how quickly he managed to learn these songs, much quicker than I did.

Overall, the night felt like a success, with minimal problems. I managed to forget approximately 10-15% of my lyrics, but by channelling the spirit of great ad-libbers, Tim Graham and Alex Dunlop, I fumbled my way through. Also, my bass efforts on Mr. Rascal’s songs were abysmal. Surprisingly, the only thing I was truly happy with was my vocal, who’d have thought.

Highlights;
1. A poorly executed joke that worked hilariously in the practice studio, but backfired horribly on stage (Moist….algorithm)
2. Biggles comical tuning banter whilst Mr. Rascal tuned a bass.
3. A song inspired by Arthur ‘Two Sheds’ Jackson
4. Clapping.
5. An inoffensive attempt by a punter to make us stop talking on stage and start playing again. From memory he said something like, ‘yeah it’s it great, we like what your doing now, keep doing it’, whilst making a rolling action with his hands.
6. People asking for CD’s, in particular a compiled CD with everyone’s stuff on it. When I say people, I really mean person.
7. More clapping.
8. Almost crashing my van into a bus getting to the gig.

Overall, now that the stress of the impending gig is over, I can declare that the process has been great. Until I attempted this, I had never written and performed a song publicly. In fact, I had barely written an entire song at all, preferring to write small parts for a band setting. Also, learning some of the basics about recording was quite fun and I think that with some better gear, more time and a little more ability with certain instruments, I could probably make quite a good solo album. As I said to Biggles last night; the execution and equipment were poor, but the ideas were good.

Yes We Can…

Fin.

Wrap-up

My wrap-up speech is up at http://blogs.myspace.com/sonofsea

I fear it's so long that it would hog this blog.

Good luck tomorrow night gentlemen!

Out.

Behold…the Dirty Lungs

Done, with a day to spare. The mixing and mastering is rubbish but I didn’t have the luxury of bouncing it down and playing it on a million different speakers. I intend to upload some of them onto myspace when I get time.

Overall, this is a very anti-climactic ending. Like the various things I have written, when it’s done you can’t stop thinking about all the things you could have done better with a little more time. Anyway, I hope I can pick it up in a few years and think that it isn’t too bad. I am too close to it now to be objective.

Fin.

I give you ... WORMS!

I'm all wrapped up here, well nearly - just doing a final master of the audio before i upload it.

It's called WORMS, for several reasons, but mainly because of the rather cool bunch of leaves i found silhouetted against the recent stormy skies.

Anyway, i'll just get this completely finished then i'll write some more rubbish.

M.

Day 24 Roundup

The sky is purple for some reason. It's a funny old sunset anyway.

So here's the Son of Sea roundup at Day 24, 6:30pm. These songs (not in order yet) are either finished (pending a final mix), or just missing a guitar solo or something small:

1. Cow's Breath
2. Weird Earthling
3. When It All Comes To Nothing
4. A Thousand Years a Day
5. In The Midst Of An Opinion
6. Squeezed Beyond
7. Life Is Too Short
8. Always Vacating

All coming out to about 23:51. More work to do yet!

Recording breakthrough #2

As I posted an early recording breakthrough, and over enthusiastically called it #1, I though I should post at least one more.

Poorly sung, deep vocals + fuck-loads of reverb = passable vocals

Moist Algorithm

Well, I am almost home. I have 6 more or less completed songs that take me up to 30ish minutes with one more half completed, comfortably getting me over the line. The last two songs have been unnecessarily hard to write for some reason, and when I say the last two, I actually mean four or five as many ideas/half written songs were aborted on the way. I think that I simply ran out of ideas and so had to write songs from a new angle. For example, two of the last three songs I have written were based on a bass line, and built up from there. I have never done that before, but it’s fun. Also, I have been using the in-built drum machine in my recording station quite a bit. It is also a lot of fun, but some more varied beats and drum sounds would be nice.

I am particularly fond of the last song I am piecing together. At present it is bass, drums and some unsung lyrics, but, it is about a seafaring lifestyle which I like. I normally hate my lyrics, but, I love the following verse;

My scurvy’d liver.
My aching teeth.
My kingdom for,
a pound of beef…

Well, hopefully my next blog will be the wrap-up. Although, I may not get to work on it much this week, so it may have to wait until the final weekend. Also, I still have to work out how to master properly on my recording unit.

Fin…

Day 21, or there abouts

I have a rare two days in the my little studio during which to work on this, so maybe all is not lost. Yesterday, while simultaneously trying to fix a blown amp, i got one completely new song written and recorded and three others well on their way to completion. I'm pretty happy with where this is heading, sonically anyway. All the songs are pretty different and ranging from folk to looped beats and sampled piano.

