Music Photography Stupidfresh - The Album The Bus Stop Archives
Music :: Song-a-Day Project
Every day of TV Turnoff week I will be writing and recording a new song and placing it on my website. I am hoping that by not watching TV, I will have the time and creative energy to make some new music. Also, by constraining myself to one song in a day, I'll be forced to commit to some creative moves without the leisure of agonizing over decisions. Here are the only rules for this project:
1. The song must have a beginning
2. The song must have an end
3. It must be written, recorded and posted to the website
in one dayUsing this as an outline I will be making songs of varied lengths,
styles, approaches, instrumentation, etc.
Day 1: 4/19/04 - Brain Stem (2MB MP3)
Be Warned! This song is the ugliest of them all! FEEL FREE TO SKIP AHEAD
TO THE BETTER DAYS!
Pretty bad song here, but no so bad if you consider I wrote & recorded
this in 45 minutes while home on my lunch break! Was reminiscing about grunge
music today which may account for the dirty tone. Normally, I would never
post something like this, but a rule's a rule and I needed to get something
up quick! I am hoping for more time for crafty tunes in the coming days.
Day 2: 4/20/04 - The Vibe_Shorty (1MB MP3)
This is the short version of what could have been a longer song, but as
time is an issue this is how it must be. Stripped down beat, a bit of scratchin
and a hook. Turntable production all over it. Posted late night.
Day 3: 4/21/04 - Ditty (2.5MB MP3)
Another quickie, this time on acoustic guitar - no lyrics. 45 minutes for
writing recording and posting. In and out- nobody gets hurt.
Day 4: 4/22/04 - Hippy Lament (2.7MB MP3)
Picture it : Burlington Vermont - 1997 ... I'm a college grad fully immersed
in the hippy world. If I still lived there, maybe I would be writing songs
like this one. This song is kinda boring, and is in DESPERATE need of a
vocal track (any ex-Phish cover band singers out there?). I do like the
hip-hop/distortion guitar breakdown.
Day 5: 4/23/04 - Baby Elephant Scratch
(2.2MB MP3)
I've actually wanted to do this one for a long time. I love Mancini, and
Baby Elephant Walk is a song that always brings smiles. As is the theme
this week -45 minutes from start to finish.
Day 6: 4/24/04 - Enviro-Mash-Up (2.3MB
MP3)
Another project I've had kicking around my noggin' for a while. In the late
'70s, a series of records where produced called "Environments".
These records captured the natural sounds of a particular place and were
supposed to be used for meditation. Being a DJ, I have 2 turntables I can
listen to simultaneously, and a few years back I put on 2 at once. It's
crazy.
In this song (which is really more of a sound experience), I have combined
4 environments: the ocean, a swamp, a thunderstorm and a bird sanctuary.
The sounds come in a certain order, have a 40 second pinnacle of all sounds
in the center, and then are removed backwards.
I'm really pleased with how this came out. Listen with headphones if possible,
as the sounds fade in and out through the left & right channels. One
day maybe I'll do the same with animal sounds (songs of the whale with howls
of a wolf).
Day 7: 4/25/04 - Holler (2.3MB MP3)
Last day - Last song. I got to work on this one longer than anything else
here. I'm not sure I'm thrilled with the combo's happenening here, and it's
certainly not perfected yet, but a solid foundation. My favorite part may
be the flanged out end. Inner City Blues + Bobby McFerrin + loops + effects
= this song.
