Sounds of Progress

A Taste of Things to Come

2011-11-01T20:02:00.002-04:00

Here's the mastered title track to Dotted Lines and Whispers. It has certainly come a long way.

Dotted Lines and Whispers by Maybe Bomb

MUTEMATH's Remix Contest

2011-07-25T17:20:00.004-04:00

In a brilliant move of marketing, promotion, and community-building, MUTEMATH released audio stems for their newest single so that fans could remix and reinterpret the song. As one of my favorite bands, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

I chose to change the feel of the original when I started, but my intention was never to make it as dark as it turned out. Giving the vocals more room to breathe and focusing on atmosphere rather than layers and layers of parts, the lyrics went from sounding like "empower-the-individual-in-you" to "I'm ostracized and lonesome." The end of the second verse, in particular, I find to be absolutely heartbreaking.

I encourage you to also check out the other remixes that fans have submitted. I've been extremely impressed with how different and terrific many of them are.

Odd Soul (Maybe Bomb's "Daddy Don't Belong" Remix) by Maybe Bomb

Dear Photograph

2011-06-29T01:04:00.001-04:00

This blog is fairly brilliant.

Mixing: Day Two

2011-06-28T13:48:00.007-04:00

"Blink" is finished, and everyone over at Architekt is really happy with it. I'm looking forward to getting the music out there.

Much like yesterday, since I'm not sharing the tracks we're mixing at the moment, I thought it would only be fair to give back something for you taking the time to follow along.

This one was made mostly using the Novation X-Station, which is very different from my usual use of virtual instruments exclusively. For this short one, I was also experimenting with using Stutter Edit while also writing music on my laptop (which I rarely do).

L-004 by Maybe Bomb

Updates

2011-06-27T15:52:00.004-04:00

Vocal recording is completed and mixing is in progress at the moment. The album is going to sound amazing.

Though the focus has definitely been on completing tracks, rather than starting new ones, I haven't been writing much lately. However, I have come up with a few ideas that have been, at the very least, fun. It is with this is mind, in combination with the urging of James Suit to give SoundCloud another shot, that I'm happy to post my newest work in progress.

Apple Juice Monkey 06-27-11 by Maybe Bomb

Recording

2011-03-26T13:21:00.002-04:00

Recording has been going terrific. In three days of recording, we've setting up all the songs, tracked vocals for six, and finished tracking drums. Everything sounds amazing so far.

Now that I'm in the studio, I have a bit of renewed energy for writing, but I don't want to write more Maybe Bomb material at the moment, as I only want to focus on the album tracks. Thus, I'm having fun writing some more instrumental texture pieces.

Here's an exercise in improvisation and layering sounds. I was working on asymmetrical modulation on this one.

Studio Time Booked!

2011-03-10T22:41:00.003-05:00

It is finally happening. Studio time has been booked, and I will start the recording process for the first full-length Maybe Bomb album later this month at Architekt in Butler, NJ.

There is not much more to say, other than the fact that I am incredibly excited and nervous. This has been a long time coming, and it's right around the corner.

I'm going to do my best to document the experience. I look forward to sharing it with you.

Kenna. Help him out, please.

2011-03-06T23:05:00.005-05:00

I've never made a secret of the influence Kenna has had on me as an electronic musician (one of my favorite synths to use is modeled after sounds from his albums and named "Kenna Lead"). His music is so important to me that I've thought for a long time about, when my album is finished, giving it away for free and asking people who would have bought it to instead purchase New Sacred Cow or Make Sure They See My Face, as they are and will be far more deserving.

I only bring this up now because Kenna is now going through something that I cannot even fathom: a hardware error has caused him to lose most of his yet-to-be-released music.

You have to remember that his music is largely created by him and him alone. This is not a situation where a band can simply go back into the studio and rerecord the song live; these tracks need to be recreated layer by layer. I have no doubt that in many cases, synthesizer sounds must be made again, an incredibly frustrating task due to the infinite number of variations, particularly when you have something perfect in your mind that you are just shy of obtaining. As an electronic musician, so much of what makes the tracks come to life are the sounds that you make by accident, by tweaking plug-ins and adding effects until the sound you have no longer even vaguely resembles the way it started. Simply put, some things are next to impossible to make again.

To put it frankly, this sucks. For Kenna and for the fans that were waiting for new music from one of the most talented modern artists. But mostly for Kenna.

I am encouraging you all to preorder the EP (or even a bigger package) now to help him offset some of the rerecording cost. The music will absolutely be worth it. On top of that, if you show up to my CD release show (whenever that may be) wearing your Kenna shirt that you got from your preorder, I'll make sure I have something special for you.

"Nothing is greater or less than us."

All in the Family

2011-02-15T17:58:00.003-05:00

Younger and handsomer brother Jim and I have been doing some collaborating lately. He was kind enough to post some of the starts and results over at his blog.

Do yourself a favor and start keeping up with his page.

The Social Network Music

2011-01-14T17:46:00.007-05:00

I finally saw The Social Network last night. While Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor's soundtrack was great to listen to before hand, I have an entirely new appreciation for it now that I can put it in context (in itself, a decent argument for waiting to see the film before I listen to soundtracks).

When I got home, I was inspired to try to write something along the lines of the haunting theme from the film, "Hand Covers Bruise."

I limited my melodic instruments to those predominant in the song, piano and droning sounds.

While my inspiration lacked percussion, many of the other songs on the soundtrack feature lo-fi drum machines, so I thought I'd give adding them a shot.

The percussion was written very spontaneously, working in some polyrhythms, with intention of staying very "8-bit" and non-intrusive. I think it probably ended up taking the spotlight more than I intended, but I'm happy with the result. I feel like it makes for an interesting listen while also separating it from the song it was trying to become.

Here's what I came up with. It's a start.

Put on head phones.
Listen for the way that the piano delay freezes and loops in the background as the percussion comes in. I let the loop hang on for a second after everything else drops out so that you know what to listen for when you go back.

Music for Licensing

2010-11-13T11:42:00.003-05:00

Not too long ago, Kurt approached me about creating some music with him for the purpose of licensing: creating pieces without intention for a particular sound, album, or direction, but rather making soundscapes for soundtrack music or use in commercials and the like. It's been a very interesting experiment so far and I'm looking forward to see where else it will go.

It is pushing me to add much more texture and depth to my music, especially in regards to automating effects throughout the track. This means adjusting settings, or parameters, while the song is being played. For example, instead of choosing a distortion for a track and just leaving it on, I may adjust the individual settings within that effect (volume, gain, or tone) continually and record the changes (via MIDI signal). When the track plays back, the tweaks to each setting are also replayed, so it's like there's an octopus at the control board, turning a whole bunch of knobs at once. The best part is that all these changes are non-destructive to the track, meaning that I can simply erase the automation data and leave the actual recording untouched, effectively destroying the proverbial octopus. More practice with this will certainly alter the way future Maybe Bomb tracks sound.

The song recently posted on Facebook was more goal oriented, looking to change feel at specific length markers and maintain a more upbeat feel. However, most of the other pieces sound more organic, darker, and dreamlike, pulling inspiration from Atticus Ross's recent work on The Book of Eli Soundtrack and Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts.

Dotted Lines and Realish Drums

2010-08-30T20:42:00.003-04:00

I mentioned on the Facebook page about how Kurt got me rethinking the drums in "Dotted Lines and Whispers," mainly on whether or not there should be acoustic drums on the track. He nailed them at a rehearsal and here's my best job of trying to digitally create what he played. Doesn't quite do it justice, but you get the idea.

Check it out.

