So it's been four months. A lot has changed.
A new drummer has joined our group. An old friend to Me and Dillon, Ryan Masecar is on board and man have things changed. A great drummer, he also has a great ear for music and there are four people contributing to the band and creating a new sound. That first week in October that we played together really tough though. Hearing him on drums made me realize all the work I had to do on my instruments and I think the other guys felt some pressure. We play a show a couple weeks later and everything goes pretty well. I had just gotten a new cab and new strat so I was feeling like a real MF walking in. Dillon just got a Vox too and he was using his 2x12 cab with it and we were nice and loud. Shit goes well and we have another show in November and its pretty good one. My gear craps out on me but I fix in the middle of the song. The guys hold it together so everything is fine but it still sucks.
Once school got out for me and Kenny, we starting recording practicing more and recording. Four songs engineered and mixed by Ryan and they sound great (I guess a audio degree will do that).
Last night we had our last show of the year and it was the best one by far. Our songs were tight, our sound was brutal, and we put on a great show.The only hiccup was that was no drum rug. Anyone who has ever dealt with this situation knows how much a pain it can be and it really was. It was something no one thought about and luckily one of the other bands had a piece of carpet that we used but it wasn't enough. The best part of the night was that we sold almost all of out CDs! Granted they were hand made and we were only asking for donations, or even just to take em...but regardless, we got rid of 15 EPs and made 11 bucks. OK so we went hungry, but none the less, we met a lot of great people, got some free shit from the other bands, and got offered another show with the same production company. A successful night indeed.
So we have another show on the 3rd and hopefully we get on the bill for that other one on the 16th. Plans to record another 4 songs are in the works and we are getting out social networking together. Well its not 5 yet but fuck it, its new years eve. Hurrray Beer!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Folk musica
First off I would like to apologize for the excessive ranting in this post. Digression takes over pretty quick when you have burning thoughts.
Most people are aware that there is yet another folk music revival going on. Like all music there is some shitty stuff, a lot of background music, and a few great acts. Two very inspiring acts to me are good friends of mine, Emily Pate of Embers End, and Autumn Brand of Saints Apollo. Both groups are stupid talented and getting some well deserved attention. We don't see eye-to-eye on some things in the music world but I think it's safe to say that centrally, the three of us are creating music that we believe conveys our thoughts and emotions in the most natural way we know.
I am skeptical of any young artist creating music that sounds like it belongs at a decade that is possibly older than theirs parents but then I have to look in the mirror and realize that I'm doing the same thing. The only difference is that I yell and scream and make my amp blow up. Creating music in any genre can be boiled down to a single moment where a note comes into existence. Down the road in Chapel Hill, NC, people are doing their best to follow those notes and as my ears age, they're digging new types of music. This folk thing has been a love hate relationship (to say the least) for years now and sadly, I'm feeling it.
Dillon and I tried putting together a folk duo and sadly again, it was worked pretty well. It wasn't our greatest venture but definitely not the worst. Both on vocals and guitar but he used a hi-hat and I had a kick drum. We had a nice little sound and put it together very quick. After a while, I know I started to fade away from it but we always play those tunes when get together. There is something about this genre.
There is something to the simplicity that inside of art created through a more oral (or aural) tradition than music that is written down. Obviously, people have taken those musics into the avant-garde but there is a spirit that remains and it escapes traditional language.
It can only be preformed.
Folk music is kin to Jazz and these musics have been beaten and bled over the years. Don't loose track of the greats in any genre. Folk, Jazz, Classical, and Pop music are filled with shit and nothing is sacred.
There are people who still creating great music in this particular genre. That one being Folk music still, and I encourage the average listener to challenge them self to listen to music that is unusual or bizarre. If any musicians see this, do your job. Open your ears to groups you never heard and listen closer to music with long Roman numerals.
Good music should create a conversations that last years. American Folk music is part of a centuries long conversation filled with poets, scholars, sailor mouths, and criminals.
Let's protect it.
Go check out Emily and Embers End and Autumn in Saints Apollo and check out my band and some our music.
Stammerings
Most people are aware that there is yet another folk music revival going on. Like all music there is some shitty stuff, a lot of background music, and a few great acts. Two very inspiring acts to me are good friends of mine, Emily Pate of Embers End, and Autumn Brand of Saints Apollo. Both groups are stupid talented and getting some well deserved attention. We don't see eye-to-eye on some things in the music world but I think it's safe to say that centrally, the three of us are creating music that we believe conveys our thoughts and emotions in the most natural way we know.
I am skeptical of any young artist creating music that sounds like it belongs at a decade that is possibly older than theirs parents but then I have to look in the mirror and realize that I'm doing the same thing. The only difference is that I yell and scream and make my amp blow up. Creating music in any genre can be boiled down to a single moment where a note comes into existence. Down the road in Chapel Hill, NC, people are doing their best to follow those notes and as my ears age, they're digging new types of music. This folk thing has been a love hate relationship (to say the least) for years now and sadly, I'm feeling it.
Dillon and I tried putting together a folk duo and sadly again, it was worked pretty well. It wasn't our greatest venture but definitely not the worst. Both on vocals and guitar but he used a hi-hat and I had a kick drum. We had a nice little sound and put it together very quick. After a while, I know I started to fade away from it but we always play those tunes when get together. There is something about this genre.
There is something to the simplicity that inside of art created through a more oral (or aural) tradition than music that is written down. Obviously, people have taken those musics into the avant-garde but there is a spirit that remains and it escapes traditional language.
It can only be preformed.
Folk music is kin to Jazz and these musics have been beaten and bled over the years. Don't loose track of the greats in any genre. Folk, Jazz, Classical, and Pop music are filled with shit and nothing is sacred.
There are people who still creating great music in this particular genre. That one being Folk music still, and I encourage the average listener to challenge them self to listen to music that is unusual or bizarre. If any musicians see this, do your job. Open your ears to groups you never heard and listen closer to music with long Roman numerals.
