(Monday, 08 September 2008) Written by Michelangelo
You might have thought so but I've been busy WORKING! Nasty time consuming contract that pays the bills. AArrrgggghhhh! Otherwise all is well. I have been working a bit with The Very Us Artist just wanted to make music instead of engineer in my precious free time. Anyway, let's get the compilation disks done. I need some quick voting on #3 and #4 and then I need to start pushing people to get me their music hi-fi. Still wan to be done but now by the end of Oct.
One of those that sounds totally like a movie story but... WAY back in my college days I played in a glam rock copy band (sad i know, but I've mended my ways -- and at least I learned to play pentatonic well). We do Van Halen, Aerosmith, Stones, Hagar, BUT NEVER POSION! Junction City, KS, Fort Riley AB. At JC we are playing at this little bar called "Jake's". We pull up to the address and find a place called "The Wagon Wheel" with this fence around it made of wagon wheels. Has a distinctive "... (2251 more chars)
Okay, okay. Someone just asked me in an E-mail how I got so good on the jaw harp. First, I wouldn't say I'm good on it.. just weird with it. Second, I have to confess as to why "weird" sounds "good"... I sold my soul to the devil. Yup. Sorry everyone.
.. at Mick's house. Friday 13th of June. You're all invited. Bring your own swim suits, bottles, and instruments. We'll swim, drink, and jam (though not in that order or maybe later all at once). Jam to the didj, dance to djembe, jig to the mouth harp. (I wish Shat Benatar could be there to play. The neighbors would LOVE that. I sure as hell would.)
For those that don't know: Texas legislation works like this: 1) The job pays about $18K a year 2) It meets for 3 months every other year There's a reason for this. It means you can't support yourself being a TX senator or rep. You also just have to be able to leave your job and head to Austin for the three months at a time. In other words, you have to already by independently weatlhly to represent Texas. Well, the Texas State Board of Education voted Friday on the new English standard. T... (836 more chars)
Loaded the final version of Spirits into my profile player. Includes Aldeles and Kapi which were previously not there. Try as I might I wasn't able to get the player to put them in order so there's some VERY ODD transitions as the album is continous and the end of one song might contain a little of the next. Life goes on.... Not impressed with what the MP3 encoder does to the music, but I can live with it. FInally got a master done and ordered from Kunaki. In the meantime, give my player a ... (10 more chars)
So my kidos are over this weekend and they brought their PS2 and a program caled "Sing Star". It comes with canned pop songs that you sing along with. It judges your timing and pitch as you sing. Best I could get was "hopeful" on "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Lead signer" on "Should I Stay or Should I Go" -- on the easy level. My daughter can't even play on the easy level because it's too easy. I make her play on "normal" and she's freaking pitch perfect. It's gives you a bar of where y... (424 more chars)
Ah, the feeling of being done. Remastered Gaia and Wanyama so the disk is pretty where I'd like it to be. Time to share a few of the concepts: 1) Aldeles (Spirit of Unity) - Swedish name - This is a fusion piece that brings together tribal, world, bluegrass, and folk all into one. This presents community and working together and is my mantra against the ugliness of division of people by nationality, race, sex, religion, or any other line drawn in the sand. It's time to stop finding ways to ... (3332 more chars)
Went on a little car ride with the kidos this weekend. It's the first time they've hears Spirits in it's final form. They've heard various parts and demos all along, but the Aldeles and Wanyama weren't complete and Kapi had never been started (except for the didj ideas) so it was the first time they got to hear everything. Of course, Gaia was something special to my daughter who did the vocal tracks (one singing, one singing as a little girl). They both loved it but we had a real good time ro... (503 more chars)
(Thursday, 28 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Just wanted to get this in, because it's going to get real busy tonight the minute, make that second, I get home.
I noticed a lot more colab work this year then last year and that is absolutely great. For me, colabs are good for so many reasons and it is the most fulfilling work I did all year. Quick ones, slow ones, all of them. I love combining talents. I love just turning a piece of work over to someone and saying, "Lets see what you come up with." I feel connected and there is someth... (5639 more chars)
(Wednesday, 27 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
I know it's late, but maybe there's a bass guitarist out there that has finished and has an hour or so to do a bass part for Wanyama ?
Would pretty much have to be done today or tonight. It's in my profile
player but I can provide one without the off beat drums that is much
easier to play too. Anybody out there got a spare hour? just
need something simple and you even have 4 measure in the middle to
strut your stuff however you choose to. I can beg!
