what is going on in your musical life

also i'll say that if you do want to add pre-recorded electronic parts to your live band, it can be better to split them up into sections (nothing longer than four bars) and have someone manually trigger them on a sampler or drum pads. basically what emily says. that way you don't have to worry about the whole band staying in time with sequences, because even if things get off they'll get reset on the next phrase.

― festival culture (Jordan), Monday, March 3, 2014 11:26 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Good idea, I'll look into the possibility of this.

I don't know if that's just because this is a place to vent without having to deal with the kickback from your friends, or if it's because you are actually not having the best time... but maybe that's another thing for you to think about.

I realise I come across like I'm moaning a lot ITT, but really it's because firstly I care a lot about the other dudes in my band - we've become very close since we started playing together a couple of years ago and I respect their ideas and ultimately their feelings. The band is something we all care about a lot but I'm very conscious of trampling or running wild around a project and getting too involved while blocking them out and making them feel frustrated. We've got very similar ideas but certain things (production choices for example, the drums never seem to be loud enough for my drummer evidently) we'll disagree with and then it can feel like a bit of an emotional battlefield. I guess this is regular band shit, and yeah I'm venting and thinking through out loud.

What I mean is dl is that when you register your songs with BMI or ASCAP (wait, you're UK and I don't know what you guys uuse), you will have to put down names, not band names. This is largely a symbolic gesture for 99% of bands out there, your drummer will be getting $2 cheques every year, but it means a lot imo, separates the Corgans and Stings from the rest of humanity. If you've established that you all stand to benefit from the success of these songs, people will mind less if you get pro-active, no?

Ah we're not at that stage yet by any means. I think it's more an issue of input, each member wanting to put their own personal stamp on a track. There's rarely a question as to who wrote a track (usually it's 50% one person/25%/25% the others and that's agreed).

But if a very rough jam demo is brought to someone's house, resequenced, rearranged, reordered and rerecorded in the image of just one person in the band it means that the track gets taken further and further away from the others.
On the one hand it's being helmed by one person who has the drive and vision and time to do it (making for productive work), but I'm worried about excluding people from the creative process because once I've spent hours and days thinking about how a track should sound and then tried to implement it at home in my spare time, I'm then playing the rest of the band music they had little part in creating. And the urge (on their part) is to want to do something to leave their mark on the track (so that it feels like they had a hand in it), whereas sometimes it can feel more like they're just meddling with something I've toiled over for days just for the sake of it.
I dunno, it's a strange dynamic. There's a lot of ego involved I guess, and mine's admittedly one of them.

Don't do it this way though:

During the recording sessions, Farrell stated he wanted 50 percent of the band's publishing royalties for writing the lyrics, as well as quarter of the remaining half for writing music, adding up to 62.5 percent total. Bassist Eric Avery said he and the other band members, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins, were stunned by Farrell's demands.[2] Farrell refused to compromise. One day Jerden drove up to the studio to find Farrell, Navarro, and Perkins leaving; Farrell told him that the band had broken up and that there would be no record. Warner Bros. called an emergency meeting to resolve the situation. Farrell got the royalty percentage he sought, and the other band members received 12.5 percent each. Avery said the incident had a profound effect on the band, creating an internal fracture.[3]

Honestly dl? that problem is a band-killer and track-ruiner and something some bands never outgrow :) I mean, "leaving their mark on the track".

Maybe a good thing to try: if there is a track that needs a lot of solo work, sit down beforehand with your band members and establish some benchmarks for how the track should end up-- other tracks to compare your work to. If you're dealing, as a group, with a comparative exercise ("let's make this song as good as that song" "have we succeeded? why not") then there's less opportunity for weird ego stuff to get involved, it feels more like an assignment?

Cool cool. Yeah we do meet up and discuss ideas and I email them nearly every day with updates and 'here's how it's going' and 'I think this needs to change, what do you think?' type questions. That said neither of them have regular internet access so I guess it's not my fault if they don't read em. Again, I think it's about egos and feelings - I know everyone in the band wants to feel like they're contributing, or else why be in a band? Oh well... Anyway, I'll shut up now because these kinds of intraband foibles are essentially foibles which are as much effected by environment than anything else. But thanks FGTI, Jordan, emil.y, Trayce and all for listening to me moan ;-)

Maybe my classroom management skills are more portable than I thought! Good suggestions. Running off and doing yr own thing without setting expectations as a group first sounds like a situation made to be misunderstood. Wtf do I know, but this is a people issue in addition to a band issue.

Yes it is. Also working with people who both have minor mental health issues which can manifest in depression, self-doubt, moodswings etc is both a blessing and a curse.

god that sounded a bit horrible. i'm going to shut up now.

Continuing to proselytize my "be in a band with your friends" philosophy: I had a psychologically-motivating long-distance phone call with my drummer (works in a bar) who told me that he and my bassist (works in the same bar) spent their time closing up the night before talking about how much they loved some new demos, playing music, practising parts on their own, generally optimistic conversations and back-patting. I was depressed when I called and he completely cheered me up. But, I am fortunate enough to know these guys for 14 years, see my bassist be best man at my drummer's wedding, my boyfriend become best friends with my drummer's wife, etc. etc. I'm happy to work with strangers as a sub-ordinate, but if I'm gonna be Captain Creative on any project I'm gonna work with people who're gonna be with me all the way to the retirement home

I met my bass player via OK Cupid of all things, haha. But we very rapidly went "dating wont happen, but hey, wanna come jam with me and my buddy? I love your singing", and it turned into this thing that was so instantly right and clicked and magical that i couldnt help but sort of fall in love with my little team. I've never been happier to be a musician.

