Sunday, November 02, 2003
The work
Had a good weekend -
'everyone smiles' - firming up the string arrangement ideas, putting in demo vocals. Happy with how it's sounding - just needs a bit more tidying up.
'thanks to the house' - set a tempo and put down guide guitar and vocals. Will check the tempo tonight or tomorrow to see if it still feels ok.
The process
Much more relaxed and positive about it all...working on it when i feel positive...the deadline looms even closer (mid-April) but i feel more positive about making this baby and not so 'driven/desperate' - all those things that happen when one loses sense of enjoying something...
C the dub is back (at least today!!)
Had a good weekend -
'everyone smiles' - firming up the string arrangement ideas, putting in demo vocals. Happy with how it's sounding - just needs a bit more tidying up.
'thanks to the house' - set a tempo and put down guide guitar and vocals. Will check the tempo tonight or tomorrow to see if it still feels ok.
The process
Much more relaxed and positive about it all...working on it when i feel positive...the deadline looms even closer (mid-April) but i feel more positive about making this baby and not so 'driven/desperate' - all those things that happen when one loses sense of enjoying something...
C the dub is back (at least today!!)
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Had Weds Nite Club last night - so no work on the album - but woke up this morning at 7am and decided to GET UP! spent the next couple of hours re-demoing a guide guitar and vocal for 'everyone smiles' at 145 bpms...i think this is going to be a better tempo but will listen when i get home.
Monday, October 20, 2003
The work
just a small job - transfer 'everyone smiles' onto disc to take 'round to Steve so that he can add drums.
I'll just have a quick listen....
sounds toooo slow....oh no - not the tempo dilemma again...
spent 2 hours listening to the song at 142 vs 145 bpms (beats per minute) - still couldn't decide but had an inkling that will need to speed up...will listen tonight...if so - will re-record rough guitar and vocals
The process
not as fraught as one would imagine given the last 3 weeks for me...
it's all about finding that happy place - where this album isn't the be-all-and-end-all of my existence/worth....which means taking time out to enjoy life and coming to it in a way that will enable me to have a quality time...
sorry for the boring blog...just have to call it as i see it - have a head cold and cramming this in after work...moan moan - roll on Summer!!
just a small job - transfer 'everyone smiles' onto disc to take 'round to Steve so that he can add drums.
I'll just have a quick listen....
sounds toooo slow....oh no - not the tempo dilemma again...
spent 2 hours listening to the song at 142 vs 145 bpms (beats per minute) - still couldn't decide but had an inkling that will need to speed up...will listen tonight...if so - will re-record rough guitar and vocals
The process
not as fraught as one would imagine given the last 3 weeks for me...
it's all about finding that happy place - where this album isn't the be-all-and-end-all of my existence/worth....which means taking time out to enjoy life and coming to it in a way that will enable me to have a quality time...
sorry for the boring blog...just have to call it as i see it - have a head cold and cramming this in after work...moan moan - roll on Summer!!
Sunday, October 19, 2003
Hi ya - yes - it's me - i'm alive...fell off the treadmill a bit...burnout...exhaustion...burning the candle at both ends...too friggin consumed with making an album...ticking it off my to-do list....and making a GREAT album...that i forgot to chill and enjoy the ride...
so - a week and a half off - kind-a - behind schedule but, hey - there's gotta be a better way to do things in life than to screw your insides up in the process...
so what now? hmmmm take it a bit easier - think of another plan of attack - enjoy life on the way (something i'm not always good at doing...) - one of the hurdles to get over...
yeah yeah chris - you make it all sound damn hard...well - after months like this in my head i could swear it is...but i'm sure i can crawl my way outta this again...
have worked on new version of 'everyone smiles' - will get the bare bones of that to Steve to put drums to...if i can convince him to play like a 70's cat with lots of fills...
so - a week and a half off - kind-a - behind schedule but, hey - there's gotta be a better way to do things in life than to screw your insides up in the process...
so what now? hmmmm take it a bit easier - think of another plan of attack - enjoy life on the way (something i'm not always good at doing...) - one of the hurdles to get over...
yeah yeah chris - you make it all sound damn hard...well - after months like this in my head i could swear it is...but i'm sure i can crawl my way outta this again...
have worked on new version of 'everyone smiles' - will get the bare bones of that to Steve to put drums to...if i can convince him to play like a 70's cat with lots of fills...
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
The work
there was none to speak of - i realised today i have hit the wall - well, maybe not THE wall, but a small wall!
You realise these things when....
a) more than one person in the space of a day tells you that you look tired
b) the first thing you say when you arrive at work is "i need a break from my life"
c) you're eating copious amounts of comfort and/or junk food even when you feel full
d) you check your account to find you've spent way more than you thought you had
e) everything looks the same - the view, the surroundings.....
f) all you really want to say is blah de blah....
so - having made this diagnosis today - i now have the task of getting me back. Suffice to say there has been no recording work happening this week - obviously i just didn't want to...i am sposed to be meeting with Dyl tonight and will stick with that commitment. Also need to work out better hours for the Weds Nite Club (my other songwriting venture as it finishes way too late for a school nite!!).