San Diego

2010-07-26T18:54:00.003-04:00

Old Pictures

2010-07-12T00:49:00.006-04:00

When I updated my OS to Snow Leopard this weekend, my iPhoto suddenly started functioning again, revealing many pictures that I had totally forgot existed. Here are some favorites.

A New Event Horizon

2010-07-08T15:12:00.003-04:00

Here is the newest version of "Event Horizon."

I had quite a few issues with the previous version that always bugged me, and many of these new changes come from your ideas, suggestions, and recommendations. Thank you.

Here's a rundown of the big changes:

While I like the moody introduction of the previous version, it takes a whole minute before the vocals kick in, which is more than enough time to lose many listeners. The new version cuts right to the chase, as it did when I originally wrote the song. But I really wouldn't count it out altogether; it's something that could easily reappear on an album (as a tag on the preceding track) or as a live performance transition.

The repetition in the previous version also bugged me. There were three verse before much changed, and then it felt like the chorus cycled too many times. The new version goes into an altered bridge after the second verse at about 1:50, giving more variety sooner but still keeping the parts that I liked by spreading them out.

At 2:39, the bridge is extended for a keyboard solo. This solo was actually in the song for many different versions before I ended up taking it out. Usually when I'm adding solos, they are over the loudest part of the song, so I tried going the other way on this one. By dropping out most of the instrumentation around it (leaving some pads and drums) in this new version, I thought the solo finally fit. The dip in dynamics for the solo also adds to the final choruses.

Most of all, I'm happy with the end. The way that the vocals explode, I feel like the focus of the song is a lot clearer to the listener, making the song title make more sense. At 3:52, the missing third verse comes back to close the song (replacing a recycled first verse in the previous version). I knew that changing the vocal part was the right move as soon as I heard it in my head, though getting the right sound was difficult. I ended up layering around five voices with various effects and distortions to get a grungy sound that wasn't too dirty.

When I get into a song, it gets difficult to walk away from the workstation, and most of this was actually finished last night at about two. After listening to it again, the only additional idea I had was the add a reverse sound at about the one minute mark. I also bypassed the drum reverb for one beat to emphasize the stop. Since I dropped out the word "again" from the chorus, this filled in the space nicely while also sounding damn cool.

And that's pretty much it, folks.

Next, I'm working on a version of "Dotted Lines and Whispers" with live drums; while rehersing last time, the way Kurt played the track made me totally rethink whether or not I wanted to keep the digital drum sound in the recorded track. At the very least, the live drums are going to make it a great performance song.

Headlight >Take a Picture

2010-07-07T16:59:00.003-04:00

I've had "Take a Picture" close to complete since late last year . Today I finally finished up the demo lyrics and made some small adjustments.

The opening is the only variable at this point; the original is much longer, but faster and more dynamic, while this newer one is slower and quieter, making the first verse appear a bit larger than it actually is.

Since I added a few more instruments for the final chorus, the vocals get a bit buried, but you get the idea.

Also, the original "Headlight" simply stopped, while this new version has an actual end.

Take a listen to the original here to compare. Let me know which opening you prefer.

Practice Videos

2010-05-15T18:04:00.004-04:00

I posted some videos I recorded while practicing vocals/keyboards at Maybe Bomb's Facebook page.

May the Fourth Be With You

2010-05-04T20:42:00.005-04:00

It's been a few weeks since I have had a day to sit down and work on some music. This version of "Event Horizon" stemmed from a change of the bass line in the bridge, which is where you will probably notice most of the differences. In general, the mix has been altered and some slight instrumentation changed. Whether this makes the song any better is yet to be heard, because my ears are a bit burnt out at the moment and I need to walk away. I thought it would be as good a time as any to post and get some feedback. Overachievers can compare the new version to the previous version posted on the Facebook page.

Also, I thought I'd give you a look at the extra gear I have jammed into my workspace. Please note the Game Boy sized, hand-held sequencer just below the monitor and the camouflaged keytar on the bottom tier of the stand on the right, trying so hard to fit in.

That's what the inside of my head looks like.

MainStage

2010-04-14T09:41:00.005-04:00

I've been using a lot of my Spring Break to finally create the necessary performance files for Maybe Bomb. I'm going to try to put this as simply as possible:

I create all my songs using the built-in synthesizers of Logic, a music-making computer program. This makes manipulation and control during the writing process ideal. However, because I build the sounds in the computer, I can't just store them to a keyboard to use them live. So, in order to actually play the sounds, and not just have the recordings play them back, I need a computer to access those exact sounds.

Initially, I thought I was going to need to run Logic live and try to use the program to both play the recorded backing tracks (because there is no way I'm going to be able to have enough people to perform all of the tracks) and play the rest live (an enormous risk, considering how taxing the program is on my computer as it is). MainStage, however, has really opened the possibilities for performance.

At the moment, I'm figuring out what sounds should be played live, by whom, and if a single keyboard should play multiple parts. In the picture above, you can see how the middle keyboard has four sounds that can be played simultaneously. The left side controls two sounds in unison while the right side controls two completely different sounds in unison. Something as simple as this is huge, and it just scratches the surface of what the program offers.

An additional bonus of using the two programs simultaneously is that it (theoretically) promises a perfect performance mix. If I set the levels of the individual tracks to be where there are on the finished songs, they should sit exactly where they belong in the final mix live. That's the plan anyway.

This video about the way that Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails utilizes the program really opened my eyes to the possibilities that MainStage offers.

Editor and Chief and Beyond 03-30-10

2010-03-30T00:13:00.003-04:00

I got some positive feedback on this one, so I spent some more time with it.

It feels like an instrumental at the moment, which has brought back to light the idea of doing a double album, one of the vocal tracks and one of instrumentals. I also started thinking about the way that I could have the two parallel each other, or maybe one could be the precursor to the other. I've also started to consider working more instrumentals into the final album, the way that many of my favorite artists do.

Editor and Chief and Beyond

2010-03-28T19:34:00.004-04:00

The main piano part came out of this while trying some alternate solos for "Five Minutes." After I recorded it on its own and as piano, it gave me a Mutemath vibe. It's probably because of all the triplets.

(Unrelated, Mutemath is touring with 30 Seconds to Mars. You should really get on that.)

Nothing much here, just two slightly different sections with some accompanying instrumentation dropping in.

Untitled 03-24-10

2010-03-24T18:45:00.000-04:00

This blog has moved

2010-03-23T22:10:00.001-04:00

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My Dogs Are Hungry 03-20-10

2010-03-20T11:15:00.004-04:00

Here's a complete instrumental first draft of "My Dogs Are Hungry."

I'm interested to hear how all the party-style percussion works in the song once I try to put some vocals on top of this one.

My Dogs Are Hungry

2010-03-14T18:11:00.004-04:00

For those of you who really thought that Maybe Bomb needed some more Latin percussion, here is a new one in progress.

Also, if you haven't been the Facebook page in a while, there are some sweet nuggets, including my West Gate remix and an updated version of "Five Minutes" (formally "Step Brothers"). Similarly, my brother just started a blog that shows infinite promise.

Infinite

2010-01-19T15:53:00.004-05:00

I had every intention to come home and work on this instrumental demo more before I published it today, but, on the ride back home, I decided that doing so would take away from the original idea of the website, which I have been doing all too much of lately; I thought it would be better to let you listen to a version that I don't think is ready, so that you can hear it evolve.

What I think this song has working for it are the synth pads that go throughout the song. By combining a few, I came to a very full sound that fills the track without being overwhelming. I also really like the various bass/drum rhythms. The high "beepy" synth that pretty much just plays arpeggios is a nice background piece that gives a boost where it is without taking your attention from the overall track. I'm also a sucker for a heavily delayed and slightly distorted piano.

