South

I plan to hit the open mic at the Barley St. Monday night and I wanted to try and have at least one new track to play. There's a song I've been beating my head against the wall to finish, but I hit some inspiration this weekend and ripped a new song, start to finish tonight. Nice when the lyrics hit quick and easy.

http://www.tindeck.com/listen/khye

Life After RPM

Wake Up (Demo)

Moving on...

Had a jam session with Sean tonight and it was surprisingly productive. I came out with two new ideas to be twisted and molded into something real. One song, for sure, will be full band only, but the other will work ok on the acoustic. Both have a real strong and somewhat droning sound to it. Big riffs, though, and very fun. I'll have to get moving on putting them to paper.

I also got to play guitar through my amp, instead of through a software amp simulator. Quite refreshing to not look at my amp unplugged; its tubes sitting cold and brittle. No, tonight the vacuum tubes burned with the fires of rock and roll as I moved this thing forward.

I want to get a few more songs together and then hit a few open mic shows here in town. Until Sean and I commit to a full band arrangement and find a drummer, this here's a solo act.

February Really Did Disappear

The RPM Challenge is all over. The last step is to mail the cd into RPM headquarters on Monday and let the cash roll in.

I've said it in previous posts, but it's been a really amazing experience. I learned a lot over the course of the month about myself, about what my music sounds like when I stop trying to shoe-horn it into particular styles, about the recording and engineering process...

I've been out of a band for literally years and I'd been unsure if I'd ever do anything substantial after my last band, The Trust, did our demo. I'm glad I have something more. I did write the majority of the music (not to understate the contributions of the other members), but this is 100% me, completely free to explore what I can possibly produce. I feel I was able to tap that musical core and produce the most honest, authentic music I've ever done.

Big thanks to everyone who's pushed me along.

While you're at it, go check out T.J. and Sarah's RPM Challenge album. It's awesome, and humbles me greatly. "Phantom Vibrations" wrecks me.

(So Too Does February Disappear)

It's out. Come and get it.

I know RapidShare sucks, but I have no other spot to put it at the moment. In any case, it's available.

I'm super excited to have it all done. Like, DONE done. The tracks all came out really well considering my spartan recording setup and the timeframe it was all completed in. 23 Days. Holy Crap.

EDIT: Moved the file to MediaFire.com

Wrapping up

Last night, in a fit of unhappiness with how it fit the project as a whole, I rewrote and restructured the lyrics of "Oracle of Everything." While it's a bit creepier now, it's a stronger fit for the album, and makes a great last track.

I've also been remixing all the tracks to get all the songs consistent in their volume peaks and also to ensure that vocals are all up enough in the mix. when i was starting out the recording process, i was unhappy with the performances, so i was burying the vocals in the mix. I'm a bit happier with them now, overall (well, some songs more than others), but it's sounding great IMO. it's a much better production than I've ever done. I wish I had a large diaphragm mic that I could have used for vocals, but eq has helped over come the shortcomings of my equipment (thanks Waves!).

I should have the tracks up early this week. I could keep working these songs forever, but I'm going to kick this out the door. Stay tuned.

My Apologies Redux

Unhappy with the re-recorded vocals, I backed off and took a different approach. the song is WAAAAAAAYYYYYY different in tone and overall feel and I had to re-write the chorus completely. Also, I ditched the drums and added a sparse, more lo-fi electronic beat. There's not much there. just enough to keep the song moving. It really feels like a whole different song and I'm totally in love with it.

Can't wait to get some feedback on it. In the meantime, here's a sample.

I've also been re-mixing the tracks. that's going to be going on until the last second, i'm sure.