post hurricane music update

Posted by on October 2, 2008 1 comment

hurricane ike wrecked my mojo for a bit.  10 days without power really doesn’t do much for a laptop based studio.  or any studio for that matter.  i did manage to do some writing so that the latest project will have at least two hurricane blues tunes.  that seem appropriate, right?

in any case, i managed to get some rough mixing done on my latest track “moments before.”  it’s a very rough mix with me on dobro, guitar and bass.  i really like this tune.  i can listen to it on a loop for a long time before i get tired of it.  like my other mixes, this is temporary and i’m sure that there will be a pile of tweaks.  but we’ll just run with this for now.

what does the future hold?  a lot of time in the studio recording.  i have two more tracks to rework and then the two hurricane sketches to get down.  there is no way i will ever make my self-imposed, completely arbitrary deadline of october 3rd that i set way back in june or something silly like that.  though it was nothing that i was holding myself to i can’t say that i’m not a touch disapointed.  right now i want to see the whole thing wrapped up before the end of the year, but music is funny.  it’s done when it’s done and not one minute before.  i’m happy to be along for the ride.

i’m working on some thought pieces about various aspects of composing in the early 21st century.  there are some simple critiques of tools and a lot of what i’m thinking about is how the tools we use shape the music that we create.  it only makes sense that if you have a hammer and chisel you’ll make one kind of art and if you have a paintbrush you’ll make another.  my argument is more along the line of a clarinet vs. a marimba but you get my drift.  you can watch this space for musings along those lines.

also of note is the fact that i am in a blog update challenge with my buddy kevlar to have an update by thursday of every week.  i’m hoping that it’s yet another way of keeping myself honest and on track.  and speaking of tracks…

here is my latest mix from “my reasons”:  moments before

Creative Commons License
moments before by j.c. wilson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.othertime.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://othertime.com.

sticking with it

Posted by on September 10, 2008 No comments

the toughest part of having a full time non-music job and a fantastic family is the lack of practice time. i’m constantly noodling on my six string. i’m rarely more than 10 paces from it, but the other instruments that i really love get neglected. for example, off of the top of my head for no really good reason, my dobro. (for nitpickers: call it what you want, it’s a dobro.)

i love the sound. it’s an instrument that i really enjoy playing at. notice that i said “playing at.” i don’t play it. i’m never going to go down in history as a “dobro player,” but i like it. and i love the unique voice it has. as a matter of pure coincidence this instrument figures prominently in the tune i’m hacking on right now. it’s a simple line, but it’s giving me fits. why? because i don’t practice.

if i had the time and knew the people i would call someone up and say “hey, want to lay down a quick and easy track for me?” but i don’t. i won’t use a sampled dobro (even if there is such a thing, which i seriously doubt). and i won’t simplify the line or use another instrument. it’s quite a fine hole i’ve dug for myself.

the best part is that when the track is released everyone will say “that’s what caused all the trouble?” and i’ll have to point at something shiney and run the other direction.

not compromising sucks, but i can’t see it being any other way, so it’s back to the woodshed and a thousand takes.

on the positive side, the rhythm lines and bass are down. that part sounds pretty cool, but it will sound a thousand times cooler when i get the dobro in there.

progress is a good thing

Posted by on September 5, 2008 No comments

i just spent about an hour going through the motions of editing the tune i linked to yesterday. there are a couple of things to note. first, i’m glad that i stuck with this one. i really, really like it. it’s contemplatively happy. it also has a chamber ensemble vibe that is really hard to achieve when there is only one musician involved. oh how i hate playing alone. but until i can find other musicians who can record in my studio from exactly 8 pm to 9 pm every night, i am where i am.

another thing that i would like to mention is that i’m really loving logic 8 right now. it’s so nice when things simply do what i want them to do. so many tools work against me or force me to think. i don’t want to think. i can’t mess around with manuals and “what’s the shortcut for that again?” thinking. i want to hear an imperfection and deal with it. my time and patience are limited. i work very hard to make recordings with very few mistakes or issues that require editing, so when i’m editing i’m usually pretty unhappy. a tool that gets in my way is not acceptable. thank you logic for being easy to use. less thinking, more doing.

what does any of this mean? it means that i have 4 tunes more or less in the bag. 7 more to go. my next stop is adding a dobro track to a piece. practice makes perfect but looping segments for recording multiple takes in rapid succession will do in a pinch. and i’m pinched.

a nice, rough mix

Posted by on September 4, 2008 No comments

this tune has been giving me fits. it has taken me over a month to get something that i like and here we are…well, at least this is close. take a listen on the music page and drop me a line to let me know what you think.

when i spend a little time and get it all edited down, mixed up and properly tweaked, i think i’ll be quite proud of the result. i have no idea why i’m so taken with this little tune, but i am.

enjoy!

all is not lost

Posted by on September 2, 2008 No comments

i have been hacking away at the same tune for about a month now. i have no idea why it has taken so long to finalize an arrangement, but it has. the result is pleasant but will require some editing. i hate it, but sometimes that’s the way it has to be.

life is busy. a family takes time if you’re going to do it right. i also want to do my music right. i guess that means that my self-imposed deadline for the release of this album is going to be blown to pieces. i would have to really pull off a miracle to make it happen and i don’t want to rush this one the way i did the last. with “the green man collection” it was almost as important to finish it as it was to do it right. that album was really a process for me and i’m glad that i did it the way i did. that said, i really need to do this one right for the same reasons. it’s another process.

i’m using a pile of new methods to motivate myself. i’m going to see if connecting with old friends and new via several networking sites and one of those narcissistic “look at me” technologies (twitter) will provide some external force. all of the requisite links are over there on the left. it’s harder to slack and not show progress when people are watching.

expect more frequent updates. i am going to put things out in the open and see where it takes me.