However, I'm unhappy with plenty more.

The dynamics aren't right, and the song seems to peak early without ever getting much quieter. It's too much. When everything is big, nothing is big. Also, the arrangement, specifically in regards to how the chord structures in the various sections work into and against each other, isn't there (And I've never been naturally good when working with or arranging chords... it's always been trial and error while praing for happy mistakes). The song is too long, or feels that way, because there is too much going on, too many parts smashed in there for the sake of having more parts.

I like the way I was able to use one of the sounds from "Event Horizon" to end the track. It may make an interesting transition into it. When it comes time for vocals, I think I'm going to try to create lyrics that would naturally lead into that song in the overall story of the album.

But who cares what I think? Listen for yourself.

Heartache

2010-01-11T21:21:00.006-05:00

Though I haven't really done any work on this track in months, I've been meaning to post it for some time.

It's divided into two sections: an electronic, downbeat part and a traditionally orchestrated overture.

For the first part, I've often found a heart beat at 120 beats per minute to be one of the most compelling rhythms to write around, especially when juxtaposed against heavily synthesized instruments.

The second half started as a simple string section that evolved into an overture for the album-to-be. Since so many of the songs are in the same key, I tried working them all together. I can barely claim to be a musician, let alone a composer, but see how many of melodies you can pick out if you're bored. Gold stars awarded to those who have been listening to enough Maybe Bomb to hear them all. What fun!

Happy New Year - Vocal Headlight Demo

2009-12-31T19:04:00.001-05:00

Here's a New Year treat for you.

Headlight

2009-11-29T20:46:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not, I have been writing, but few things have been going anywhere (though I have been dabbling in some orchestral arrangements of finished tracks that have been more than entertaining). This new one is the first one that felt like Maybe Bomb in a while. It fell into place today when I doubled the bass part in the verse with the dirty synth. Tasty.

As for the title, I fixed my headlight twice recently. Like a man would.

Here's "Headlight."

Some Other Day 10-25-09

2009-10-25T21:03:00.001-04:00

Here's an updated demo of "Some Other Day."

Third Year demo

2009-08-31T23:04:00.002-04:00

Summer is officially over. Some may argue that I squandered the last few days by barely leaving the house, but I find it hard to argue with results.

Check out the new demo of "Third Year" here.

Pictures from Ireland

2009-08-24T11:04:00.003-04:00

(untitled pictures)

2009-08-13T12:40:00.003-04:00

Fingerprints In Sand > Another Day Away

2009-07-31T12:00:00.003-04:00

Lyrically, I ended up writing this song backwards. It was strange, because I knew that I wanted this to be a first track on the album, and so it needed to set up the themes and concepts I've been exploring in the other tracks (waking up to find that everyone in the world has continued to move on while you slept/the dreams you had while comatose), and I've never really had a purpose to any of the lyrics before. This is really closest I've come to intentional storytelling so far.

I rarely go into writing lyrics with such specific intent, usually allowing the words and messages to develop on their own by giving them no particular direction. For the last few days, I have really done little else besides work on them and the vocal part in general. But regardless of how I got there (or what else I have not done with my life in the process), I'm very happy with this one.

"Another Day Away" is now "Fingerprints In Sand." The title comes from an image that I absolutely loved from an otherwise forgettable poem that I wrote years ago. I'm glad I was able to redeem it by getting it in this song.

The latest demo of "Fingerprints In Sand" can be downloaded here. Play it loud.

(untitled pictures)

2009-07-29T15:14:00.001-04:00

Another Day Away 2.0

2009-07-28T16:13:00.003-04:00

I've been busy. I had my first experience scoring some music for an independent film, A Quantum Life, and have finished up some additional Maybe Bomb instrumental demos. I'm actually on a break from writing vocals to update.

Another Day Away has taken a very unexpected turn and is no longer (just) a quiet little piano piece. I really think that this one is going to be album/show opening material so long as the vocal arrangement holds up. As of now, it looks like it's going to lead into "Dotted Lines and Whispers."

Here it is. Hopefully, I'll be uploading a complete demo in the next few days.

Anther Day Away

2009-07-18T21:11:00.002-04:00

This could work as a transition track.

It's definitely different than the other stuff I've been writing.

Update the Lyrical

2009-07-16T16:45:00.002-04:00

Maybe Bomb, in the live sense, is moving right along. Many technical difficulties were worked out at the last rehearsal. We're in the process of trying to iron out a live group. Any synth players out there interested?

Here's one that I've been working on. I'm hoping to get vocals done soon.

Here is Update the Lyrical.

Updated Demos on Facebook

2009-07-15T00:48:00.004-04:00

Not to abandon the blog, but I've found it more practical (and bandwidth friendly) to upload the updated demos to the Facebook page lately, rather than posting them here, so if you haven't checked it out, now would be a good time.

To the casual listeners, there is barely anything different when comparing the new demos to the ones I put up a few months ago. Even to the people that have been helping me out by really living with these tracks and giving constant feedback, there is still virtually nothing noticeable. However, I assure you, the mixes are really night and day if you are a musician or sound engineer; I levled out the bass, pumped up the vocals (whether or not that's a good idea is debatable), and generally tightened up the tracks and timing. There was a brief period (over Spring break?) when I was trying to get as much material out as possible. Now I'm cleaning up after myself after I invited you all into my messy musical home.

I've reposted "Dotted Lines and Whispers," "Sleight of Hand," and "Blink." Look for a fairly different "Event Horizon" in the next few days, along with a brand new track in progress.

In seemingly unrelated news, West Gate just released their first full length album, Daylight. It is in your best interest to investigate. They have a couple tasty tracks up on their brand new site.

Sleight of Hand

2009-07-10T11:07:00.002-04:00

An updated "Sleight of Hand" demo is up on the facebook page.

Check back there often in the next few days; I have a bunch of remixed and rearranged tracks that I'll be posting.

As always, let me know what you think.

In response to Soulpancake

2009-07-02T16:19:00.003-04:00

"How does music serve as a tool in your life - for healing or otherwise?"
(Continue the conversation here.)

Listening to music is modern and socially acceptable meditation.

When stuck in the mundane, whether it is driving to work, walking to class, or going for a jog, it has the ability to take us temporarily out of routine. It's sad to think, but there is much to the modern American life that could be done entirely involuntarily. However, I think that portable music players have really allowed people to take advantage of these situations, whether it is using that time genuinely listening to the notes being played or simply using the songs as a method of phasing out the rest of the world so we can focus a bit more and think.

Art

2009-07-02T00:31:00.003-04:00

"The irony of my work is that liquid is always ephemeral and changing, and I’m attempting to capture a ‘perfect’ frozen moment of something that is always in flux."

-Shinichi Maruyama

I found out about this artist through SoulPancake, the same site where I found the brilliant music of sound designer and composer Diego Stocco.

A film by Lernert Engelberts & Sander Plug

2009-06-24T23:34:00.004-04:00

This is one of the most strangely beautiful things I've ever seen. Make sure you have the sound turned on.

(untitled 6/14/09)

2009-06-14T16:20:00.001-04:00

Some Other Day

2009-06-07T21:36:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest version of "Some Other Day."

I plan on leaving this one fairly simple, more of a piece to vibe with than one to sing along to. I like the fact that there are so few lines in it. I'm pretty positive that I won't be adding anymore lyrics, though I may dabble in extending the arrangement.

My brother had a great idea to use that the lyrics in this song as a motif throughout the album. They certainly fit the lyrical theme I'm going for, and I think it's a brilliant idea, so listen for "We'll find some other day/where home is not so far away/tomorrow's just a thought/until we leave today behind" in future songs.

