It's coming for you.  Are you ready?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

These are constructed to allow for a continuous "looping" of the material in the background, with a slow gradual buildup and tension release.

The first is "upbeatPianoBassDrumTrio".
The second is "75BPMDrumGassGuitarTrio".

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

for free mobility higher than black and white;

two hundred fifty six shades of greyscale,

hit the button again,

you'll see the red and green and blue hues...

And perhaps you'll see, there can be so much more for you and me....

Can you feel your heart pumping faster and harder?
Now that you've had a taste, won't you 'least try and answer true...

Wanna take another hit?  You sure you're ready for more of this shit?

There ain't no turning back once you've opened your eyes....

It's something you can't hide.

Poke the button again, roll through eight bit, twelve bit, thirty two bit color so true,

720, 1080... four kay, five kay, so clear.

Can you feel your heart pumping faster and harder? Now that you've had a taste, won't you 'least try and answer true...

Can black and white television really satisfy you?
Will black and white television ever satisfy you?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

.MP3 attached for download as well.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MP3 attached for download.

Lyrics:

C’mon with me and Upgrade,

It doesn’t cost a thing; 

For free mobility, higher than Black and White.

Two hundred fifty six shades of grayscale,

Hit the button again…

You’ll see the Red and Green and Blue hues…

And perhaps you’ll see, 

There can be so much more for you and me!

Can you feel your heart pumping faster and harder,

Now that you’ve had a taste won’t you ‘least try and answer true…

Wanna take another hit?

You sure you’re ready for more of this shit?

There ain’t no coming back once you’ve opened your eyes,

It’s something you can’t hide.

Poke the button again!

Roll through eight bit, twelve bit, thirty two bit color so true;

Seven twenty, ten eighty, 4k, 5k, so clear,

Can you feel your heart pumping faster and harder ,

Now that you’ve had a taste won’t you ‘least try and answer true…

Can a Black and White Television ever satisfy you? 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This started out as an itch in dire need of scratching... The lyrical content is a conglomeration of counter-punctual bouncing back and forth between dissatisfaction with the combination of surveillance state and sea of useless information we're drowning in, and issues surrounding violence - both perpetrated by, and against, law enforcement in the United States.

Interestingly enough, I spent most of one Saturday deep inside of the Earth in a former Atlas E Missile Silo, peaceful and content to be making a new friend and purchasing a 12-string acoustic guitar. We emerged back into the world of cellular service to take our friend out to dinner, and wouldn't you know the FIRST THING we see is information about forty to fifty trucks of ARMED alt-right Nazi punks occupying Massachusetts street in Lawrence, Kansas, not more than forty minutes drive away.

I was using the proverbial "Our Town" in the lyrics in reference to these types of sorely misguided, wicked, hateful people... "Master Race" indeed, they usually look like they've got "the scurvy". Tears flooded my eyes when I realized what I had written about is happening EVERYWHERE. It needs to be stopped. What's YOUR reaction?

Lyrics:

It’s barely twenty four hours later, & everyone is screamin’;
Facecrack, tweaker and your twenty four hour news…

There’s no one out here but the haters and takers,
& three letter agencies playin’ by the acre;
and now the technocrats are comin’ for you data too…

They left his body by the side of the road,
Johnny Law pulled the trigger ’til he had to reload;
and you can make a killing selling coffins so I’m told…

Oh hey Siri, Bixby, Google please be frugal,
and Cortana, baby, please I don’t wanna;
Alexa be a dear and order me a pizza or two…

[Chorus]
What’s your reaction? Whooaah, what’s your reaction?
Can you sell me your dissatisfaction?
Stick your needle into this transaction…
What’s your reaction? Show me your reaction?
I’m in need of some human interaction,
Don’t just sit there on the couch I need your ACTION!

——

A group of boys in blue were walking the streets,
in Dallas Texas just a keeping the peace;
until a volley of bullets rained down from on high…

An anti violence rally, now scattered through the alleys,
They were duckin and dodging’ with no time to dalley;
When the smoke had cleared, five heroes had lost their lives…

And now with crosses of iron, topsy-turvy,
they’re marching around lookin’ like they’ve got the scurvy;
Tell me when this became the face of our town ?
[Chorus]

President Obama: "I believe that I speak for every single American when I say that we are horrified over these events, and that we stand united with the people... We will learn more, undoubtedly, about their twisted motivations. Let’s be clear: There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks."

