Category: Music

2024 50/90 Challenge Day 45/90

Halfway Done. 45 days down, 45 days to go.

I wrote the lyrics and the melodies for four songs. Not nearly as much as I wanted to get done, but not bad.

Here at the halfway point I have 24 song demoes finished. Five songs are ready to mix. Four songs are ready for vocals. Four songs are ready for lyrics. Two songs are just a handful of little riffs that need to be worked into a song form. That’s a total of 39 songs in the pipeline.

I’m still confident that I’ll get to 50 songs, but life is getting in the way quite a bit right now. I’ll remain cautiously optimistic.

Musical Plans for Tomorrow

In the 50 songs and 90 days pipeline there are four songs ready for vocals. That’s enough for me to go out and do some car music tomorrow. Vocals recorded in the car in an empty parking lot. The only way I can do it and feel comfortable with the whole singing thing.

If I can just find a way to get two more songs ready tonight then I could have 10 songs started and nearly finished within the month of August. That would be fun, right?

I’ll see if I can swing it. No promises.

2024 50/90 Challenge Day 43/90

Day 43 was a bit better than the nothing on day 42. I added one new song idea, which is just a bass riff or two, bringing the current count up to 39. I also mixed a song that doesn’t completely suck. That was nice.

Random Thoughts

The last few days have put me into a prolonged, slow burning state of freak out. Fun.

My friend’s father passed away on Monday. My father went into the hospital on Tuesday. No details on either situation will be forthcoming. We just got clobbered by a thunderstorm which, it turns out, was rough enough to knock out the power in the hospital. The backup generators kicked in a second later, but woah.

I am planning to go to the hospital after work tonight. I need to make dinner first but then I’ll go for a quick visit before visiting hours end. Tomorrow morning is the funeral. I’ll go to the hospital afterwards. How’s that for a tough day? The last few days have been bad, but tomorrow… woah.

On less important (re: not important at all) topics, I have one more episode of The Umbrella Academy’s final season to watch. I strongly suspect that once I finish that final episode I will immediately start a rewatch of the entire series from season one episode one. I think that is going to happen.

Earlier today I was looking at Threads (the twitter alternative social network made by the same assholes who make instagram and bookfayce which begs the question why the fuck am I giving this new social network site the time of day) and I posted that musically speaking, today is a Porcupine Tree kinda day (from a mental health standpoint, of course… meaning heavy and complicated and confusing if you’re not paying close attention). TWELVE MINUTES LATER I got a notification that the Porcupine Tree instagram account had been ported to Threads. They haven’t posted anything yet but I guess I should say you’re welcome?

I don’t know what the dad situation is going to be like this weekend but I do know that Bellana, my step daughter, is coming over for a visit. All the bad, scary stuff going on feels a little more bearable when the kids come by. I am really looking forward to seeing how she did at her conference this week. I want all the sciency details.

Speaking of science, from a nutritional standpoint I screwed up yesterday. I spent the whole day at the hospital with Dad and when I left the house I forgot to take my pill case with me. I took my breakfast vitamin pills before I left, and took my lunch vitamin pills when I got home for dinner. I was going to take my dinner vitamin pills before I went to sleep, but I fell asleep earlier than expected and missed that dose. Dummy. Note to self: bring the friggin’ pill case tomorrow. Dumb ass.

What else? Word from the hospital this afternoon is that Dad is starting to show early signs of coming out of whatever was wrong. My fingers and toes and eyes are all firmly crossed. Again, I am not sharing details beyond a small hint of optimism. Enjoy it while you can.

Okay, Robert. Stop stressing and get back to work. You have stuff to do. Do it.

2024 50/90 Challenge Day 40/90

Day 40 was almost a wasted day, but at about 10:30 when I should have been going to sleep… when my body was telling me that I was going to have a really shitty Tuesday if I didn’t go to sleep right away… I mixed one song.

No Playing This Morning

I’m working in the office today so there was no time to spare to sneak in any guitar playing before work. I hadn’t actually realized until just now though that even if I had had some time to play I don’t have any 50/90 challenge songs that need guitar tracks at the moment.

I have eight songs with rhythm guitar parts done whose next step is to write lyrics (yuck). I have an additional eight songs that I’ve finished tracking completely and just need to mix them down before I can count them as finished.

That’s it. I guess it’s time to start writing lyrics and adding new ideas to the list. Get crackin’, Red Head!

347/365
347/365