Category: Song Writing

50/90 is now 33/50

Song #17 is complete.

I wrote the lyrics and melody and recorded the vocals before work this morning, and mixed the track after work tonight. The music was written and recorded on Sunday during a pretty productive weekend.

The lyrics are about depression and the inspiration was Robin Williams. I will never condone suicide, but maybe if we all take the time to learn a little bit about what he was going through, and how to treat people in the same boat… then maybe we can find something worthwhile in the loss.

Two Songs Mixed

I mixed two songs tonight. Both include the sound of the new Fender guitar.

The first is from March. It’s called “The Universe Next Door” because I can never sound pretentious enough. The title came from a news story I read back in March. I wrote the name down, but not the link to the story. Sorry. I don’t know what any of the lyrics are actually about. Paranoia? How rock and roll!

http://alonetone.com/robertjames1971/tracks/the-universe-next-door.mp3%20

The second song is from the April list, but it is actually ancient. It was written in my bedroom back in 1993. Maybe 1992. I guess it might have been 1994. Who the hell knows! It’s old! It was played by all of the short lived bands that came after Tempest Fero but before Prime Meridian. Maria the drummer didn’t like it (I think… it’s been a really freakin’ long time) so Mike and I agreed to drop it. Almost immediately we wrote another yipppeee dance song to replace it. That one might be included in the next album in a month batch.

http://alonetone.com/robertjames1971/tracks/falling-star-1.mp3%20

Mother’s Day Music

I put rhythm guitars onto the one song left that needed them, and I added leads to two additional songs. I now have five that are ready to mix.

I used the new Strat for everything today. I haven’t changed the strings yet, and those that are on now are heavier than I’m used to.

Ouch.

Another Night, Another Song

Alonetone is having all sorts of trouble these days. I wonder if I am going to get this one posted.

On a thursday afternoon, I had a very short time for my lunch break. I decided to sneak in a lyrics and a vocal. The topic of deadlines came to mind and this stinker was born. It is meant to have a sound byte at the start of the song but I couldn’t get my mitts on it. Picture it: The movie Highlander. Connor and Castigere are on the bridge in Central Park. Castigere says, “Time has almost caught us, my friend” and then punches the railing five times.

That. That is what I want leading into this song. That is what became the title of this little suck fest of a crap dog.

http://alonetone.com/robertjames1971/tracks/time-has-almost-caught-us-my-friend.mp3%20

Alonetone continues to shit the bed tonight. If the player above doesn’t work and you must, must, must here this awful song, click here.

April Song #3

Another one about science denial. This time we have a denier questioning his belief but receiving a pep talk from a more faithful denier. Interesting, I know.

I was going to keep everything this month above 100 beats per minute. This one is 59 beats per minute. I can never keep to my own goals. It’s kind of pathetic, you know?

There might be issues linking to this alonetone file. They are having some performance/server issues tonight. Just be cool, the site is awesome even if the song is not.

http://alonetone.com/robertjames1971/tracks/believedeceive.mp3%20

April Music – Song #2

I didn’t do any recording this weekend. I was too busy. I did sneak a second mix in tonight. I better share it quick before my battery dies.

http://alonetone.com/robertjames1971/tracks/the-anti-vaxers-lament.mp3%20

This was the first idea I came up with this month. It’s actually two pairs of ideas. The original idea was to have it bounce back and forth between clean and distorted every eight or 16 bars. When I was piecing together the arrangement I decided to change it to be more like a suite with all of the distorted stuff in the middle section. I prefer it this way.

The lyrics were inspired by an article my wife shared on facebook that had something to do with the anti vaccine “movement” and how it was causing beaten diseases to make a come back. There is no scientific evidence to support the anything the anti vax people say, yet they keep saying it. I started to wonder what someone who does that would be thinking. It came down to no amount of facts and reason will stop them from thinking they’re right.