(Wednesday, 27 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Half done with the songs. Tackled Gaia tonight and nailed it I think. It's been awhile since the revisit of this song, and hearing it again makes me appreciate it all over. From vision to sound, this one really worked. But best of all, it's RPM. It gives me goose bumps crawling all over my back. It is powerful with the tribe chanting the message. Goodness and truly sacred vibrations. Almost time to master. Need to gt step #5 taken care of.
(Tuesday, 26 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
I managed to coax a very whimsy kazoo sounding lead for Kapi on the pocket clarinet. For being such a quick record it has some potential. I used the same setup I had going for Aldeles because well, it was there, and I'm short on time. But everything is recorded and this is 85% acoustic this year and hard, hard work. Too many nights of 3 hours of sleep has taken it's toll and I'm low on motivation once again. But this time I don't have the day to take off and refresh. I've got the final mix... (937 more chars)
(Monday, 25 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Got Aldeles to a semi-finished state. If it weren't for punch recording the madnolin would have never happened. Some passages I played straight through, others maybe four measures at a time before I missed a chord or couldn't get my fingers out of the way. My $28 mandolin did well, but playing near the nut and down past the octave dots is pretty tough. That did limit what I could do, so lots of punching to get it complete. The takes flew by, "Undo capture" in Ardour actually just moves it to th... (1392 more chars)
(Sunday, 24 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
I have in my hands, one awesome fiddle part to Aldeles from Dani Graysen and man can she play. She so totally got into this feel of this, it is absolutely off-the-wall killer. Which is good in one way and bad in another. It's good because her playing is amazing. She used the octave fiddle during one of her "write it yourself" breaks and it is SO perfect. Something I would have never thought of. And we have this part where it's fugue like mandy-fiddle, then fiddle-mandy later, and played togeth... (735 more chars)
(Friday, 22 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
I've come to that point. It's time to record the real mandolin track. This weekend Dani should be sending me her fiddle part, she's actually recording it today (everything but her improv section). I'll get it tonight and then it will be time to see if I learned enough mandolin to make a good track. I'd imagine punch in/out will probably save me because I can do every passage well at least 1 in four times, even the fast scale runs. On an instrument tuned on 5ths the last two strings are the sam... (867 more chars)
(Thursday, 21 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
There are those times you think you know why you're with some one, and
then there are those times to KNOW why you are with someone. And
through a combination of things I recently had one of those little
epiphanies. My gal and I sat down and had a little heart-to-heart last
night and she straightened me out a bit as only she knows how. She said
it's about balance -- like Stu's pendulum swing. There is vile
ugliness in the world but there is also good and I'm not a big
judge of people ex... (2511 more chars)
(Wednesday, 20 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Suffering from a little burn out as I spent the whole weekend on RPM stuff, and while I produced a few things I'm proud of, it took the whole weekend and now kind of feels like work. I sat down last night and started putting my thoughts together in some final form for Kapi my last song that is just rough ideas. I've been practicing on the pocket clarinet, which is just a flute with a reed, same fingerings as a lakota flute. I don't really need to practice, I just need to come up with something ... (2302 more chars)
(Tuesday, 19 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Just a quick note. FOUND a fiddler. Finally. Dani Graysen will be handling the fiddling for Aldeles. Not an RPMer but her talents are welcome anyway, Tuesday thought posting on a few sites like craigslist would do it and it did. Thanks Tuesday! I guess tonight I need to fax her the sheet music, clean up the scratch track, and send away. She understands the deadline and I told her to make it her own. She sent me some samples which are AWESOME. Only bad news is, she's so good she's going to... (61 more chars)
(Monday, 18 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Hours of music this weekend and finished many things. The goal was
to get my colab requets cleared. That's done. Pending any last minute
requests it's all clear. Wouled like to get some time to work on the
drums of Zumatar's track ... just cause. Seems LaSala got most of my
time with his excellent ideas on both "clique" and "Very Us Artists".
I
sat down Saturday morning to do "Riza Paulo Mandisa" for the VUA RPM
album. Ideas had been rolling around in my head, nothing firm, but I
wan... (2236 more chars)
(Saturday, 16 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Today, I took a break from my own album to get a few colabs done.
I'm confident enough to upgrade my mandolin from "pure sucky" to "just
crap". But I'm I'm sure I can reach "sub-par" in five more days or so,
and just intime to record the mandy on the end. So, it's "Riza
Paulo Mandisa" today. A guitar, flute, and drum world feel peice for
the Very Us Artists RPM effort. In answer to a few question that have been posted to me, I got something to prove -- so stand
back just a little.