Other than that - reconnect with the things i love and that love me...
...here's hoping for a quick recovery!
there was none to speak of - i realised today i have hit the wall - well, maybe not THE wall, but a small wall!
You realise these things when....
a) more than one person in the space of a day tells you that you look tired
b) the first thing you say when you arrive at work is "i need a break from my life"
c) you're eating copious amounts of comfort and/or junk food even when you feel full
d) you check your account to find you've spent way more than you thought you had
e) everything looks the same - the view, the surroundings.....
f) all you really want to say is blah de blah....
so - having made this diagnosis today - i now have the task of getting me back. Suffice to say there has been no recording work happening this week - obviously i just didn't want to...i am sposed to be meeting with Dyl tonight and will stick with that commitment. Also need to work out better hours for the Weds Nite Club (my other songwriting venture as it finishes way too late for a school nite!!).
Other than that - reconnect with the things i love and that love me...
...here's hoping for a quick recovery!
Monday, September 29, 2003
Reinspired!
Well - spent the evening at a presentation by a Marine Scientist who took a group of people to Antarctica to research the largest known iceberg, B-15.
This rekindled my love of ice and glaciers and stuff!!! It gave me a renewed enthusiasm for the songs i have written and am recording and had awesome pictures of icebergs and now i'm looking at satellite pictures like the one above!
one site to check out is The ATSR Project...
love the pics that show progress of the calving iceberg...it's even got a pic on the birthday of my ex, don't worry i'm slowly coming to terms with this 'break-up' event in my life - just couldn't help but notice the serendity...after all - some of the songs were born through this and it all fits snug with the ice imagery...breaking up....coldness...rah de rah - it is all beautiful really...
i love the name of one particular iceberg - B15B (could be a song or album title eh?) not that it's Breakup No 15 or anything!
so - reenergised, reenthused and ready to go on more album stuff - although tonight i have weds nite club...
yay to the funny little things that turn us on!!
Well - spent the evening at a presentation by a Marine Scientist who took a group of people to Antarctica to research the largest known iceberg, B-15.
This rekindled my love of ice and glaciers and stuff!!! It gave me a renewed enthusiasm for the songs i have written and am recording and had awesome pictures of icebergs and now i'm looking at satellite pictures like the one above!
one site to check out is The ATSR Project...
love the pics that show progress of the calving iceberg...it's even got a pic on the birthday of my ex, don't worry i'm slowly coming to terms with this 'break-up' event in my life - just couldn't help but notice the serendity...after all - some of the songs were born through this and it all fits snug with the ice imagery...breaking up....coldness...rah de rah - it is all beautiful really...
i love the name of one particular iceberg - B15B (could be a song or album title eh?) not that it's Breakup No 15 or anything!
so - reenergised, reenthused and ready to go on more album stuff - although tonight i have weds nite club...
yay to the funny little things that turn us on!!
Sunday, September 28, 2003
The Weekend
The work
spent time on Manitoba - played with guitar textual ideas and also with a blowing instrument with minature keyboard keys on it. Don't know what it is called - called it a melodian for now. The sound it gives reminds me of a kd lang song (remake of Cole Porter's "So In Love") - it gives a sort of a Greek layabout feel (don't know if that's right for the song - might need to smooth the sound up a bit!). Had a bit of trouble getting into the work coz everytime i blew the darn thing, my cat (Maverick) would get all smoochy and chatty and come over for cuddles!! Funny, he hasn't been doing that with the guitar feedback sounds!
So - i took a wee break and waited for him to go to sleep on the bed and then was able to get into it.
The process
Like some of the ideas i came up with but on listening back - they weren't necessarily played up to standard - so i had to convince myself basically that i needed to start again on every track and go through again - replaying bits that weren't tight - one thing about being your own quality-controller...there are times when you want to say - she'll be right...
The work
spent time on Manitoba - played with guitar textual ideas and also with a blowing instrument with minature keyboard keys on it. Don't know what it is called - called it a melodian for now. The sound it gives reminds me of a kd lang song (remake of Cole Porter's "So In Love") - it gives a sort of a Greek layabout feel (don't know if that's right for the song - might need to smooth the sound up a bit!). Had a bit of trouble getting into the work coz everytime i blew the darn thing, my cat (Maverick) would get all smoochy and chatty and come over for cuddles!! Funny, he hasn't been doing that with the guitar feedback sounds!
So - i took a wee break and waited for him to go to sleep on the bed and then was able to get into it.
The process
Like some of the ideas i came up with but on listening back - they weren't necessarily played up to standard - so i had to convince myself basically that i needed to start again on every track and go through again - replaying bits that weren't tight - one thing about being your own quality-controller...there are times when you want to say - she'll be right...