While I was at it, I remixed the song from Friday night.
http://alonetone.com/robertjames1971/tracks/why-cant-you-be-cool-remix.mp3%20

Guitar Solo

I just put lead guitar onto a GarageBand file called April01. That’s two of 10 song finished. I hope to mix them tomorrow.

All of the guitars this month are using Amplitube apps. The leads are using the Jimi Hendrix app. Fuzz boxes and univibes for everyone!

20140424-214406.jpg

Quick April Music Update

I just recorded the 10th vocal. I have part of one rhythm guitar part to redo because it’s a little out of tune. I then have nine leads to record. Why nine and not 10? Because I snuck one in a couple of nights ago. My playing is awful. Just brutal. I don’t care.

April’s music project is going to be 10 songs at a shade under 45 minutes. Time to get crackin’ on those leads!

Productive Music Day

Let’s see, where was the April music project the last time I mentioned it. Seven songs partially recorded, three getting as far as the full arrangement, lyrics and vocals and all. Two more songs that consisted of just one riff, and one planned song from the roaring 90’s that I wanted to do but hadn’t started yet.

Where are we today? I started the 90’s song Tuesday night. Just the different sections on bass and drums. Last night I added the rhythm guitar. I also took one of the single riff things and recorded rhythm guitar, bass, and drums for a songs worth of sections. The second riff has advanced to a single fully recorded riff, but it’s still only sixteen bars.

Oh and today I wrote and recorded the vocals parts for three more songs.

That’s nine songs with the music completely written, although not necessarily fully arranged, one song partially written, and six songs with finished vocals. There is also the one old song that already has lyrics, but that kinda doesn’t count.

Musically speaking, I’ve had a decent couple of days. Nothing ready to mix yet. No lead guitars anywhere. But good progress made.

Three Songs

Musically speaking, I had a good day yesterday. The first three April songs have vocals. When I got up yesterday morning I still hadn’t worked out the form of any of the April songs. They were just 4 or 8 or 12 bar phrases that happened to kinda fit together. Before work I brought up song #1 and stitched everything together into a form. It actually ended up almost like a suite. I had two 8 bar phrases with clean guitar, and two with overdriven guitar. So the clean pair became verse/chorus of one song and the heavier pair became verse/chorus of a second song. Then I reprised the first song at the end. Next thing I knew I was close to 7.5 minutes worth of rawk. How prog of me!

I had most of the lyrics and melody written and the vocals recorded by the time I had to punch into work. As it turned out, yesterday was a parent/teacher conference for one of the kids. I thought it was going to start at 6:00, which would have let me get there on time (just barely) but it actually started at 5:30. I work until 5:30. So how did I deal? I took some vacation time in the afternoon so I could leave with plenty o’ time to get to the school.

That meant that instead of having a lunch hour, I had a lunch three hours. I finished the vocal on song #1, then blew through the form, lyrics, melody, and vocal for song #2. That’s when I realized I should probably shower and stuff before I go meet with a teacher. Blah, blah, do the right thing. After the shower I had 40 minutes before I had to go. I somehow managed to blow through the form, lyrics, melody, and vocal for song #3! Now three songs in 4-5 hours is not nearly as impressive as my usual RPM Vocal Days, but it’s not bad for an old fart like me.

I still have two songs that aren’t ready to be song-formified. One (the left over from RPM) is still just one 16 bar phrase. The other (the left over from RPMarch) is now up to two phrases, one of which has drums and bass. Then there is the old post-Tempest Fero/pre-Prime Meridian song I want to add. I haven’t started recording any of that yet, although I do have a really bad tape recording of it available for when I do start recording.

The goal is to finish April before I go back and finish March. I might bend that rule from time to time, but that’s the plan for now at least.

So that’s the musical update for today. Maybe I’ll be able to sneak in some more this weekend. There probably won’t be time on Saturday. Maybe a little on Sunday. We’ll see. I’m also still itching for more ocean sun rise pics. Again, we’ll see.