For some reason i seem to come up with a lot of tunes and lyrics while taking a shower - i think it's just because my brain knows i can't write it down and will probably forget it. I'm going to have to get one of those waterproof whiteboards that divers use. Anyway, this was the birth of yesterday's new song - it began with a melody, so i ended the shower very quickly, fired up garage band and sung the melody into it. Finished getting ready for the day and then came back to flesh out the idea a little. Well, by the time i'd put down a beat, played a few ideas on the piano, wrote lyrics and sung them, that original melody had been forgotten about - it just didn't seem to matter anymore. So there you have it - a song based on a melody that doesn't even exist in the finished track.

So it's now the start of my second day with minimal distractions, and i'm not going in with too many objectives, apart from a few Garage Band'ed demos that i'd like to get to work on. But in short, if no flashes of inspiration occur today i have enough to go on. Happy for flashes of inspiration to occur though...

This blog is also at: http://www.myspace.com/sonofsea

Back to work...

Well, I am back at work after taking two weeks off to look after my new born child and wife (my wife is not newly born). This has been a good and bad thing. The extra time has allowed me to get on top of my musical obligations (5 songs, 25ish minutes), but this double edged sword has also allowed me to listen too much to my sub-par vocals. This led to me rerecording them all during the miniature heatwave that occurred in my home recording studio yesterday. The result is still not pleasing. It turns out I cannot sing a low E, in my octave of choice. This is somewhat annoying as I tend to use E quite a bit. Now I am trying to find a high E, which sounds like me aimlessly hurling my voice up into an unseen void, and hopelessly missing.

On the upside, I have recorded a song with no vocals (that right, instrumental… how trendy is that). It consists of a drum machine beat and a three chord riff, with delay, fuzz guitar, and fuzz organ, generating a horrendous cacophony. I love it.

The intention is to write 2 more songs (or more depending on how I go) and comfortably make the 30 minute mark.

Also, I have dropped the cover idea. Many attempts at various covers (e.g., Elbow, Wilco), yielded nothing of value, and may be considered offensive to some listeners.

Fin.

A night at the Museum

So I may have been a little quiet on the blog front but this album is in motion after my first night of recording last night.

A quick re-cap of my progress to date. I started the month with a shave (for Movember). I've chosen to try to grow a moustache at the same time as doing this album so that the two might be a bit of a yardstick for eachother. So far the mo is slightly ahead....

The first couple of days in November my head was thankfully mental with little ideas / riffs / melodies which I hastily recorded to my phone. Then with the acquistion of my new laptop I was able to carve out some very rough demos of a bout 7 of the 10 tracks that will be the album. Since then I've been listening to those demos back and forth on the bus, while I'm working etc..to develop the songs. My idea for the album is to release it on cassette (I've found a guy in South Australia who duplicates in real time which is like the best quality for a cassette) so the album will have a distinct side a and side b. Its sort of vergeing on conceptualwith a theme and reprisal at the start and end and a lot of the songs sort of flowing into one another...anyway that's the idea.

Last night I rolled up at the Old Museum at 8:30 and set up in the concert hall to record. In the other room was a big orchestra rehearsal so I recorded a bit of that on my laptop for a potential track segway...

By the time I was set up and the orchestra had finished making noise I didn't start recording til about 9:30. I managed to get most of the bits done for two songs; the first one is like a bit of a waltz introduction and the second one is a bit darker and faster in 3/4 with a brain explosion grimecore outtro. I also had a play with some of the orchestra toys- a timpani, a big ass bass drum thing (see the photo) and those big cymbals that you clap together like one of those robotic monkies. That was the most fun.

So I'll be back again tonight, then Saturday and then hopefully wrap up recording early next week. I've got to send something off to the cassette guys by the 24/11....so that's my deadline to mix and master it... Then I'm going to sip martinis for the rest of November.

XO Mr R

A note from the studio

I'm actually working on this!

This morning i came in to lay down a couple of tracks i had demo'ed in Garage Band last week, but after hooking up a keyboard and getting carried away, came up with a couple of other little songs. The first of these i'm hoping to keep under the 1 minute mark. Fitting, as it only really has one chord in it.

Another new one for today is a-capella.

However, that is all for today as i must rush off.

Until next time, whenever that may be.

SoS

Aha... progress

Well, to date I have managed 3 full songs that will require only minor tweaking (i.e., rerecording vocals where I am flat/sharp/shit, etc…). Also, I have overconfidently decided on a cover, which I am foolishly announcing before I actually try and record it. I intend to do ‘Grace Under Pressure’ by Elbow. I think I can manage the voice, but what I can’t manage is the awesome drum beat. In fact, I am not even sure I am going to get drums onto this album yet, so it may sound shit. I guess the people can be the judge.

For this album I have been required to develop a new skill, singing. As I have never really attempted to sing properly before (except during my brief dabble into acting where I was a pirate in ‘The Pirates of Penzance’) I have inadvertently ripped off my musical comrade, Biggles Koskov Koskov. When I say ripped off, what I really mean is poorly imitated… Anyway, I hope he doesn’t take offence, but sees it as an homage to his awesome talent.