IOW I totally relate to what you're saying, goonie x

My Dad's not a big music fan and he's never really been all that fussed or interested in the music I make beyond a slightly nonplussed 'So you made this did you?' type of reaction. But I went round his house last night and played him the 7/8 track I'm working on and he totally flipped out and made me play it three more times over the course of the evening.
'By far the best thing you've ever done' he said, and while that kind of diminishes all the other things I've played him in the 17 years I've been making music, it did mean a hellavu lot to me. I think it must be the engineer in him which appreciated the irregular metre, but he also seemed to 'get' what I was trying to do, asking me about the lyrics and the various instruments in the mix. Anyway, it meant a lot to me and affirmed a few things. I'm happy!

That's really cool, DL!

Yeah, that's ace.

I am proud of the website I made:

http://resistorsings.com/

Cool site, I love the interface and I really like your songs Steve

Thanks dude I been honing my JavaScript chops

the cran creakin' show went very well, and he is a true gentleman.

venue lols:

when a dude asks you, a sound person, to mic his skateboard wheel so that one can hear it spinning. lmao, learn how shit works.

Tomorrow I'm doing my first actual gig where I'm the singer (rather than a backing singer), I'm not nervous at all, but we're still a bit sloppy/jammy, so I hope it goes ok! Its not a full show, we're doing a mere half hour set with a buncha other people, but cross yer appendages for me y'all! Im really excited about this. I love my band.

That is hilarious roxy.

Have fun Trayce. I have my first performance in a super long time on Monday, too.

Also I'm pumped about the artwork I just finished putting together.

Great stuff all! Trayce, you'll be fine.

Trying to coerce my band into working out an acoustic set. I've just worked out a version of 'Tainted Love' done in the style of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.

that's exciting, trayce!
i am definitely still in the larval phase but it's spring so who knows what will happen

Half an hour isn't a full set?! Good luck, Trayce, you'll be great, I'm sure.

Struggling to stay awake long enough to finish this violin/piano piece, argh.

Got slightly more loldrunk than was wise before I sang, luckily I still did fine - so Im told, the sound was weird and I couldnt quite hear myself as I'd expected to, and it all went past in a deer in the headlights "ohshit I cant remember all my lyrics" blur. Fun!

Lesson learned tho - absolutely no preshow drinking from now on.

There is definitely a delicate balance to be struck w/ pre-show drinking

Balance = 0, for me.

I've been getting emails about my old music but I am too embarrassed about those songs to respond!!

You really shouldnt be, you're a fantastic pop song writer!

Struggling to stay awake long enough to finish this violin/piano piece, argh.

Ha, five days after posting that, it's done.

Pretty sure there's a lesson about keeping things simple when you have very limited time.

waiting for it to FINALLY get warm enuff that I can sit out on my porch with a guitar in the evening and lazily improvise fingerstyle pieces for the pleasure of one or more stray cats

tune to modal D and call yourself mark catzelek

i am finally at the point where i need to develop some sort of storage/organizational system for keeping track of my musical things
also if you feel up to it, there is some major sonic weirdness in this track fellow ilxor jon lewis made on his phone during commutes with one of my earlier drum recordings
(my dog carl is also on it, ha)
http://tbnurse.tumblr.com/post/80946992274/hooray-a-brand-new-hella-far-out-addition-to-the

It was so much fun! Also, the blown-out b-side remix is finished but I'm having trouble liberating it from my phone.

After 30 years of playing actual guitars I am intensely fascinated with fake phone app guitars atm...

Almost a year in and our band still doesnt have a fucking name anyone can agree on. We came up with:

Lightning Trees (shot down by me cos of the Lightning Seeds)
Unravel (everyone likes this but no one's committed)
the Alice Illusion (I love this, B says its "a bit hipster")

I'd be ok with a proggy sounding name (a la porcupine tree or whatever) as we're in that vein but GAH! Why is it so hard. It feels like getting a tattoo - once you decide, you're kind of stuck with it...

Anyone who's heard our stuff (nb not my solo stuff, but theres 1 or 2 of the band things on my SC) is welcome to chuck ideas at me.

if anyone cares about any of my shit it's here http://argentinumastrum666.bandcamp.com/album/malleus-maleficarum

Instead of putting together a band to perform the songs I've been writing, I've decided to just do some sloppy lofi country funk versions on my own with a drum machine. http://soundcloud.com/s3th-1/heaven-please-be-that-solo

It's been pretty nice getting this stuff off my chest

roxy i regret not buying one of your lps for sale when i saw you -- i really really enjoyed the show!! i'm interested in your songwriting process tbh but this is probably not the place to ask

runes are involved iirc

not really, theyre just involved in how we map out the riff order for later reference
ok runes are involved

Heez, that's a really nice song. I don't say this often, but good guitar solo.

Thanks!! You're the second person today to compliment me on that solo. Feeling confident :)

<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/86803085" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/86803085";>Burning Cactus/Craigslist Lament</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user13924429";>Andrea Magenheimer</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com";>Vimeo</a>.</p>

Here is a song and video I made. Questions and comments welcome.

Oh goddamn it. fine. https://vimeo.com/86803085