Isn't She Lovely (bits)

I had a day to myself, this very cold January day in Canada. So I played some guitar, bass, and some keys. I tapped a beat and, ta da, here's some bits of a start strung together.

Recorded using GarageBand and....

• '07 Ovation CS 245/12
• '08 Fender Jaguar bass
• '01 Rickenbacker 360/6  
• Line 6 Mobile Keys 49
• Drums programmed via GB's Musical Typing & voiced through EZ Drummer

Shut Up & Drive

Recorded using GarageBand and....

• '07 Ovation CS 245/12
• '84-'87 E-Series Fender Stratocaster
• Mid-'60s 330-style Kent bass
• Drums programmed via GB's Musical Typing & voiced through EZ Drummer

However You Choose

A single minute or so mapped.

Recorded using GarageBand and....

• '07 Ovation CS 245/12
• '84-'87 E-Series Fender Stratocaster
• '06 Gibson SG Special
• Kawai keyboard with voicings facilitated by GB
• Drums programmed via GB's Musical Typing & voiced through EZ Drummer

Natural

I'm not a lyrics man. I name tunes after whatever is going on during the tune's development. Background sounds buzz like mosquitoes. A Natrel advert was buzzing in the background while part of this demo was recorded. Hence the tune's name: Naturel.

I'm working towards a particular bass sound. By using Pyramid flats, a dense foam rubber mute under the strings at the bridge, a very heavy pick and palm-mute all run through a Vox amp with lots of compression ... it's getting close.

The recording is only two parts here, but doubled for length.

Recorded using GarageBand and....

• '04 Epiphone Casino
• '04 Rickenbacker 370/12
• '08 Fender Jaguar bass
• Kawai keyboard with voicings facilitated by GB
• Drums programmed & played through GB's Musical Typing

Falling - Vocal Test

This was an exercise to practice placing vocals in a mix. I used GB vocal loops for the vocals on top of a home grown backing track I recorded this afternoon.

Recorded using GarageBand and....

• '04 Epiphone Casino
• '06 Rickenbacker 340
• '08 Fender Jaguar bass
• Kawai keyboard with voicings facilitated by GB
• Voices facilitated by GB, chopped and thrown against the wall like so much spaghetti
• Drums programmed & played through GB's Musical Typing

Writer's Block Omnibus

I've had pretty wicked writer's block for what seems forever. Work stress sucks. Here are a few of the most recent kicks at the can and assorted indulgences.

Autumn Sun


Soul Cookin'


I Need Something Better


Sinusaurus


Recorded using GarageBand and (variously)....

• '07 Epiphone Casino / '06 Rickenbacker 340 VP VB / '04 Rickenbacker 370/12
• '08 Fender Jaguar bass / Mid-'60s Kent bass
• Kawai keyboard with voicings facilitated by GB
• Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer
• ElectroVoice Raven dynamic microphone
• Drums programmed & played through GB's Musical Typing

That's All There Is, Really

This started out a few months ago as '"Saturday Afternoon, Late One Spring'. Since then, I've played around with it, cleaning up parts and working to develop an interesting 'middle eight'. While it really needs to be edited down into something more cohesive, here's where it stands today. With this post, you can hear the development of an idea over a summer.

By the way, the Brian Wilson show we attended recently was pretty amazing. Poignant. What a master.

Recorded using GarageBand and....

• '04 Epiphone Casino
• Mid-'60s 330-style Kent bass
• Kawai keyboard with voicings facilitated by GB
• Drums were looped, chopped up & re-voiced through GB

Feelings

Rough bed tracks for a cover of The Grass Roots tune from 1968. This is one case we're I'd love to have a Les Paul with good humbuckers, as the Casino's P-90s don't have the "oomph", the clean dirt & sustain/heaviness this needs. The 360 has single-coil pups, too, so no humbucker sound there. Still, sounding OK so far. Note to self: Get a decent Les Paul ... one day.

Recorded using GarageBand and....

• '04 Epiphone Casino
• '01 Rickenbacker 360/6
• '87 Guild GF-30 acoustic
• Mid-'60s 330-style Kent bass
• Kawai keyboard with voicings facilitated by GB
• ElectroVoice Raven dynamic microphone
• Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer
• Drums programmed & played through GB's Musical Typing

I Thought I Remembered You - Incomplete Demo

Built around the finger picking style and bass line of an old band tune we called "Big Star". The original tune was about our aspirations: "I wanna be a big star...." Here, I'm playing heavily with percussion loops, using multiple layers to determine how to weave the layers to best advantage.

Recorded using GarageBand and....

• '06 Rickenbacker 340 VP VB
• '08 Fender Jaguar bass
• Kawai keyboard with voicings facilitated by GB
• Drums were looped, chopped up & re-voiced through GB

In A Special Way - Incomplete

At the time this was written, I was especially into Motown and this tune shows it. A very basic demo, as the roughly sketched lead line indicates, but it has the beginnings of a serious groove. The gigged version rocked.

Recorded using GarageBand and....

• '04 Epiphone Casino
• '06 Rickenbacker 340/6
• '04 Rickenbacker 370/12
• '08 Fender Jaguar bass
• Drums were looped, chopped up & re-voiced through GB