Good music should create a conversations that last years. American Folk music is part of a centuries long conversation filled with poets, scholars, sailor mouths, and criminals.
Let's protect it.
Go check out Emily and Embers End and Autumn in Saints Apollo and check out my band and some our music.
Stammerings
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Briliant Weeks will have a Dumb Shit Day
So this week has been filled with new music. I've written a few tunes, revamped some old songs, and started a recording project. Kenny brought us one of his tunes that he's been working on and that's where the fun begins.
So one night when us boys got together, Kenny started playing some real groovy riff on bass and it immediately catches my ear. I ask him to show it to me and we start playing it and it's just got a great feel to it and I can already hear a melody behind it. So I ask him if we can use it in the group and the next thing I know I've a rough acoustic version of in my inbox. A few days later Dillon joins us. He missed the previous get together due to the day job so now he gets to throw in his two cents. Everything starts out fine. For those of you who are involved with music or have been to a friends band practice, you know that some days are better than others. This particular day was not going to be ours.
So we start going over the changes and working out transitions and things of that nature we start adding in the lyrics. What I thought was the verse riff turns out to be part of the intro, the chorus was all fucked up on my end, and after that, it growing increasingly evident that I had no idea what was going on. Dillon was just as bad as me. He was calling verses bridges and choruses green and between the two of us and our shovels of disillusion, rehearsal seemed more like a stay in an asylum. Dillon is talking about rearranging the tune and he's singing the different parts to us and we're just sitting there like what in the fuck is going on. Kenny is doing his best to keep us from going under and the whole time this shit is going on, Darious is behind the kit just looking at us like what in the fuck is going on. At some point, we decide on the "Coheed song structure" (ABABCBC) and try the shit out. Some how, it fucking worked and we all just look at each other like what in the fuck is going on. I check the time to see how many more songs we can do and it's five to closing.
Shut that shit down and get the fuck out my house!
I guess it could've been worse. No one's amp blew up, no broken drum heads, no coughing up blood. It wasn't particularly productive but we had fun and no one ended up in the fetal position.
The next night, my dude Kevin comes over. He brings some shitty booze and we get a good kind of drunk going on and at 4am Eastern we gave birth a bouncing baby electronic song.
It was also Dillon's 21st the other night. Another good kind of drunk going on.
Well I guess that's that.
Now shut up and listen to our shit
Stammerings
So one night when us boys got together, Kenny started playing some real groovy riff on bass and it immediately catches my ear. I ask him to show it to me and we start playing it and it's just got a great feel to it and I can already hear a melody behind it. So I ask him if we can use it in the group and the next thing I know I've a rough acoustic version of in my inbox. A few days later Dillon joins us. He missed the previous get together due to the day job so now he gets to throw in his two cents. Everything starts out fine. For those of you who are involved with music or have been to a friends band practice, you know that some days are better than others. This particular day was not going to be ours.
So we start going over the changes and working out transitions and things of that nature we start adding in the lyrics. What I thought was the verse riff turns out to be part of the intro, the chorus was all fucked up on my end, and after that, it growing increasingly evident that I had no idea what was going on. Dillon was just as bad as me. He was calling verses bridges and choruses green and between the two of us and our shovels of disillusion, rehearsal seemed more like a stay in an asylum. Dillon is talking about rearranging the tune and he's singing the different parts to us and we're just sitting there like what in the fuck is going on. Kenny is doing his best to keep us from going under and the whole time this shit is going on, Darious is behind the kit just looking at us like what in the fuck is going on. At some point, we decide on the "Coheed song structure" (ABABCBC) and try the shit out. Some how, it fucking worked and we all just look at each other like what in the fuck is going on. I check the time to see how many more songs we can do and it's five to closing.
Shut that shit down and get the fuck out my house!
I guess it could've been worse. No one's amp blew up, no broken drum heads, no coughing up blood. It wasn't particularly productive but we had fun and no one ended up in the fetal position.
The next night, my dude Kevin comes over. He brings some shitty booze and we get a good kind of drunk going on and at 4am Eastern we gave birth a bouncing baby electronic song.
It was also Dillon's 21st the other night. Another good kind of drunk going on.
Well I guess that's that.
Now shut up and listen to our shit
Stammerings
Friday, July 26, 2013
It's been a while
Hello again internets and interwebs of all types. So it's a been a while since I wrote anything but I've got some good shit to talk about. It's been so long I had to actually look back at what the last things I wrote were. So since I last decided the world needed to hear about my life me and the guys had booked our first together, did a live recording session with video, and got invited back to a place to play.
Ok so the show.
Honestly, it went great. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun and the guys did amazing. I'd be lying if I said it went off without a hitch but they were too few, too insignificant, and too far between to care. Our opening act Embers End were amazing also. I have heard Emily Pate sing before and I've loved her voice since the first time I heard it but that night she had harmonies from a bright male vocalist and they blended really well in my opinion. They had a nice crowd and after their last song I got the guys together and we basically hit our first note within 5 minutes of them getting off stage. Basically not letting people leave. I think that most people were shocked with our sound since the group before hand was two people and an acoustic guitar and we charge in with this drums and bass and distorted and guitars and that shit we love. Our set seemed way too short but we did play for an hour and aside from a handful of people, everyone stayed. When we put the guitars down and took a breath, we noticed a pile of something of the ground near one the PAs. The bartender told us that during our first song, a piece of the ceiling broke off and crashed right in front of Dillon (my guitarist) and some people in the audience. I quickly apologized for rocking too hard and with an "all good" we continued talking about music. We got a really good crowd response and people seemed to really dig the sound we had going on so hopefully we can get back into Chapel Hill sometime soon. Good times.