I may start to work on some less uptempo tracks like this one more often. While I want people grooving at the shows, I want to have diversity amongst the repertoire.

Also, while this one is admittedly a demo, I think I'm going to end up leaving the heavy auto-tune on the final version. Sounding less human and more machine, I feel like the lyrics are given a colder, more matter-of-factness to them.

(untitled 5/31/09)

2009-05-31T21:20:00.000-04:00

Washington

2009-05-29T22:57:00.002-04:00

The year is hedging towards the halfway marker and I still have a lot to do in regards to my New Year's resolution. But with the end of the Washington trip comes the end of the school year, and summer will leave me with lots of time to focus on finishing up more music. Recently I've been listening to a lot of older material (about a year or two left forgotten) and I've noticed that I'm in a much different place musically. In order for to get the album where I want, I'm going to need to come up with a lot more entirely original material. Exciting and daunting. The good news is that the lyrics and vocal melodies have been coming fairly easily lately, though in a strange twist of fate, the music remains elusive; where I used to be able to start up a few decent loops in a day, I'll now bang away at the keys with nothing to show for it.

While I try to come up with something new, here are some pictures that I liked from the trip. The architecture of the buildings amaze me every time. The National Cathedral is unbelievable.

Memorial Day Weekend Camping

2009-05-25T19:37:00.000-04:00

Facebook

2009-05-19T18:10:00.002-04:00

This is me attempting to stay current. I made a Facebook page. Enjoy.

Tongue-Tied

2009-05-10T13:38:00.002-04:00

What was "Pit Stains" is now "Tongue-Tied." Enjoy.

The Sun

2009-05-10T11:19:00.003-04:00

I've had this one sitting around with vocals for quite a few months at this point, but I was never too happy with the vocal take. I recently redid them and am happy enough to put it up. The one part of this song that I'm still not sure about is the extended instrumental bridge. I think it sounds a bit off, or at least a bit too long with no singing, but that could be because I'm simply over analyzing the song. It's nice to have some keys highlighted, and I can only imagine that when this is performed live the drums will really get the focus to a point where no one will be missing the voice, but I'll probably be trying to get something to fit there for a while longer.

Remind me to post about the potential concept for the album.

Here's The Sun.

I'm also going to see if I can post a vocal version of "Pit Stains" before the day is over. I finished recording some choruses and vocals yesterday, but I have a little bit more to go.

Are the chords cutting through yet?

2009-05-08T00:01:00.004-04:00

School has been busy lately. I'm currently searching for a new book to teach to the seventh graders next year, with a few prospects in mind. If you have any ideas, don't hesitate to share. While I haven't been sitting in front of the computer and writing music lately, I have been driving around with "Pit Stains" virtually on loop, working on vocals. I'm shooting to finish up a vocal demo this weekend.

While we wait, here's a picture of a bubbles in front of a door.

Pit Stains

2009-04-29T00:08:00.003-04:00

Here's a new one. I used some of the same sounds (piano blended with electric piano and a velocity sensitive synth) from "Dotted Lines and Whispers" since I thought they really went well together. This one moves. Tonight I really dig some of the offbeat snare hits, but we'll see how I feel about them tomorrow.

Instrumentally, it's pretty dark; we'll see if lyrics will change that or not. Overall, for getting this all done in one day ( a day after standardized testing, none-the-less), I'm very happy with it. Also, it has probably the worst working title for a decent song I've ever had, but it's been quite hot lately and... well, what else can I say?

Here's Pit Stains.

Also, since I've been getting a lot of positive feedback on Dotted Lines and Whispers, here is an updated version. The most drastic change is the way the vocals were mixed. They are no longer drowning in reverb and are much more in your face. I think I also pumped up some of the backing harmonies on the bridge.

Radio

2009-04-25T21:25:00.001-04:00

Roots of Rebellion and Maybe Bomb on WSOU tonight in celebration of Kurt's last radioshow. Tune in.

http://www.wsou.net/radiost...

Some Other Day

2009-04-17T00:10:00.002-04:00

I was watching a Kanye West performance and listening to the soundtrack to The Chocolate War. This is the result.

Right now, I don't feel like this has the potential to necessarily be a whole song, but I think, placed correctly, it could be a very cool segue between tracks on the album.

Blink

2009-04-09T17:41:00.003-04:00

What was "28 Weeks Later" is now Blink.

It sounds like the vocal volume is a bit erratic, but you get the idea.

I added that nice little synth when the drums hit. I really like that.

I have no desire to leave my computer, but I've been a bit of a shut in the last few days and have been ignoring my friends. Tomorrow is rehearsal for Kurt's recital all day. I'm going to see if in between sets I can get some lyrics done so that I can at least record them on Saturday. All things considered, I shouldn't really be complaining that I only got two demos finished today...

Keep your fingers crossed that I remain this motivated through the classes of papers I have to grade by Monday. If this is any indication of how productive I can actually be, methinks it's going to be an interesting summer.

Event Horizon

2009-04-09T14:10:00.004-04:00

Strike while the iron's hot, I've heard. I know it isn't a new song, and if you see me somewhat regularly, the vocal part for this is quite old, but I reworked it much like I reworked "Slight of Hand" yesterday. New vocal recordings, some new parts, and a slightly varied arrangement.

You'll notice (if you haven't already) that I'm starting to work little intros into each song. While these may not stay, the idea is to give me an idea how some of the tracks may flow together. When the album is finished, I really want it to be a seamless listen from the first track to the end.

Now, "Insult Comic Dog" will be known as the far more formal Event Horizon.

According to Wikipedia.org (a website that students should not use as a direct source on any research papers), an event horizon is "a boundary in spacetime, most often an area surrounding a black hole, beyond which events cannot affect an outside observer. Light emitted from beyond the horizon can never reach the observer, and anything that passes through the horizon from the observer's side appears to freeze in place, with its image becoming more redshifted as time proceeds."

In unrelated new, I sent Kurt the multitrack file for "Dotted Lines and Whispers" last night. I'll be sure to post up any new sort of creation that comes out of it.

I think I'm going to take a walk. The weather seems like it's finally catching up with the calendar.

Slight of Hand

2009-04-08T20:45:00.003-04:00

What the heck. I just had some delicious tacos, so why not post another song?

I had vocals done for this one a while ago, but I redid some of them and tweaked the arrangement today.

What was once "Hot Quiznos" is now Slight of Hand.

I wonder if this song will be forever lined to delicious foods.....

Dotted Lines and Whispers

2009-04-08T12:57:00.006-04:00

I'm going to get over myself and start posting songs with vocals. As I may or may not have mentioned, these are demos, and there are going to be vocal issues, particularly with rhythm and pitch. If I feel the inevitable mistakes don't get in the way of giving you a decent impression of where the song COULD go, I'm not going to kill myself trying to get the perfect take.

What was "Hundred Year Nap" is now Dotted Lines and Whispers.

The picture seemed appropriate, seeing as it's my spring break and it's been snowing.

I think I'm going to try to get some vocals on an old one, "Sunday After Frank," that I wrote long before I started the blog. It's one that I've always felt had something worth uncovering in it. We'll see.

Be a VCB with Chromeo

2009-04-02T20:58:00.003-04:00

Most of me is angry that this is not available as an MP3. The dirty parts of me.

24 Degrees

2009-04-01T22:05:00.004-04:00

Rehearsal for "24 Degrees", a percussion piece for Kurt's senior recital.

