Where I'm At

Since the last time I updated  you all, I have written eleven songs. I am still feeling particularly inspired by my life's happenings right now, so there will probably be more. My goal here is to write as many songs as possible, practice them until I have a good grasp on them, arrange the guitar, bass, drums, and organ parts, and then start recording them.

The past couple of albums I wrote and recorded at the same time, and while the results came out pretty good, I am looking to improve upon those efforts and produce a more mature, more professional sound. That means it's going to take a while--I don't know how long. It has been a long time since I recorded this way, but I am looking to potentially play some shows eventually, so I am going to need the time to practice and improve as a musician. Not to mention, I want to get these songs down, since the parts (save the drums) I am going to be recording live, and I don't want to have to do eight-hundred takes of each part.

I am not sure about whether or not I will perform with a band, or as a solo artist. It would be nice to form a band, but I would have to find the right people, or find the time (and not have to move for a job) to be close to the right people that I already know. Since I am looking for a job, and could potentially move virtually anywhere across the United States, a lot is up in the air right now.

My goal here is to keep the arrangements and the parts relatively simple, as it seems like too much complexity is distracting. I believe it will be more effective to write and record songs that are internally cohesive, melodic, and meaningful.

Basically, these songs are going to consist of lead and background vocals, one, maybe two guitar parts, a bass part, the drums, and the organ.

I guess you would say that would make this a more song-oriented album than my past couple, which were more focused on experimentation and seeing how I could push the envelop. These songs I am going back a little more towards the center, focusing on melody, quality, and meaning. 

When it comes down to it, I have what I think are some pretty strong songs here, and I can't wait to share them--although, unfortunately, I am going to have to for a while. As soon as I am ready, though, you can bet you will be hearing them!

Obscurity

First post of 2014!  Huzzah!  It's only... April.  Shit.  Not too much has been happening for me, musically, as school and what-not has kind of gotten in the way.  Life.  Don't you hate that?  Anyhoo...  I have been getting the itch.  That itch that I can't scratch except by making the music happen.  As school draws to a close, and I begin looking for a job, hopefully I will have more time to put to this whole thing.  It is looking pretty good, quite frankly.  If I can get a decent job, I might even have a little money to put into it for some new equipment, from time to time.  That is the dream, isn't it?  It is for me.  Writing and playing and recording and just getting creative and seeing what happens.  Self-expression is an amazing thing!  I hope to go in a lot of different directions and see what happens.  I don't want to be pinned down as this or that particularly, not that anyone is really paying attention.  That is the thing about complete or almost-complete obscurity: it allows me the freedom to do what the hell I want.  That is conducive to experimentation and outside-the-box thinking, in particular.  My goal is to hide some diamonds among Internet trash and to see who might be sifting through the world wide dumpster, looking for treasure.  Hopefully this that is trash to many is treasure to someone.  It is to me, at any rate, and I guess that is all that matters, otherwise I wouldn't continue doing it.  I feel like the ultimate judge of something that is truly artistic is whether the artist is willing to continue doing it whether or not anyone else notices.  It is not about putting up a billboard and making a scene, it's about creativity and self-expression.  Thinking about putting together some Youtube videos of my music--although, I am a bit hesitant as well.  It might help me get my music out to more people, but, then again, there are a lot of dumb people on the internet, and I don't really need their trolling in my life.  I already subject myself to it enough.  Part of me thinks that I will be happier not trying to get more people listening, that this is not about that.  I don't know.  We'll see what happens.

Stuck on Radiohead

I can't get enough of this mesh up Radiohead's OK Computer and In Rainbows, called 0110, or 01 and 10, and the more I listen to it, the more I want to listen to it, and the more I listen to it, until I realize I have been listening to it for like six hours straight...

Here is a Youtube video of it (although, somehow their version is about 3 minutes less than the Winamp playlist I made with the albums):



Okay, after listening to a couple of the tracks, the person who made the video cross-faded the tracks together, which is really unnecessary, since it still works just by making the playlist and hearing the songs together.  Either way, it's really cool and definitely seems intentional.

I wish more bands/artists out there put more effort into their music and made attempts at doing things like this, think outside the box, create art that leaves a lasting impression.  Strive for more than sales and popularity and looking cool.  Radiohead is proof that you can do all of those things and still have artistic credibility.

There are other acts out there currently that are doing thinking outside the box and being creative and moving music as an art-form in new and interesting directions.  I am just saying that there should be even more.  That's my goal.  That's what fills me with passionate and pushes me to play guitar and improve my skills and experiment and make recordings and put together albums.

It's been a while, so...

Anybody know of any internet radio stations that would be into this sort of experimental/psychedelic bullshit that I do?  I have reached out to some of my old connections, but I am not really interested (or able) to play shows right now, so it will be harder to build a fan base.  I was also thinking about posting some videos of my songs and my albums to Youtube as I might be able to draw some interest that way.  While I am certainly not looking to be a rock star or anything like that, I would like to share my music with people, and I think there are people out there who would enjoy it.  Maybe not very many (I don't know), but I would be very happy with a small, niche group.  Part of the joy of making music is sharing it with people.