So the coffee shop in Holly Spring, NC that I played at, SiP, has been letting come back every week. It's been really cool and a great way for me to keep playing out. Only for tips but they don't let me go thirsty so I'm happy with the gig. The owners are great and even one week when I had to cancel a few hours before the gig, they were supper supportive and let me come back the next week. Friday seems to be my day. I go with my jazz guitar and pedal board and just go for a couple hours. I've got some new music this week and I'm excited to play it out for the first time. The best part about the gig is that I can call up one of my friends and just say "bring your instrument to here" and were playing. Instant gratification at it's finest.
Unfortunately, we have not been back to the studio since our first session but we do have plans to go this up coming week. No new shows have been booked yet either which definitely sucks but I guess you just gotta keep looking around. We do have the audio from the live session and I'll be putting that up on our Reverbnation.
Stammerings
Our Facebook
Ok so the show.
Honestly, it went great. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun and the guys did amazing. I'd be lying if I said it went off without a hitch but they were too few, too insignificant, and too far between to care. Our opening act Embers End were amazing also. I have heard Emily Pate sing before and I've loved her voice since the first time I heard it but that night she had harmonies from a bright male vocalist and they blended really well in my opinion. They had a nice crowd and after their last song I got the guys together and we basically hit our first note within 5 minutes of them getting off stage. Basically not letting people leave. I think that most people were shocked with our sound since the group before hand was two people and an acoustic guitar and we charge in with this drums and bass and distorted and guitars and that shit we love. Our set seemed way too short but we did play for an hour and aside from a handful of people, everyone stayed. When we put the guitars down and took a breath, we noticed a pile of something of the ground near one the PAs. The bartender told us that during our first song, a piece of the ceiling broke off and crashed right in front of Dillon (my guitarist) and some people in the audience. I quickly apologized for rocking too hard and with an "all good" we continued talking about music. We got a really good crowd response and people seemed to really dig the sound we had going on so hopefully we can get back into Chapel Hill sometime soon. Good times.
So the coffee shop in Holly Spring, NC that I played at, SiP, has been letting come back every week. It's been really cool and a great way for me to keep playing out. Only for tips but they don't let me go thirsty so I'm happy with the gig. The owners are great and even one week when I had to cancel a few hours before the gig, they were supper supportive and let me come back the next week. Friday seems to be my day. I go with my jazz guitar and pedal board and just go for a couple hours. I've got some new music this week and I'm excited to play it out for the first time. The best part about the gig is that I can call up one of my friends and just say "bring your instrument to here" and were playing. Instant gratification at it's finest.
Unfortunately, we have not been back to the studio since our first session but we do have plans to go this up coming week. No new shows have been booked yet either which definitely sucks but I guess you just gotta keep looking around. We do have the audio from the live session and I'll be putting that up on our Reverbnation.
Stammerings
Our Facebook
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Fuck Yeah/Fuck No
So I'm a fan of profanity and I just gotta say,
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YEAH!
So I finally booked a goddamn show. This is the first time I've ever booked a show at a legitimate venue and I gotta say, I'm feelin' like I got a big cock. Now It's not like we're playing Carnegie Hall or anything but it's a place that people call a venue. Not a bar, not a restaurant, a real fucking venue.
Local 506 is the location of Stammerings debut into the world. I'm happy to be sharing the stage with a good friend Emily Pate and her band Ember's End.
Load in- 7:30
Doors- 8:30
Ember's End- 9:00
Stammerings- 10:00
Our first show is going to be a full hour set and I'm exciting/scared/nervous/shittingmypants/bigcock/happy all at the same time.
Saturday January 7th, 2012 was the last time I played with a band using my material. Returning to the rock scene will be such a trip. My band is awesome, they've turned my chords and melodies into something great, and we are ready for Tuesday July 9th, 2013.
That was some of the good shit going on. Now for the Fuck No.
There's two sides to every coin and being in a band is no different. June 24th, a Monday; Darious and Warren are booked for an early morning show at a coffee house. 7-fucking-am till 9am. I don't know why I wanted to do this but I fucking did. It was fun but what would've made it better is if my fucking drummer had made it out. Motherfucker was sleeping and I can't say I blame him to be honest. No big deal, it wasn't paying and honestly, drums at 7am might not have been the best thing.
The 25th
The next day we have rehearsal at 7:30 and then our first video/live audio shooting at a real studio with a fully functional stage and live sound starting at 10:00. It was dope as hell. Unfortunately, I was fucking up beyond belief. Forgetting lyrics, fucking up chord progressions, and getting shitty sound were just a few of my countless mistakes. I was very proud of my band however. They killed it and made me want to keep going (awwwwwww). At 11:45 and after singing for about 3 hours, my vocal cords just quit on me. I just couldn't even hold a note. Dillon, who when getting this band started was the challenging part of the process, kept pushing me and putting that fire under my ass to keep going. Our...producer...engineer...friend who works at the place, "B Rich" hooked us up with the next night and I felt a lot better about packing up and coming back with a fresh start. Me and Dillon hang out till about 3:30am that night at a Waffle House in Cary across from the Cook Out and when I get home I just want to keep practicing.
The 26th
The day that Theodore Roosevelt's wife died he wrote a large black "X" in his dairy. Now it would be a little dramatic if said that is how I felt but honestly I felt crushed. I get a text from Darious saying he can't make the recording session or the night gig at the coffee shop the next night. I call him back and tell to get his shit together and call me back. I don't hear from him until I text him back around 9pm and he says he still can't make anything. Later on we talk about the shit that went down and he actually said some things that made me think and showed me his good character and commend him for being a loyal dude. However, I still believe that you can't leave your dudes out to dry and a band has to become something that you at least think about when planning your week. Either way, I think we're cool now and I'm still happy to be playing with him.