Twitter

2009-03-29T00:17:00.002-04:00

I don't know why, but we'll give this a shot.

http://twitter.com/johnpenola

Piracy: Pushing Music Forward

2009-03-28T19:40:00.002-04:00

I came across this and it got me thinking about piracy and digital distribution in general.

With so many established artists out there that listeners know they are going to enjoy, why would they necessarily take a risk spending their money on some new or unknown artist who is ultimately a musical gamble?

The digital revolution has certainly pulled the rug out from under the music industry as it existed, but I believe that it is now laying the groundwork for something far more exciting. Artists, I’ve noticed, are accepting this more and more (it’s always been the labels that were resistant), but too few artists are wholeheartedly embracing it, truly making their music available to anyone who wants it for little more than an email address in return.

I simply see the concept of free high quality music as something that as yet to be fully capitalized on.

Here’s what I wrote in response to the posted video:

From the unsigned musicians’ standpoint, I think piracy has done wonderful things. All of a sudden, the giants are on the same level as the garage band. Because of the ability to download music (whether you pay for it or not), the band next door is just as available as the artists in the top 40.

Also, considering that there are so many musicians out there that simply want to get their music out to the world, with only the faintest dreams of ever surviving solely on the money that it will bring in, “piracy” gets it quickly and efficiently out to anyone who wants it.

To be completely honest, I’m genuinely shocked that more artists have yet to simply give their music away digitally (like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails) in order to develop an even greater fan base who will opt to spend money on other merchandise that can’t be downloaded, such as live performances or apparel. In the end, that’s where the artists are making the money anyway. With the statutory rate at $.091, and the record labels taking half of that to begin with for owning the masters, the albums barely bring in any real money for the artists after they’ve paid off their expenses. Then split any of that leftover cash between X number of band members, managers, and booking agents and the artists may as well be giving it away in the first place.

But on top of everything else, this will force the musicians to be even more creative and innovative. In a world where, quite literally, any music is available at the listeners fingertips for free, the artists need to make their music standout more than ever before.

Gary Hawkins said...

In response to John, record labels do not take 1/2 of the statutory rate (unless you let them). Often, publishing is the only real money an artist sees, and that comes from physical sales (mechanicals), print and performance...all of which is lost when it's pirated. Sure, some artists want to give away their music; some don't. Shouldn't that be up to the artist rather than the consumer? But nobody pirates unknown artists anyway; there is no value in that.

Almost every pirate thinks they're Robin Hood. But if record companies were so big and profitable, there would be lots of them rolling in cash. The fact is, the margins are slim and success is unlikely. Piracy serves one useful purpose -- it proves that music is still popular and viable enough to be stolen. If nobody loved music, no one would steal it.

John said in reply to Gary Hawkins...

Great points, Gary. I absolutely agree that it should be up to the artist whether or not they are making money off of their art. Piracy is illegal and for good reason. But while inherently wrong, I think that it can really have some positive effects on music, though not necessarily the music business.

You're right. There is no value in pirating unknown artists, and I think that the unknowns need to recognize that. If someone isn't going to pay for the new U2 album, why in the world would they pay for some new no-name's EP? It should force them to question previously tried and true business models.

Certainly, record companies are not raking in the money, but I can't help but question whether or not that is entirely a bad thing. With technology at a point now (and only moving forward) where records can be written, recorded, produced, and released for relatively low-cost and at high quality, are the record companies still necessary? With the same DIY mentality of the pirates, can tours be arranged and the attention of the press can be grabbed without major label backing? Again, the old ways need to be reexamined.

What I'm trying to suggest is that the value for music is going down, while the demand for it seems only to have risen. We want more, and we want it cheaper. It's the mentality of many to question, “Why should I get in the car and pay $15 bucks for the physical release when I can download it for free?” or “If I'm not going to get a physical copy in the first place, why should I pay $10 for it from iTunes?” While it isn't right, this is a reality that musicians and labels alike need to face and adapt to.

I'm not saying that piracy is not a battle worth fighting, but I am suggesting that the business as a whole try to use it as a positive to spur some more innovation to generate some more lucrative ventures. “We can't sell music the way we used to, so how can we get these artists the money that they deserve while giving their fans what they want?” I recently heard about No Doubt giving away their entire catalog in digital format to those who bought a ticket to a show. It's new ideas like that that I believe will ultimately benefit both parties.

Clap It Up

2009-03-21T19:41:00.001-04:00

This is less than usual, in terms of it's only really one loop with parts coming in a few at a time, but I thought I'd share anyway.

As previously stated, I've got a problem with clap tracks; somewhere in my head, when I start playing live, the audience will have impeccable rhythm and desire to participate in the performance.

It's a lot of pads, a simple piano part, a bass line more commonly found in a Fischerspooner track than a Maybe Bomb song, and what I can only imagine would be a fun drum pattern.

Let me know what you're thinking.

Clap It Up.

Hundred Year Nap

2009-03-10T23:31:00.003-04:00

New song in the works. For starters, all it is is a verse and chorus, as usual. I like the percussion parts in the chorus; I've been having fun layering those up lately.

Hundred Year Nap.

Practice 03-07-09

2009-03-08T20:06:00.002-04:00

Things are coming together.

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

2009-03-05T23:25:00.004-05:00

This combination of two of the best shows on television is so glorious that it makes me want to euthanize a cat while listening to one of Baltar's sermons.

Remember to Write Happy

2009-03-05T00:05:00.005-05:00

I've been tweaking some Maybe Bomb Classic.
Remember to Write Happy.

Oops.

2009-03-03T23:23:00.004-05:00

Where did that come from?

Eros Saturday

2009-02-10T00:27:00.002-05:00

Slightly inspired by the Radiohead performance at last night's Grammy awards.

I got home from work and pretty much did this for the rest of the day up until this moment. And I wonder why I'm exhausted all week...

This one is different. I like it so far. Melodically, it's very simplistic. The rhythms are really in the spotlight.

Eros Saturday.

What Day It Is 02-07-09

2009-02-07T15:22:00.002-05:00

Writing has been tough lately. I guess my mind is in the "let's get vocals done" mode and not "let's keep putting more on my plate" mode. Neither is going very smoothly though. Slowly and not smoothly.

Here's a little more work on "What Day It Is."

I'm off to Kurt's to help him prepare for a performance of epic proportions.

Moving right along.

2009-01-26T16:48:00.001-05:00

I got together with Kurt this weekend. After our equipment was finished exploding or otherwise malfunctioning and we dried our tears, we had a pretty successful rehearsal. Even though it was just the two of us, we ran through all the songs with vocals live (Insult Comic Dog, Blink, Hot Quiznos, Step Brothers, and Ride the Bus). While we were really running a few for the first time, they showed a lot of potential for live tracks; a lot of the vocals I had written but was unsure of previously really came to life with the full sound of live drums and lots of volume. Though a full on performance is still a while off (More songs need to be finished, then arranged for a group to perform them, then practice, then book a show, and then record an album?), I'm really getting excited to get the music out to people. As always, stay tuned.

Maybe Bomb?

2009-01-24T00:46:00.001-05:00

After the first bomb scare in my former high school's history today, I wonder if the band name may keep me from performing there as an alumni with that group name, or at least advertising with it. "Maybe Bomb at KHS" posters will probably be considered in bad taste for a while.

And I really felt like it was a solid name...

What Day It Is

2009-01-18T23:43:00.004-05:00

A bit more of a somber vibe on this guy. I started this one on the 15th and have been working on it on and off.

What Day It Is.

I worked on some lyrics/vocals for Spade Breaker today, and, oddly enough, it looks like the working title may very well have worked its way into the lyrics. At the moment, it looks like the they are a bit reminiscent of Roots of Rebellion's "Messenger" in that the lyrics are a prayer of sorts.