(Friday, 15 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Absolutely huge night last night. Knocked off of work a little early (shssssh!) and got home to an empty house...except the cat. Turned off the furnace unplugged the fridge, set the fans in the DAW to low, and picked up .... the mandolin. After a frustrating Tuesday, Gumbo Stu commented in a blog to simplify and reminded me it's only a scratch track -- take some time off. So I did. I've been living and breathing the mandy for almost 12 days. Practicing 4 hours a day, sitting at work with it in m... (2882 more chars)
(Thursday, 14 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
While working on Gaia yesterday I found some interesting challenges. I had 16 vocals tracks of the chanting, all recorded in different ambient environments, all at different levels, with a wide rang of tone. Putting them all together and lining I gave them a listen. I had been adding them as I got them but when BPK sent me the last track it filled the weak middle. The timing was slightly off, the pitches slightly off, etc. because my reference track wasn't so good and second they didn't have ... (1588 more chars)
(Wednesday, 13 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Been working the EQs and effects chain all night. Bastard of a mix. Got my last set of chanters in from Broken Promise Keeper and the tribe is sounding great. Couple more hours and #4 will be DONE!
(Wednesday, 13 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
I had high confidence the first part of the month that this was going well and would be easier this year. Then I got dumb, real dumb. I decided to learn to play an instrument I haven't touched in years and only then just a little. Call it over ambition or just plain stupid. It's all the same to me now. I will upgrade my mandolin playing from pure shitty to pure sucky. I can do the basic chords of the song without muting 80% of it on that TINY FREAKING FRETBOARD and I'm working on a lead. At ... (1804 more chars)
(Tuesday, 12 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Got another track for Gaia and Monopoli has decided to compete with Stu for lowest chant. Thanks, EV for the LOW end to go with Stu. That filled a gap in my sonic palette. Hopefully someone in the middle to go with mine own will shore up that section and the tribe is set. This is easily becoming one of my favorites even though it's going to be a nightmare to produce with 32 tracks so far. Thanks, Monopoli!
(Tuesday, 12 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
My day consists of this: Wake up ridiculously early thinking that I must not have gotten much sleep last night. Throw some cloths on in the dark, hoping they're mine and not my gal's. Grab the mandolin and drive to that thing called work Avoid as much of it as I can while sneaking into the backroom and practing mandolin whenever I get the chance. The boss understands, 'cause he's me. Drive home before traffic gets bad. Hug that person that says "Hi". do { Grab the mandolin and go ... (565 more chars)
(Monday, 11 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
This weekend was good. My daughter did an amazing track for Gaia . Did I say mezo-soprano? Not anymore, she's a soprano. We did tracks. She didn't want to sing in front of her brother (she's 14) so I showed her how to work the DAW (at 14 you can learn that in about 10 seconds) and she did all the recording work herself. We cleared out of the place and let her work and when I got back I had two wonderful tracks of Gaia 's simple message. Quick mix down and I found it rattling around in my head... (3027 more chars)
(Saturday, 09 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Saturday -- yeah. This is a day of fun and work. I am honored to have my kids in my household and even more excited to have my daughter, a pretty amazing mezzo-soprano, singing on Gaia . I'm a little worried about a bout of mic shyness so the plan is to tell her we're just practicing and "let's do a good full run through" and just lite the red light behind her back. Before she's knows it will be done. I sang her reference part, which both the kids got a big kick out of -- sad thing is, I tri... (1482 more chars)
(Friday, 08 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Kicked some major ass last night. Everything on my todo list was cleared and I still had time to practice the mandy. The Gaia chants are coming in and sounding great -- a little synth work on it before I turn my daughter loose on the vocals this weekend. This is a simple song but it is sounding great and I love the spirit of the RPM community being such an integral part of it. A little mixing tomorrow and I'll have the second song done with Yuuwa . Quite a ways to go on Saikafu but the flu... (1563 more chars)
(Thursday, 07 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
I'm at home, shaking off the work blues, sat in my comfortable chair, my flute in hand, gazing longing at the stick leaning against the wall.... It's showtime! 1) Record the flutes for Saikafu (4 parts) 2) Record the flutes or Yuuwa (3 parts) 3) Didj for Yuuaw (1 LONG 9 minute drone) 4) Drums for Saikafu 5) Record didj for Yerta (3 parts on two sticks) 6) Guitar scratch for Aldeles (with fake madnolin on guitar) 7) Didj for Yerta 8) Harass Ms Kitty a little more If I'm still awak... (163 more chars)
(Thursday, 07 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
No music last night. Went to Salome opera at the Dallas Music Hall at Fair Park. Not a bad production. Never ceases to amaze me how powerful opera singers are. Nice story. Mediocre dancing. Nudity. Amazing orchestra music from an 85 piece orchestra -- that's a ton especially for an opera. I'm look forward to the mornings at work now when I get to go through the blogs and "Post your demos here" threads and hear everything everybody is working on. Song names update: Yuuwa (Sky) Yerta (Earth)... (134 more chars)