The 27th
The day of the gig at Sip, the coffee house in Holly Springs that lets us make noise. I get a drummer to sign on to a gig with no pay for an undetermined amount of time and I already had a guitarist signed on but the shit wasn't over yet. I end up being 45 minutes late for a mixing session for the live recording we did earlier in the week because I was power washing (what in the fuck?!) and also miss the only rehearsal that me and band were going to have before the show because of how fucked my schedule got. Starting at 5, it took about an hour to get levels right and get used to playing with each other. Oh yeah, the guitarist had never played with the drummer, and I had never played with the guitarist. Me and John (the drummer) have played together before but not in a very long time, long enough that when we were trying to remember when the last time we even jammed together we just looked blankly at each other. From 6pm to 9pm we rocked that place. We found our groove and we killing these tunes and people were really digging us. We almost couldn't take a break because people would be asking us to get back and play. While preforming, we had people dancing, taking video or pictures (idk which), clapping along, and best of all the people listening seemed to really love the live music and I felt like I was starting to be part of something bigger than myself.
The 28th
By Friday, I got a break from the craziness. I chilled with one of my old friends, jammed around, and listened to some Jazz. Four MFs Playin' Tunes is one of my favorite albums right now. Went over the fiancé's house for some home made chicken pot pie, another all time favorite of mine, and then back to my dude Chris' house for some brews and "Donuts". Harpoon IPA for me and Lonerider Shotgun Betty for him.
Good fucking times.
So the business side of the music is far from prefect and honestly I do hate it but it's something every musician has to do and I have to play catch up. I know it's a little crazy but I feel like I am on limited amount of time but fuck dude, I'm only 22.
So what's going on with this up coming week...well we're having practice again this week and then going to the studio on Wednesday only. Lesson learned with that shit and will not be soon forgotten. We got asked back to Sip so I gotta figure what I'm doing this week for that shit. Hopefully gonna get another show in the works while working on what's going to really happen for the one we got coming up.
Fuck dude, I don't know how people can be happy not moving.
Stammerings
The Book of Face, Like us!
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YEAH!
So I finally booked a goddamn show. This is the first time I've ever booked a show at a legitimate venue and I gotta say, I'm feelin' like I got a big cock. Now It's not like we're playing Carnegie Hall or anything but it's a place that people call a venue. Not a bar, not a restaurant, a real fucking venue.
Local 506 is the location of Stammerings debut into the world. I'm happy to be sharing the stage with a good friend Emily Pate and her band Ember's End.
Load in- 7:30
Doors- 8:30
Ember's End- 9:00
Stammerings- 10:00
Our first show is going to be a full hour set and I'm exciting/scared/nervous/shittingmypants/bigcock/happy all at the same time.
Saturday January 7th, 2012 was the last time I played with a band using my material. Returning to the rock scene will be such a trip. My band is awesome, they've turned my chords and melodies into something great, and we are ready for Tuesday July 9th, 2013.
That was some of the good shit going on. Now for the Fuck No.
There's two sides to every coin and being in a band is no different. June 24th, a Monday; Darious and Warren are booked for an early morning show at a coffee house. 7-fucking-am till 9am. I don't know why I wanted to do this but I fucking did. It was fun but what would've made it better is if my fucking drummer had made it out. Motherfucker was sleeping and I can't say I blame him to be honest. No big deal, it wasn't paying and honestly, drums at 7am might not have been the best thing.
The 25th
The next day we have rehearsal at 7:30 and then our first video/live audio shooting at a real studio with a fully functional stage and live sound starting at 10:00. It was dope as hell. Unfortunately, I was fucking up beyond belief. Forgetting lyrics, fucking up chord progressions, and getting shitty sound were just a few of my countless mistakes. I was very proud of my band however. They killed it and made me want to keep going (awwwwwww). At 11:45 and after singing for about 3 hours, my vocal cords just quit on me. I just couldn't even hold a note. Dillon, who when getting this band started was the challenging part of the process, kept pushing me and putting that fire under my ass to keep going. Our...producer...engineer...friend who works at the place, "B Rich" hooked us up with the next night and I felt a lot better about packing up and coming back with a fresh start. Me and Dillon hang out till about 3:30am that night at a Waffle House in Cary across from the Cook Out and when I get home I just want to keep practicing.
The 26th
The day that Theodore Roosevelt's wife died he wrote a large black "X" in his dairy. Now it would be a little dramatic if said that is how I felt but honestly I felt crushed. I get a text from Darious saying he can't make the recording session or the night gig at the coffee shop the next night. I call him back and tell to get his shit together and call me back. I don't hear from him until I text him back around 9pm and he says he still can't make anything. Later on we talk about the shit that went down and he actually said some things that made me think and showed me his good character and commend him for being a loyal dude. However, I still believe that you can't leave your dudes out to dry and a band has to become something that you at least think about when planning your week. Either way, I think we're cool now and I'm still happy to be playing with him.
The 27th
The day of the gig at Sip, the coffee house in Holly Springs that lets us make noise. I get a drummer to sign on to a gig with no pay for an undetermined amount of time and I already had a guitarist signed on but the shit wasn't over yet. I end up being 45 minutes late for a mixing session for the live recording we did earlier in the week because I was power washing (what in the fuck?!) and also miss the only rehearsal that me and band were going to have before the show because of how fucked my schedule got. Starting at 5, it took about an hour to get levels right and get used to playing with each other. Oh yeah, the guitarist had never played with the drummer, and I had never played with the guitarist. Me and John (the drummer) have played together before but not in a very long time, long enough that when we were trying to remember when the last time we even jammed together we just looked blankly at each other. From 6pm to 9pm we rocked that place. We found our groove and we killing these tunes and people were really digging us. We almost couldn't take a break because people would be asking us to get back and play. While preforming, we had people dancing, taking video or pictures (idk which), clapping along, and best of all the people listening seemed to really love the live music and I felt like I was starting to be part of something bigger than myself.