The Maybe Bomb project is coming more and more into focus. Next weekend I plan on dedicating some rehearsal time to working on vocal parts with Kurt. There has been more serious talk about getting studio time to track live drums.

West Gate has just completed some time in the studio and I may be doing some work on a remix for an EP after the album is released.

At the moment, there are five songs that have rough vocals done. I think I'm going to shoot for having no less than fifteen songs ready with vocals to record for the album, whether or not they all make it. I may even put some instrumentals in there.

This weekend I also worked with a new local band to help get them rolling with some ideas for vocals/lyrics. It was a blast. You will certainly be hearing more about these guys. Especially when they get a name for the group. They'll be playing at Struck Fest, a concert to benefit the family of former RoR and current West Gate bassist Rob Strucks's family, at the Kinnelon High School on February 5th.

In show news, the West Gate performance is right around the bend. January 31st at The Starland Ballroom. You 'll be very happy you went.

Maybe it's cold outside and you've got nobody to Bomb

2009-01-13T00:03:00.002-05:00

Again, there was some rehearsal this weekend. I purchased a Presonus Firestudio and set it up with my mobile rig, which should complete it for the time being. The case now holds my MacBook Pro, a Furman power conditioner, the Firestudio, and a MOTU MIDI interface.

Kurt and I were talking about how awesome Maroon 5 was live right before I left. I mentioned how a lot of their stuff has a similar vibe of what I'm going for; it's dance and rock. He suggested I cover "Harder to Breathe."

I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this since I didn't actually write the song, but what the heck. It took less than a day and a half to record, really illustrating how it's not the recording process that takes time, by any means, but the writing process.

After trying to sing along with my original version in the car, I
decided it would be a good idea to drop the tuning two half-steps, so
that when I sing over it, it will be in a decent range. Damn you, Adam
Levine. Needless to say, I have not even bothered trying to put down rough vocals yet.

Even though the instrumentation is changed, it's really faithful to the original. I doubt I'll be changing the vocal part, so you can just imagine the original vocal line plopped right over my version and what's in my head will be in yours.

Whether or not I do anything with this, it was a fun exersize. I'd imagine this would turn a few heads at a live show, though.

Here's the instrumental.

Harder to Breathe.

Vocals (EDIT)

2008-12-30T18:13:00.011-05:00

This weekend, Maybe Bomb had a live rehearsal again; Kurt played drums, and my brother Jim and I played keys. In addition to the standard trio, Ken from West Gate was hanging out, and we got him to play keyboards with us so that we had less to back track. The ease of this process can almost solely be attributed to our new understanding of MainStage, a program that we foolishly thought was a throw-away that came with Logic. It took this video for us to see the light. The concept of actually performing this material live has never been so real.

Towards the end of practice, I played Ken some of the tracks he hadn't heard yet, including some with vocals. He got very excited and encouraging, and, to make a long story short, really lit a fire under me to actually finish more material.

I did a count the other day and realized that, musically, I have almost 30 songs completed, but only two have vocals. Since this is a project that I want to be performed as live, non-instrumental tracks, I have virtually nothing complete.

I'm actually doing something about changing this now. I'm focussing almost eclusively on writing and recording vocal parts for songs at this point.

I was, and continue to be, fairly hesitant about putting up these next two tracks. The vocals and lyrics were written and recorded hastily, often with my room mates trying to sleep or watch football in the background; the quality of the recordings and performances are all over the place, but they were just created to make a sketch of the songs.

It's interesting the way that I feel fine about putting really anything instrumentally on this site, but as soon as they have vocals and are (Animal Bop excluded), it becomes exponentially more personal to the point where I need to defend them and really question whether or not I want the world to have access to it.

I suppose the point of this website was to show you, kind reader, every stage of the music-writing process though, and, as self-conscious as I may be, being picky at this point would be a bit hypocritical. With that said, hopefully when the album comes out, you can look back fondly at how you heard it first and you heard how far it came along.

On that note, to encourage myself to keep them, I'm making public some New Year's Resolutions:
1- Finish an album plus worth of material
2- Record a Maybe Bomb album
3- Print the album
4- Make the album available through digital distribution (iTunes, Magnatune, etc.)
5- Play a minimum of five live performances (and pay-to-play none)
6- Get the music into the hands of personal influences and professionally influencial people in the music business

Here they are:
Hot Quiznos doesn't have a title yet, but 28 Weeks Later will now be known as Blink.

Like I said, these vocals are demos. They can and will be changed. Consider this square one.

In other news, I've gotten some complaints about the Yahoo music player that is embedded in this page. To be honest I don't know why it's there; I think it's kind of built in with Blogger when you have MP3 links on the page. If you want to download the songs, you can still do that- just right click the tracks (or control click if you're using a Mac... like you should be) and click save as.

(EDIT)
Color me a hypocrite, but I took the links down. Values-0, Self-consciousness-1.

Zip Up

2008-12-26T21:18:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend. Here's a new one that started as a soundtrack-style, stings-and-piano-only piece. This could be really fun live.

Zip Up.

Spade Breaker 12-15-08

2008-12-15T14:09:00.002-05:00

I got together with Kurt again yesterday. Playing this material live is an incredible amount of fun, but as exciting as it is, the reality of performing work that has been written entirely as sequences is very difficult. The hardest part at this point is finding the musicians. To allow for flexibility, as well as an interesting stage performance, Maybe Bomb is going to need to consist of at least one extremely tight drummer and two versatile musicians who can primarily play keyboards but are able to switch to guitar or bass depending on the track. I'll probably be playing whole notes in the center of the stage, pawning off the more difficult duties on more talented live performers. As of right now, I'm far more focused on the writing. I'm not exaggerating when I say that there is a large amount of material I've written and recorded that I would not be able to actually play. A lack of rehearsals and performances have pretty much crippled my chops.

The reality of the project is certainly coming into focus, however. Seeing other people get excited about the music keeps pushing me to stop trying to finish material and just finish it already.

Here's the first draft of a completed Spade Breaker.

Since this mix, I've already put a few hours into new adjustments for the next edit.

West Gate

2008-11-23T22:16:00.002-05:00

I went to see West Gate tonight. Kurt and Rob started up this group after Roots of Rebellion broke up.

Check them out. They absolutely blew me away.

You can hear them online (www.myspace.com/westgatenj), but the recordings, solid as they are, don't do the group justice anymore. They've been consistently touring lately, and it really shows.

If you're in the NJ area, check them out on January 31st at the Starland Ballroom when they open for Powerman 5000.

Seeing the show made me want to finish up all the tracks I've been working on. I went back and listened to the drums that Kurt put down for me months ago and started creating them digitally, just to have more control over them. "Remember to Write Happy" is first up. When it's done, it'll be on here.

Next weekend is going to be a long one, so I'll hopefully going to be able to get some work done.

Poetry

2008-11-19T23:36:00.001-05:00

I've recently moved, and falling back into the groove of writing music has proven more difficult than I have anticipated. I have a feeling that the floodgates will eventually open and I'm going to be coming up with some really great material, but I have no idea when that is going to happen.

In the mean time, I think it's worth mentioning that I have finally started writing poetry again. This is a much bigger deal than it sounds. After working on The Spire virtually every day for almost a year straight, I stopped writing altogether when it was done. I was very proud of it, but I think it ultimately scared me away from writing; I didn't know how to live up to that standard I set with the absurd amount of work I put into it. That, and getting a new job as a first year teacher really stole my focus.

About a year and a half later, I turned on the Nine Inch Nails instrumental album, Ghosts, and fell back into some good habits. I wrote and edited a few hours worth of work down to about 80 words I'm proud to stand behind.