(Wednesday, 06 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Another good night last night but still nothing to show for it. Still only one song done, the ancestral spirit which is just a traditional style didj rhythm that is my meditative offering this year. That's the one I recorded in the greenery of my gal's sun room and all it's natural reverbish acoustics. So far I've kept my hands off of it by resisting the effects processor and left it dry and natural. Spent last night importing and tweaking vocals for Gaia as they started coming in from the ... (818 more chars)
(Tuesday, 05 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
As I sit here listening to Joshua's podcast it's a good time to reflect. I have no idea where I am at album wise. I'm got parts of nearly every song done. But only parts. Only one song is compelety done. Only one. Another maybe close. Two planned and practiced and prototyped. Two more planned, played a little, but defintely no where near a song. One the wants a mandolin part I'm hoping to provide in time to find a fiddler. Two more that are just bits, little tiny bits, waiting for something t... (700 more chars)
(Monday, 04 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Yesterday, I was putting new strings on the $8 mandolin and began to practice (yeah it's cheap but it sounds good after the new strings which cost more then the whole instrument). Only have played the mandy at my gal's dad's for maybe a few hours in the last four years, it is an instrument that I once was reasonable on. Not so anymore. These years of guitar have got my fingers used to large fret boards and plenty of space. I'm feeling cramped on the mandy fretboard. But practice, practice, p... (1746 more chars)
(Saturday, 02 February 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Been a great morning. Woke up and refused to get out of bed since I was
up to 3AM last night pracitcing ad writing some parts on the keyboard
for Sky . Lounged around with the muse for a lazy awakening then inally got up and hit the studio. Then it all came and came fast for Green . THe flute part has been rattling around for days, it came out and got scored, and then a scratch track. THe chord progression was figured out, two themes, two variations, a bridge,two fills, and a nother theme ... (576 more chars)
(Thursday, 31 January 2008) Written by Michelangelo
My album is named "Spirits". It's my interpetation of the spirtis revered by ancient people. No not Zeus, Shiva, and Jesus but the spirits often associated with this here earth that we live on, the families that live on it, and those things that also inhabit it. It is a celebration of earth and call to everyone around to listen up, pay attention, and realize we need to take care of it -- or we'll simply cease to be. The tracks - these are jsut a few thoughts and ideas. Things I've scribbled d... (1662 more chars)
(Wednesday, 30 January 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Highlights of yesterday (in no particular order): 1) Call from credit card company and we determine someone is using one of my cards online and has racked up about $1400 of charges already. The card is in my wallet. Not a problem I'll get it all back but still a pain. 2) My son gets a 5 day suspension from school because he wrote this really creative comic that includes a scene of a guy falling into hell and ending up landing in the devil's toilet. The devil flushes it, not realizing he's in ... (2229 more chars)
I am pleased to annoucne a guest artist on my 2008 album. My daughter. We sat down this weekend and talked about song ideas. The different spirits we want to represent -- had this awesome idea for song names. Amazing creativity. I hope I can talk her into doing the album cover. I've been teaching her guitar and she's going to practice up and play a part for me. She's going to do the vocals on a song that she will be perfect for (if I can get her over being so nervous and worrying about what y... (255 more chars)
(Thursday, 24 January 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Finally got it done. From the Mumbo Gumbo Jumbo Challenge issued a few weeks ago by Gumbo Stu...I (not so proudly present) Bovination First track here: http://www.virb.com/michelangelo/music/albums/15995 The Ludwigs, the skins, the didj, the jew's harp, and, of course, the MOOOOOOOS! Hope you have fun with it.
(Thursday, 24 January 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Since flute is another instrument I can circular breath on, I've decide to go with flutes this year as well. Besides it fits my concept so well. Here's how things are shaking up in my noggin as of right now. Order a native american spirit flute I need to learn how to play in about two weeks to even have a shot at it. Been playing pennywhistle for a while so hoping the I have most of what I need to get going on the spirit flute. Song ideas 5 or 6 primarly didj based 1 drums only (maybe) 1... (472 more chars)
(Wednesday, 23 January 2008) Written by Michelangelo
Okay, this is turning out way too good to be the originally slaped together effort I started. This is just too fun. I have a few tiny little parts to go and then release. Problem is, this is good enough for the album. I SHOULD have saved it! Anyway, I got soocer to play tonight but if I get home in time, I'll finish it up and release it tonight. Otherwise --- tomorrow. Thanks, Stu, for the inspiration. This whole thing has let me get ready for the real thing by getting my software updated, t... (150 more chars)