The 28th
By Friday, I got a break from the craziness. I chilled with one of my old friends, jammed around, and listened to some Jazz. Four MFs Playin' Tunes is one of my favorite albums right now. Went over the fiancé's house for some home made chicken pot pie, another all time favorite of mine, and then back to my dude Chris' house for some brews and "Donuts". Harpoon IPA for me and Lonerider Shotgun Betty for him.
Good fucking times.
So the business side of the music is far from prefect and honestly I do hate it but it's something every musician has to do and I have to play catch up. I know it's a little crazy but I feel like I am on limited amount of time but fuck dude, I'm only 22.
So what's going on with this up coming week...well we're having practice again this week and then going to the studio on Wednesday only. Lesson learned with that shit and will not be soon forgotten. We got asked back to Sip so I gotta figure what I'm doing this week for that shit. Hopefully gonna get another show in the works while working on what's going to really happen for the one we got coming up.
Fuck dude, I don't know how people can be happy not moving.
Stammerings
The Book of Face, Like us!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Let's Play This, with Distortion
Tonight was rehearsal night again with the boys. I'm known for being a hard ass at band practice and my friends still make fun of me for how serious I am behind the mic but lately I've been trying to tone it down and just let things work themselves out. I never thought I'd say this but it seems that chillin' out has it's advantages. My drummer, Darious, picks up the music more organically, Dillon writes better lead lines, and Kenny kills those bass lines. It also amazes me how the guys remember songs better when I just shut the fuck up and allow them to create. Definitely taught me a valuable lesson I wish I could have had about six years ago.
Well let's see hear what else is going on...
So I got added into this facebook group that has a bunch of local show listings so I'll be able to see who's looking for supporting acts on a date and which places have open dates available. Very cool. This shit is pretty dope if I do say so. If I can't get a show now, then I think it's time to hang up the guitar.
Unrelated to our little band, I was practicing a Giuliani's Etude for guitar op. 51 no. 15 and it's pretty fucking cool. I would really like to turn this into a song. There are two voices that are interacting and creating harmonies so it wouldn't be to hard to just separate them for the two guitar players and write a third line and some words to make this into a modern tune.
Free Jazz!
So the coolest thing we did today happened during the last thirty minutes of practice. I played some tracks off of Four MFs Playin' Tunes, last year's release from Branford Marsalis Quartet for the guys and said "Let's play this, with distortion" and so that's what we did.
|| C-7 | Bb-7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 | Abmaj7 || in three was a pretty fun way to get our first Jazz/Rock fusion tune. Dillon stopped at one point and recorded about seven seconds of footage. Unfortunately, seven seconds isn't really worth posting anywhere so I guess we'll try to get something next week.
I love music
Stammerings
Well let's see hear what else is going on...
So I got added into this facebook group that has a bunch of local show listings so I'll be able to see who's looking for supporting acts on a date and which places have open dates available. Very cool. This shit is pretty dope if I do say so. If I can't get a show now, then I think it's time to hang up the guitar.
Unrelated to our little band, I was practicing a Giuliani's Etude for guitar op. 51 no. 15 and it's pretty fucking cool. I would really like to turn this into a song. There are two voices that are interacting and creating harmonies so it wouldn't be to hard to just separate them for the two guitar players and write a third line and some words to make this into a modern tune.
Free Jazz!
So the coolest thing we did today happened during the last thirty minutes of practice. I played some tracks off of Four MFs Playin' Tunes, last year's release from Branford Marsalis Quartet for the guys and said "Let's play this, with distortion" and so that's what we did.
|| C-7 | Bb-7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 | Abmaj7 || in three was a pretty fun way to get our first Jazz/Rock fusion tune. Dillon stopped at one point and recorded about seven seconds of footage. Unfortunately, seven seconds isn't really worth posting anywhere so I guess we'll try to get something next week.
I love music
Stammerings
Sunday, June 16, 2013
So about the Drum part
I was recording a live version of song today with me playing all the instruments and I great drum take except for one thing.
I added extra beat into a measure in the bridge.
I have no fucking idea how this happened and it pissed me the fuck off when I heard it. I can't believe I could even make a mistake so stupid like that.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
Fuck.
Well I have a small check list of things I want to get done within the next two weeks for the band. I think these are pretty basic things and that anyone in a young band is just has to do. The press kit is my small project that is nearly finished and I have a nice big band project that I hope will be done and out in 2 weeks.
Things to do:
1. Finish Press Kit.
I've almost got this one down. Really I just need to get us all together for a picture and we should be good. There's a band bio, a little blurb about each one of us,what we sound like, what we want to do, what our show is like, and some actual press (even if it is from a few years ago...)
2. Live Recording/Video
This is definitely the next big project. Not this Tuesday but the next, we are supposed to get into a studio and get live recording and a friend is shooting video for us. That is very exciting for me and that is going to be one late night. We're going to have a rehearsal starting around 6 and going until 9:30. We'll pack up our amps and shit (luckily theres a kit already at the studio) and set up again, get levels, and go for it around 10:30 and hopefully in an hour, we'll two or three songs with pro sound and video...maybe two hours for that.
3. Beer
I had one beer yesterday which is large increase of daily alcohol consumption for me but it was a Redd's. That shit is off the chain. Gotta get more of that shit.
4. Book a Goddamn Show
I think that with the press kit and now and something live, we will look like the very real and very serious band that we are. I have called emailed a lot of places, once. I think I should focus on only a few places but hit them up everyday. Thinking out loud there.
I guess this was more of a more random, I feel like writing something, addition to the blog but whatever. Beats practicing.
Well I guess that's it.
stammerings
Listen to tunes and watch some vids if you would.
Peace and blessin's
I added extra beat into a measure in the bridge.
I have no fucking idea how this happened and it pissed me the fuck off when I heard it. I can't believe I could even make a mistake so stupid like that.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
Fuck.