I doubt I'll post poetry on this blog, and I'm not even sure if I'll post individual poems in another section of my site like I used to. I'd love to post more completed works, the way I posted The Spire. I'll see the way they turn out. At this point, I really just need to continue to keep a serious work ethic.

Thanks go to Phoebe for an unintended kick in the pants.

Simpsons Isn't On

2008-10-28T20:48:00.004-04:00

So the inevitable backlash to the fake drums that sound real is happening. this song went with a very processed snare and kick and kept "real" sounding hats and cymbals. I think it gave it more of that electronic feel I was going for. It won't be long until I'm back to completely electronic sounding drums.

I'm really not happy with the piano sound on this song at all. I like the part, and the chord changes work, but I can't seem to make that piano seem to fit with the song. I tried making it sound deeper with reverb, tried making it sound dirtier with distortion, and tried darkening the tone with a different piano patch, but none of them seem to work. I think I'm just going to worry about writing the song, then I'll leave the mixing to some people who know what they're talking about.

I like the SONG (or what the song is so far), but I don't like something about how it sounds. It's very frustrating to be listening to all the tracks individually, then in every possible combination, and everything sounds good, but when they're all together, something's wrong. Likewise, muting one track at a time still leaves something missing. I need some fresh ears on this one.

The synth solo at 1:10 is what I'm feeling at the moment. As much as I admire Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, I rarely tweak the sound during the track by changing the modulation, frequencies, or messing with the pitch shifter. I went for something more like that, and I think it works.

Simpsons Isn't On.

Song title? Self explanatory. My show wasn't on. I made music when I should have been taking care of far more pressing matters.

Spade Breaker

2008-10-19T20:45:00.004-04:00

New one. I doubled up organic sounding and electronic sounding drums on this one. Combined with some of the synths and reverbs I used, I think this one has a really cool, space/sci-fi atmosphere thing happening during the verses in particular. As is most often the case, I just have two verses and a chorus at the moment. Let me know if you're feeling the clap track, because I'll put them in every single song until someone tells me to stop.

Spade Breaker.

If you haven't noticed yet, I'm a schizophrenic writer. Rarely do I sit down and only work on one piece, finish it, then move on. I'm surprised I concentrated on Tinsel Choke for as long as I did. Since my last post, I started up a few more (that, in all likelihood, will go absolutely nowhere) including a Danny Elfman sounding Halloween song.

Let me know what you think.

Richie

2008-10-15T22:54:00.003-04:00

Rich Wronski, a local musician, came over today. Neither of us had played with other musicians in a while and we felt like brushing the dust off. This song was basically written in order. Rich had that starting riff when he came over, and we went from there. I was on synth bass, we both worked on the drums, and Rich did all the guitars. It's really not a song by any stretch of the word yet, but it is a bunch of pretty sweet parts. Next time we get together, this will definitely flesh itself out more.

Enjoy. Richie.

Destructionism 10-11-08

2008-10-12T22:21:00.004-04:00

Updated Destructionism. It's a few days old at this point, but I haven't worked n it much since them. I am really feeling the groove in the verse. I still don't know how it fits with the chorus or where this is going to end up, but the keeper part is now the verse, I think. I like the crossover from the first chorus to the verse. The synth lead has a slight delay which blends them nicely.

In unrelated news, I am totally blown away by that new Britney Spears track, Womanizer. Catchy, catchy. catchy.

Destructionism update.

And check out Insult Comic Dog if you haven't yet. That's the best representation I have of what this whole Maybe Bomb project is going to sound like at this point in time, and I want to know what you think.

Insult Comic Dog

2008-10-09T00:02:00.002-04:00

For those of you who have been checking out the iLike page, you may have heard Insult Comic Dog (named after went from "Triumphant" to "Triumph" then insult comic dog - Conan O'Brien anyone?). If you haven't, I suggest you check it out in its instrumental form before you go much further.

I've had some really rough vocal concepts laid down for this song for a while now, so today I finally laid down some newer versions with some tweaks. As of right now, I'm really happy with the vocal parts I have. The recordings themselves could be better, but that's what demos are for. The first two verses and their lyrics are set. The third, as of this demo, is just a copy of the first to be a place holder. The bridge, where I repeat "It's just a dream" over and over, still has room for a more prominent vocal part between the repetitions. Maybe that part after the bridge will have a solo. I had a temp one, bt I could easily see this turning into a guitar solo live. I think Kurt and I tried that last time we got together and it sounded good.

I had fun using the vocoder on this track. Also, ultra-auto-tuning for that Cher effect is fun when you are going for the robot feel. Thos choruses, by teh way, have three part harmonies doing "Rainbows in a red sky falling down." Then I doubled those tracks to make six background vocal tracks, and then I doubled the lead and added an additional dropped octave of the vocal lead. Nine vocal tracks on a chorus. That's probably a personal record.

By the way, the harmony vocal part in the verse was Kurt's idea. He rules.

Enjoy.

Insult Comic Dog.

Destructionism

2008-10-07T00:51:00.001-04:00

I have a tendency to get sidetracked when I know I'm supposed to be grading. Fortunately, some good ideas usually come out of my procrastination. I kind of think that my subconscious tries a little harder when it knows that if I don't come up with anything good, I really can't justify continuing to work on music.

So Destructionism, for the time being, is a chorus and a bit of a verse. In all likelihood, the verse (the second half) is going to either completely change or get a massive overhaul. I'm feeling the chorus though.

I guess the title of this one was influenced by Nine Inch Nails' "Survivalism", but I think the comparison ends there.

Re: tiff said...

2008-09-30T20:53:00.003-04:00

Tiff said...: <I love this song. It's just dying for lyrics; it's awesome.

I really like the depth that the clean, acoustic guitar sound adds to the rest of the layers ...

I
know I said before that I wasn't too hot on the acoustic-sounding
guitar solo around the 1:45 mark, but after a second listen it's
growing on me ... I'd still be interested in hearing what sort of
lingering electric guitar solo would sound like there instead.

Also,
around the 2-minute mark there's a space that feels a bit empty
compared to the rest of the song, and I can hear a hint of what sounded
a bit like a faint electric guitar solo, somewhat like what I was
expecting a few seconds earlier in the song ... is that there? If so,
please make it louder and post again ... if not, will you be adding
something there, or do you have other ideas for that section, if any?>

Around 2:00, right after the straight solo part, there is a very faint, reverb-drowned electric guitar. If you ever listen to Dredg, it was thrown in using them as inspiration for that vast, deep sound it adds to the song.

I do think that I'm going to keep the first half of the bridge as a solo; it breaks the pattern most of my song structures fall into a bit better that way, and right now, one of my biggest concerns is making sure that no song makes you say, "Haven't I already heard this one?" I like the distant guitar in the second half because it leaves room for the vocals to come in, too. As the vocals for that bridge get ironed out, I know that they will also end up having a big influence on how that solo is going to sound -- whether it's clean, distorted, simple, or technical.

I'm currently working on lyrics and vocal melodies for this one. I've got a chorus I'm happy with and a half decent bridge, but the verse vocals are still giving me the slip. The next post will probably be an edit with some rough vocals on them once I get around to recording it. Unfortunately, that is probably going to take longer than I would like, seeing as I have about 80 essays being handed to me tomorrow.

Thanks for the post, Tiff! I'm glad you like it.

In other news, I bought a domain for what I plan to be the name of this project. I haven't done anything with the website yet, so don't waste your time heading over (I'll be sure to post when I do), but let me know what you think about the name.

Maybe Bomb.