Anyway, I have roughly mixed down one song, built a myspace page and whacked it on there for people’s aural pleasure. See; http://www.myspace.com/thedirtylungssolo

The song is called ‘Can’t be ‘scapin’ you’. It is lyrically shallow and based on a Louis L’Amour novel. For those who are not familiar with Mr, L’Amour, he writes the Mills and Boon equivalent of western novels. I hope you get my drift, and that louis L’Amour fans don’t take offence.

Note: I am aware of the poor vocals… they will be addressed in due course.

Fin…

No more marching for me...

I've sadly had to bow out of the launch proceedings for the 30 Day Marching Band (a conglomerate of album-in-a-month questers) due to a scheduling conflict. I hope the night goes ahead on December 3 at Rics otherwise as planned. Should be very interesting indeed.

I'm still plodding through the album though. Just haven't done anything on it for a few days. It always seems to take something like this to realise just how insanely over-busy one's life is. Since the month started i've literally found about 5 hours in which to work on this.

So, for me... it looks like the wee show at the Paladar will be my "launch". Get in quick though, the venue has a capacity of about 12. I do things like this in order to play to a capacity crowd. It's fun.

Ok, enough bollocksing from me.

Have a lovely evening!

SoS

Recording breakthroughs, #1

Fuzz lead guitar + pipe organ Casio keys = awesome...

Song Numero Uno…

This blog is a bit ambitious as I haven’t actually finished the song yet. However, similar to Mr. Son of Sea, it is firmly in my head and I can’t shake it. I recorded a number of tracks for this song (guitar, vocals, bass and then keys in this order) and quickly realised that I am unable to keep time without someone who holds it all together for me… i.e, a drummer. Effectively, the bass has the demented timing of a stoned person attempting to play guitar hero, whilst being pleasured, or pleasuring him/herself.

I guess this is why I am predominantly a lead guitarist, I can’t keep time. Anyway, after discarding the first attempt, I worked out how to set up a metronome on my recording station, and started again. Unfortunately, I only managed to lay down guitar before my new born child decided to do a shit and broke my rhythm, well what little I have. So, to date I have one track recorded, approximately 4.5 minutes long.

I also have lyrics written down. When I wrote them I thought they were cool, now I am not so sure. However, time does not permit me to rewrite them a million times. So they are staying the same.

Fin.

Son of Sea: Update #1

The quest to write and record a solo album in a month has begun, and so far i have been rather slack. Thus far, i have scribbled lyrics to 4 or 5 songs inside a 2009 diary with no real idea of what the music bit will sound like when i finally get to record something (probably on wednesday).

One positive thing so far is that i have one fairly fully formed song floating around in my head - lyrics and all, and i can't shift it. So that's a good thing. Hopefully i can get it sounding the way i hear it. It's called Squeezed Beyond, and is of my usual subject matter of being rather perplexed with the world.

The writing of lyrics is always my favourite bit of songwriting, and so far this is no exception. It has all been flowing quite nicely. Good when it happens like that. No fun having to force it.

Right, well that about sums it up for today. I'll report back when i have something tangible.

T = -4 days

I guess I will kick this off.

In fours days I will be launching into an endeavour never before attempted by myself. The challenge? To record a solo album, at least 29:09 minutes long, with no more than one cover. This is apparently based on the Ramones first album, which is this length and has one cover. Why the Ramones, I don't know. It's tempting to cover a Ramones song but they are all very short and I want to get a little more distance out of my cover. Maybe Echoes by Pink Floyd. Or, Ordinary People by Neil Young.

To achieve this task I have calculated that I need to record approximately 0.9667167 minutes per day. However, considering that this is a solo album, and I am not fond of acoustic only ballads unless performed at a standard I simply cannot achieve, I will be recording at least four and possibly up to six instruments for each song. As such, I will have to record, on average, between 3.866867 and 5.8003 minutes per day for the 30 days. This may seem easy, however I am a notoriously self deprecating musician and typically throw out a lot of the riffs, lyrics and song structure ideas I ever generate. Some people call this perfectionism, but if you have heard any of the songs I have contributed a major part to, you would disagree.

I estimate that (from experience in other bands) I may contribute one or two songs (that make the heady heights of being recorded or played live) out of twenty that I actually write. Therefore, taking the conservative estimate of 2/20 (or one in ten for the mathematicians out there) I estimate that I need to generate between 38.66867 and 58.003 minutes of music per day for thirty days to even approach the final target. As such, blogs might be a little intermittent as I am spending all of my spare time torturously writing, discarding, recording, rerecording and searching for my vocal style, which may end up sounding like a poor man's Eric Burdon.

Anyway, I haven't actually got anything to report yet, as we are not yet meant to start until the 1st of November. However, I will say that joining me on this 'Quest' will be three other musicians (Biggles Koskov Koskov, Son of Sea and Mr. Rascal), who will all be doing the same thing at the same time. When this all ends, we will collectively perform a choice selection at Ric's Bar in the Valley. It should be awful.

Fin.