Well I have a small check list of things I want to get done within the next two weeks for the band. I think these are pretty basic things and that anyone in a young band is just has to do. The press kit is my small project that is nearly finished and I have a nice big band project that I hope will be done and out in 2 weeks.
Things to do:
1. Finish Press Kit.
I've almost got this one down. Really I just need to get us all together for a picture and we should be good. There's a band bio, a little blurb about each one of us,what we sound like, what we want to do, what our show is like, and some actual press (even if it is from a few years ago...)
2. Live Recording/Video
This is definitely the next big project. Not this Tuesday but the next, we are supposed to get into a studio and get live recording and a friend is shooting video for us. That is very exciting for me and that is going to be one late night. We're going to have a rehearsal starting around 6 and going until 9:30. We'll pack up our amps and shit (luckily theres a kit already at the studio) and set up again, get levels, and go for it around 10:30 and hopefully in an hour, we'll two or three songs with pro sound and video...maybe two hours for that.
3. Beer
I had one beer yesterday which is large increase of daily alcohol consumption for me but it was a Redd's. That shit is off the chain. Gotta get more of that shit.
4. Book a Goddamn Show
I think that with the press kit and now and something live, we will look like the very real and very serious band that we are. I have called emailed a lot of places, once. I think I should focus on only a few places but hit them up everyday. Thinking out loud there.
I guess this was more of a more random, I feel like writing something, addition to the blog but whatever. Beats practicing.
Well I guess that's it.
stammerings
Listen to tunes and watch some vids if you would.
Peace and blessin's
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Pretentious Post Rock Jerk Off
So last week, me and my fiance went and saw Kenny play some pretentious post rock jerk off music. That was at least the sub-genre he gave me in his txt about the show. Nonetheless, I was really digging it. Instrumentation was was as follows: Fender baritone guitar, Boss tremolo, Boss Gigadelay, or something like that, going into a Peavey bass amp and an old Fender Deluxe tube amp. He also had a small Korg synth going into a PA and his coolest piece of equipment I'll talk about later. The delay was used as looper and he built each song from the ground up. Some of the tunes were monstrous and made the building shake while others sounded like conversations between friends. This was one of two local shows I've ever been too and not been bored out of my mind. I actually found myself getting lost in the music and watching each note tell a different part of this story. The amps he used were prefect for the guitar he was using and for those of you not familiar with a baritone guitar it's basically the lower part of a seven string, so BEADF#B (note the interval of a major 3rd between the third and second so there's no need to relearn anything). The Peavey made was a solid state amp that was very modern sounding but was still nice and full while the Fender was glassy and would fuck every now and again in the middle of a song. His tone was 3D as shit and made the performance that much better. The songs all seemed to flow into each other and could have easily have part of a soundtrack.
Now for the coolest part of the show. Twice during his set he put the guitar down and let a drum machine with some samples play. These weren't shitty drum beats or anything like that, they were recordings he had done of cities. One was from a subway platform in San Fransisco (the city as I'm told) and the other from a skate park in Durham. These were not necessary to make the music but rather brought a unity between each piece of music. We've all heard this one before by countless musicians but this time it was different. There were no guitars or drums added to the music. They were as raw can be and were beautiful.
He faced away from the audience the entire time until he turned and said, "Well, that's about it" and took off his guitar. It was only about 20 minutes and I could have used a little more.
Well that's why he's the homie.
One time before Dillon got back with us, me and Kenny traded instruments for a second and it was kind of dull. Nothing really happened and we promptly switched back to our original instruments and continued rehearsal. I have no idea where this Kenny was hiding but it was awesome and I hope more of it happens in the future.
Mr. Kenny Wheeler's music can be found here: A Soap Bubble And Inertia and here's a link to a live performance New Year's Eve last year: Kenny Live
He has more music he will be putting out and something to possibily look for in the future is his project that might be called "Earworm" so keep your eyes and ears open for that.
No self bump this time, Kenny did way to a good a job for that.
Shit was dope. Dope indeed.
Now for the coolest part of the show. Twice during his set he put the guitar down and let a drum machine with some samples play. These weren't shitty drum beats or anything like that, they were recordings he had done of cities. One was from a subway platform in San Fransisco (the city as I'm told) and the other from a skate park in Durham. These were not necessary to make the music but rather brought a unity between each piece of music. We've all heard this one before by countless musicians but this time it was different. There were no guitars or drums added to the music. They were as raw can be and were beautiful.
He faced away from the audience the entire time until he turned and said, "Well, that's about it" and took off his guitar. It was only about 20 minutes and I could have used a little more.
Well that's why he's the homie.
One time before Dillon got back with us, me and Kenny traded instruments for a second and it was kind of dull. Nothing really happened and we promptly switched back to our original instruments and continued rehearsal. I have no idea where this Kenny was hiding but it was awesome and I hope more of it happens in the future.
Mr. Kenny Wheeler's music can be found here: A Soap Bubble And Inertia and here's a link to a live performance New Year's Eve last year: Kenny Live
He has more music he will be putting out and something to possibily look for in the future is his project that might be called "Earworm" so keep your eyes and ears open for that.
No self bump this time, Kenny did way to a good a job for that.
Shit was dope. Dope indeed.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Hi, live music?
So on Tuesday I'll be getting together with my four piece for rehearsal. I'm very excited for this since I can't remember the last time we were all in a room together. I don't know why we're getting together since we don't have a performance coming up and we're not planning on doing master tracks yet but fuck it, playing music is fun I guess.