Again, to get a better idea of the project, head over to the iLike link on your right.

Guitar for Tinsel Choke

2008-09-20T23:10:00.003-04:00

Summer is thoroughly over, and for someone in my line of work (teaching), that usually means a significantly shorter amount of time that I'm able to devote to music. Even though the school year just started (much later than usual), I've been able to get together with Kurt twice already to rehearse and improve some material. During our latest session, he made a loose guitar part of Tinsel Choke that I fell in love with. He did one rough take so I could have a record of it and upload it. I'm sure this is going to change a bit, as will a mix with more than one guitar track on it, but I love the atmosphere it adds to the track. I feel like it brings a much wider, somber feeling to the song.

The part that surprised me most was the fact that the clean guitar sound worked so well. With a pretty heavy drum part, I never would have thought that it would really complete the song so well.

As I mentioned before, I have a feeling that memory is going to be an issue, so I think I'm going to lower the quality to 128 kbps. It's not cringe quality by any means. I'm just hoping I don't have to go lower than this.

Also, I've been trying to come up with a band name for a while, and though I've been knocking a few around there has only been one that has stuck, which I think is the only key to a band name. Plus, it's gotten approval from some very critical friends. When I think about it, I don't really believe a band name needs to instantly tell the listener what the band is about, but they should fit the music once people have heard it. I'll wait until I buy to the domain before I unveil it, but hopefully you'll dig it and think it fits.

Here's the newest version of Tinsel Choke.

Music History

2008-09-15T20:38:00.005-04:00

I was the keyboard player and singer for the modern rock group Roots of Rebellion. There was a lot of influence from bands like Tool, Nine Inch Nails, and Orgy. I was the electronic influence on the group when many of the band members were influenced heavily by rhythm driven metal groups like Meshuggah, and Sevendust to a lesser extent.

We released two albums, The Looking Glass in 2004 (before many of the members were out of high school), and Surfacing in 2006 (before any of us were out of college). The latter was ambitious, to say the least, for our age and experience, but I am very proud of it.

(In fun news, while going to find a link to a site where you can purchase the album, I one-upped myself and found that Magnatune, a digital distributor of ours that allows you to listen to the album in hi-fidelity in its entirety for free, has been kind enough to include code to embed the albums here. Enjoy.)

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The Looking Glass by Roots of Rebellion

Surfacing by Roots of Rebellion

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After the group broke up, I got to explore electronic music a bit deeper, where I had been more or less limited to fit in the confines of a group verging on metal. ("Limited" is the wrong word, seeing as I only had to look at what I could do with the keys in a different light, but the group was pushing more and more into guitar driven territory by the end. Let's face it. There just isn't that much room for a poppy-Moog lead when people are trying to mosh.)

I was listening to more pop-rock by that time, specifically the synth-driven work of Kenna. I would have to say that his work is a primary influence. I'm shooting to capture the same feel his work has; it's instantly grooving and danceable, but clearly meticulously constructed and scrutinized. His first album, New Sacred Cow, is a masterpiece. More recently, I've fallen in love with Chromeo, a duo of synth players hooked on Morris Day and talk boxes, who churn out hooks so catchy and so often that it is entirely possible that they sold their souls to the devil.

The influence of being in a rock group, though, is something that I cannot, and have no desire, to pull out from under my skin, specifically in the drum department. The more music I write, the more I try to distance myself from the clearly programmed, machine like beats that seem linked to my dance and hip-hop influences while also trying to capture their "in the pocket" and head-knodding feel. In the end, I'm shooting for tight drums that have got a solid groove with raw energy and fills backing them up -- and interesting task, considering I'm programming my drums.

Here's the newest version of Tinsel Choke. The drum and rhythm of the second half of the chorus has changed, more intricate fills have been added, and the mix has changed a bit. The basic structure remains the same.

I plan to eventually lay down vocals for this (and all my tracks), but for the moment, I'm concentrating on the music. I have a couple of songs almost ready vocally. Suppose I'll upload them here or there (my iLike site linked at the left side of this blog). If you haven't already checked out said site, you definitely should. I've uploaded complete instrumental tracks. Some have Superior Drummer 2.0 drums while others were recorded live by Kurt, who took drum parts that I wrote (very fake sounding drum parts, mind you), and turned the general ideas into very serious rock drum parts, ultimately transforming their overall sound and the general sound I started to shoot for in the writing process.

Tinsel Choke

2008-09-13T22:45:00.002-04:00

Before I go in any deeper, here is some general information.

1) I hope you love the music, but instead of clicking it, streaming it, falling in love with what you hear, and then continuing to stream it every time you want to listen, please do me a favor and download it on your first shot. This is a little experiment, and right now, I just don't have the bandwidth to spare. So just download them, and feel free to delete after. I won't be offended.

2) Don't get scared off or mislead by the song titles. Since the songs are in their early stages, there are no lyrics. Since there are no lyrics, I still need some way to remember which song is which, so I simply title a project based on word associations, things going on in my life, plans for the day, or the first thing I look at after I click the save button.

(Tinsel Choke is titled because I was looking at an old family Christmas picture where all of us Penola children are choking each other with tinsel. Getting into the holiday spirit, you know?)

3) I encode all the files with some information to put them in the right spot in your music library as soon as you download it, including Artist, Album (everything that is still being worked on will be in "SUP ...In Progress"), Track Title, and even the Beats Per Minute. And don't worry, if you download two different versions of the same song, they will have unique titles, marking the date that I finished that version. For example, this file and track name for this version of Tinsel Choke is "Tinsel Choke 9-13-08.mp3".

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Anyway, here is Tinsel Choke. I started it yesterday, and after a fairly long dry spell of writing new material, this one seems to be coming together pretty quickly. Yesterday I got the verse and chorus parts down, and today I wrote the bridge. As it is structurally (intro, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, bridge, chorus 2X), I could theoretically check the song off. However, as you will no doubt start to discover for yourself, I default to this structure far too often and want to start to give my songs some breathing room to let them grow instead of doing whatever I can to put a check mark next to them as soon as possible.

This one seems to have a fun drum part. When I'm writing them, I have two tests to see if they are good to keep. First, I try to imagine my friend (and incredibly talented musician) Kurt from West Gate playing the part. After that, I do my best air-drumming. I figure that if it's fun to pretend to play, it's probably fun to play in real life.

When I first started this one, it felt a lot darker than the things I've been working on lately. It sounded more like something that would have been from my old band, Roots of Rebellion. And I stand behind the latter, but the more I listen to it, the more I hear it as pretty upbeat.

As will always be the case, I'd love to hear what you think. Also, when you comment, do me a favor and tell me a little bit about your own music history -- if you're a musician, what you usually listen to, and things like that, to give me a better idea of where you are coming from.

Speaking of which, I should probably do the same. That will have to be the next post.

Without wasting any more of your time, here's Tinsel Choke.

Trying Something New

2008-09-13T22:09:00.001-04:00

I've had this idea rattling around for a while.

When writing music, sometimes a song come in a wave and is done in a few days. Sometimes a song trickles together, and resembles little more than a loop for a matter of months. But no matter what, the songs never turn out how I expect, and I often find myself wondering how I got from point A to point B.

I've always made it a habit to save several versions of any song I'm working on. That way, I mark my progress and maintain a record of where the song was, at one point, headed.

I always thought that this process may be interesting to an outsider.

Thus, Sounds of Progress was born.

Currently, I'm writing all of my music using Logic Studio and it's software synthesizers and effects, with the exception of Drumkit Superior 2.0. I use several MIDI controllers, including the Novation X-Station 61, M-Audio Trigger Finger, and M-Audio KeyPro 88.