Me, Dar Bear, and Kenny made a recording of one of our songs "Arkitechton" last time we got together and it was ok. I decided to not be original at all and do an acoustic version of the song using a nylon string guitar and jazz style drumming utilizing brushes. Something kinda cool about this song is that I didn't use any compression. That's right folks, none of that awesome "pop" that we've all come to love in our modern recording and instead just boring dynamics. Now you might say Warren, aren't you really just being a dick now? and my response would be yes, so I apologize. Really I do love that modern edge to recordings as much as next guy but there's something special about hearing the volume changes and even the mistakes that compression can hide become as obvious as, well, a loud mistake. I guess I can't say that the track is just completely bare. A touch of reverb to fill out the instruments, some EQing to help out my collection of renegade microphones sound like they're part of society, and a limiter. Something else you might ask could be Warren, what the fuck is a limiter? well, I don't really know. From what I can gather it's half of a compressor where it doesn't let a track clip but doesn't squish the volume. Fuck if I know. Either way, I'm proud of this track even this it's filled with flaws.
So about the title of this post.
I spent most of my Saturday this past week calling up bars in Raleigh looking for maybe an open slot for band on a bill or just a date not yet filled. Instead I was found that many bars do not have live music anymore or possibly even worse, they are just hiring DJs. Now I've performed with backing tracks before and have used sound samples in songs in the studio and live, but I have always used them to enhance a performance, not as a substitute. So there's that shit. Not all places are like this of course. I did talk to some people who were cool and looking for groups, but they were looking for more indie rock or jazz. Right now it looks like Slim's is gonna be the place for us to play in Raleigh until the band is big enough to play at the actual music venues. On wards to other cities.
Regardless of shitty recordings and difficultly booking a single show, I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm still thinking abut my music and how to write for this band instead of how to sell t-shirts. I guess that is an important part of the business but I'm not there yet and I'm glad my focus is still getting my music prefect.
Now where did I put that soap box...oh here it is.
So something needs to be done here. When I call up a bar on a Saturday night and say, "Hi, do you guys do live music?" and some asshat on the other end of the line says, "We don't do live music." something is fucked up. Really, I haven't my part for the Raleigh but my shits gonna have to change too. I hope that this isn't a trend going around the country and I'm sure that there are more places that supporting live music than not so it's just getting out there and supporting those places and others will follow.
Well I guess that's it for tonight. If you read the whole thing, thank you very much. I wish I had something nice to give you but I don't.
Here ya go
Stammerings
Me, Dar Bear, and Kenny made a recording of one of our songs "Arkitechton" last time we got together and it was ok. I decided to not be original at all and do an acoustic version of the song using a nylon string guitar and jazz style drumming utilizing brushes. Something kinda cool about this song is that I didn't use any compression. That's right folks, none of that awesome "pop" that we've all come to love in our modern recording and instead just boring dynamics. Now you might say Warren, aren't you really just being a dick now? and my response would be yes, so I apologize. Really I do love that modern edge to recordings as much as next guy but there's something special about hearing the volume changes and even the mistakes that compression can hide become as obvious as, well, a loud mistake. I guess I can't say that the track is just completely bare. A touch of reverb to fill out the instruments, some EQing to help out my collection of renegade microphones sound like they're part of society, and a limiter. Something else you might ask could be Warren, what the fuck is a limiter? well, I don't really know. From what I can gather it's half of a compressor where it doesn't let a track clip but doesn't squish the volume. Fuck if I know. Either way, I'm proud of this track even this it's filled with flaws.
So about the title of this post.
I spent most of my Saturday this past week calling up bars in Raleigh looking for maybe an open slot for band on a bill or just a date not yet filled. Instead I was found that many bars do not have live music anymore or possibly even worse, they are just hiring DJs. Now I've performed with backing tracks before and have used sound samples in songs in the studio and live, but I have always used them to enhance a performance, not as a substitute. So there's that shit. Not all places are like this of course. I did talk to some people who were cool and looking for groups, but they were looking for more indie rock or jazz. Right now it looks like Slim's is gonna be the place for us to play in Raleigh until the band is big enough to play at the actual music venues. On wards to other cities.
Regardless of shitty recordings and difficultly booking a single show, I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm still thinking abut my music and how to write for this band instead of how to sell t-shirts. I guess that is an important part of the business but I'm not there yet and I'm glad my focus is still getting my music prefect.
Now where did I put that soap box...oh here it is.
So something needs to be done here. When I call up a bar on a Saturday night and say, "Hi, do you guys do live music?" and some asshat on the other end of the line says, "We don't do live music." something is fucked up. Really, I haven't my part for the Raleigh but my shits gonna have to change too. I hope that this isn't a trend going around the country and I'm sure that there are more places that supporting live music than not so it's just getting out there and supporting those places and others will follow.
Well I guess that's it for tonight. If you read the whole thing, thank you very much. I wish I had something nice to give you but I don't.
Here ya go
Stammerings
Thursday, May 30, 2013
fuck
Well we didn't get the gig.
I'm looking back at this shit and it was a pretty boring read to me. It's something musicians go through and bands playing original music deal with all the time. I guess it's the first fall for this group and so it's kind of a bigger deal in my eyes.
First off, it definitely wasn't going to be a career changing even or anything but it was going to be our first show as group and my show first show as a singer in about 18 months. I tried not to let that shit get me down though. I emailed one place today. Just one. Haven't heard anything back but what should I really expect but the place looks like it's pretty cool and emailed another place yesterday. Haven't heard anything back from that either. Met up with Dillon last night to go over the material for the group. He's the ghost of a guitar that comes and goes. It was nice to work with someone and talk about the songs instead of just telling someone notes or a beat to play.
Ok so positives...
Well we all made it our mission to get together and practice. There was no teeth pulling to get people together and we even made plans ahead of time to jam again. That was probably the biggest thing for me. It's like we can do it, we're just lazy most of the time. Good to know, I guess.
...
So a positive.
Well I guess it's time to get the shit together. Tomorrow some music should get tracked and look into other venues and bars.
Stammerings
I'm looking back at this shit and it was a pretty boring read to me. It's something musicians go through and bands playing original music deal with all the time. I guess it's the first fall for this group and so it's kind of a bigger deal in my eyes.
First off, it definitely wasn't going to be a career changing even or anything but it was going to be our first show as group and my show first show as a singer in about 18 months. I tried not to let that shit get me down though. I emailed one place today. Just one. Haven't heard anything back but what should I really expect but the place looks like it's pretty cool and emailed another place yesterday. Haven't heard anything back from that either. Met up with Dillon last night to go over the material for the group. He's the ghost of a guitar that comes and goes. It was nice to work with someone and talk about the songs instead of just telling someone notes or a beat to play.
Ok so positives...
Well we all made it our mission to get together and practice. There was no teeth pulling to get people together and we even made plans ahead of time to jam again. That was probably the biggest thing for me. It's like we can do it, we're just lazy most of the time. Good to know, I guess.
...
So a positive.
Well I guess it's time to get the shit together. Tomorrow some music should get tracked and look into other venues and bars.
Stammerings
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
a couple days later...
so i normally write without paying attention to grammar, most punctuation, or even capitalization but it looks silly.
So we had a rehearsal Sunday night, went well. Bassist bailed at the last second but had a pretty valid exscuse, his business not yours. That's Kenny, by the way. The amazing thing was the guitarist showed up. I almost shit my pants when he sent a txt saying he was on his way. I won't mention his name until he starts frequenting more often, at least one more. Punishment's a bitch.
Not much has happened since then.
So tonight being Tuesday was our second rehearsal within a weeks time. Felt pretty good getting to get together again so soon. Bassist Kenny came over with some good news. Two things, one is uneventful and even to us and the other is pretty cool. We might have our first show. Somewhere in Durham (North Carolina just in case) and it will be for a small art expo, very cool. We made a quick recording of one our tunes tonight and it actually sounded pretty good. Missed a few notes here and there but the phrasing is pretty good. Drums have a pretty good feel overall too but little things are going to have to be ironed out. I think we're going to be posting that tomorrow in the afternoon.
More than likely you're unaware that I'm engaged. We've together for four years and are getting married next summer. Very cool. Needless to say she's a huge part of my life and we talk about the future a lot so today we were on the subject of my current musical endeavor. She expressed her concerns and I, mine and in the end we decided on some things that we both need to do to make sure that we can be successful with this. Not a get rich quick scheme, just how to keep our shit together during these last thirteen months under the marital status of being single when we start checking off a different box.
I don't really have any new music but I did find the original acoustic version of our song I will be Leaving with the Dusk. I'll just go ahead and, I will be Leaving with the Dusk
There we go.
Again here's another bump to me and the guys: Stammerings
Anything else...
So a new song will be out tomorrow, a live recording of it, check out the acoustic version of the song, and check out the band page for some of that shit.
Totally unrelated, my glasses broke while writing this. fuck.
So we had a rehearsal Sunday night, went well. Bassist bailed at the last second but had a pretty valid exscuse, his business not yours. That's Kenny, by the way. The amazing thing was the guitarist showed up. I almost shit my pants when he sent a txt saying he was on his way. I won't mention his name until he starts frequenting more often, at least one more. Punishment's a bitch.
Not much has happened since then.
So tonight being Tuesday was our second rehearsal within a weeks time. Felt pretty good getting to get together again so soon. Bassist Kenny came over with some good news. Two things, one is uneventful and even to us and the other is pretty cool. We might have our first show. Somewhere in Durham (North Carolina just in case) and it will be for a small art expo, very cool. We made a quick recording of one our tunes tonight and it actually sounded pretty good. Missed a few notes here and there but the phrasing is pretty good. Drums have a pretty good feel overall too but little things are going to have to be ironed out. I think we're going to be posting that tomorrow in the afternoon.
More than likely you're unaware that I'm engaged. We've together for four years and are getting married next summer. Very cool. Needless to say she's a huge part of my life and we talk about the future a lot so today we were on the subject of my current musical endeavor. She expressed her concerns and I, mine and in the end we decided on some things that we both need to do to make sure that we can be successful with this. Not a get rich quick scheme, just how to keep our shit together during these last thirteen months under the marital status of being single when we start checking off a different box.
I don't really have any new music but I did find the original acoustic version of our song I will be Leaving with the Dusk. I'll just go ahead and, I will be Leaving with the Dusk
There we go.
Again here's another bump to me and the guys: Stammerings
Anything else...
So a new song will be out tomorrow, a live recording of it, check out the acoustic version of the song, and check out the band page for some of that shit.
Totally unrelated, my glasses broke while writing this. fuck.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
so some music
it's been far too long since i put any new music out. it's been far longer since i was part of a band.
reading that back, i took a deep breath and i don't think my fellow band members know how much it means to me to be able to say that i am part of one these things again.
so here we go
these songs are still in the demo phase and unfortunately, i don't have the guys on any of these tracks and not sure when that will happen. we also still need band pictures. actually we need a finite line up.
fuck, so we're barely a band i guess.
well there is a name and there are three of us who come consistently to rehearsals. there is a forth guy who shows up fucking one time, you know who the fuck you are you apple beer drinking, giant doughnut eating, what-the-fuck were you thinking tattooed bastard.
well fuck it, i spent more time on this then i wanted to so enjoy some rantings, some listening, and our stammerings in music
Stammerings
reading that back, i took a deep breath and i don't think my fellow band members know how much it means to me to be able to say that i am part of one these things again.
so here we go
these songs are still in the demo phase and unfortunately, i don't have the guys on any of these tracks and not sure when that will happen. we also still need band pictures. actually we need a finite line up.
fuck, so we're barely a band i guess.
well there is a name and there are three of us who come consistently to rehearsals. there is a forth guy who shows up fucking one time, you know who the fuck you are you apple beer drinking, giant doughnut eating, what-the-fuck were you thinking tattooed bastard.
well fuck it, i spent more time on this then i wanted to so enjoy some rantings, some listening, and our stammerings in music
Stammerings
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