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While in the past I relied on LANDR.com to master my tracks, the expense was getting out of hand.  In December I purchased Ozone 8 from the folks over at iZotope, and I'm really loving the results I'm getting.  I believe, however, I introduced one flaw in my process; I've added Ozone 8 as the final plugin in the signal path when bouncing the final mix to disk.  It's good, but I'm starting to get the impression what I _should_ be doing is bouncing a clean final mix to disk without it, and then performing the mastering upon the .WAV file in a separate session.  Time will tell, but you'll likely see a 1.3 release added if it makes significant improvements.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While I'm no sorcerer, I am a changed being to be sure.

This is my first one-off recording in the new studio layout.  EZ Drummer II vamp starts us off, and I'm thrilled to have played the bass through my new 60 watt PA into a speaker cabinet in front of a microphone for a change... the guitars are pretty sweet with the Orange full throated and open.  I'm sure it will need more mix tweaks, may replace some lead guitar lines, etc.

MP3 attached.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I came back and layed several guitar tracks, paired along the way to be deleted, and replaced by the next alternate tighter pair.  The lead became the Bone Machine fuzzer...  and later, morphed into some Whammy as well.

It's a jam session, and ultimately, consists of me "playing with myself".

Really quite happy with this 1.4 Mix; new drums, lots of snipping and trimming back to bare bones where I could.  New Whammy+Bone Machine lead guitar.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I came back and layed several guitar tracks, paired along the way to be deleted, and replaced by the next alternate tighter pair.  The lead became the Bone Machine fuzzer...  and later, morphed into some Whammy as well.

It's a jam session, and ultimately, consists of me "playing with myself".

Really quite happy with this 1.4 Mix; new drums, lots of snipping and trimming back to bare bones where I could.  New Whammy+Bone Machine lead guitar.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I came back and layed several guitar tracks, paired along the way to be deleted, and replaced by the next alternate tight pair.  The lead became the Bone Machine fuzzer...

It's a jam session, and ultimately, consists of me "playing with myself".

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was using the proverbial "Our Town" in the lyrics in reference to these types of sorely misguided, wicked, hateful people... "Master Race" indeed, they usually look like they've got "the skurvy".  Tears flooded my eyes when I realized what I had written about is happening EVERYWHERE.  It needs to be stopped.  What's YOUR reaction?

Lyrics:

It’s barely twenty four hours later, & everyone is screamin’;
Facecrack, tweaker and your twenty four hour news…

There’s no one out here but the haters and takers,
& three letter agencies playin’ by the acre;
and now the technocrats are comin’ for you data too…

They left his body by the side of the road,
Johnny Law pulled the trigger ’til he had to reload;
and you can make a killing selling coffins so I’m told…

Oh hey Siri, Bixby, Google please be frugal,
and Cortana, baby, please I don’t wanna;
Alexa be a dear and order me a pizza or two…

[Chorus]
What’s your reaction? Whooaah, what’s your reaction?
Can you sell me your dissatisfaction?
Stick your needle into this transaction…
What’s your reaction? Show me your reaction?
I’m in need of some human interaction,
Don’t just sit there on the couch I need your ACTION!

——

A group of boys in blue were walking the streets,
in Dallas Texas just a keeping the peace;
until a volley of bullets rained down from on high…

An anti violence rally, now scattered through the alleys,
They were duckin and dodging’ with no time to dalley;
When the smoke had cleared, five heroes had lost their lives…

And now with crosses of iron, topsy-turvy,
they’re marching around lookin’ like they’ve got the scurvy;
Tell me when this became the face of our town ?
[Chorus]

President Obama: "I believe that I speak for every single American when I say that we are horrified over these events, and that we stand united with the people... We will learn more, undoubtedly, about their twisted motivations. Let’s be clear: There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks." 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MP3 attached as well.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There will be a music video soon!

Lyrics:

How long can I do this?
How long can carry this grief?
How long 'til it's over and done,
Please tell me when it's safe to breathe.

Ten fingers, ten toes,
How many more, nobody knows;
I've lost count over these two short years and,
now they tell me it's beginning to snow.

Don't call them heroes
They never, ever asked that of you;
They served the bankers in the dirty little sandbox,
then came back home with nothing to do.
All the opportunities lost,
Do you ever count the cost?
At the gas pump, the grocery store,
We all cling to the bosom of the whores of war.

One by one they all pass away,
and we're losing twenty two every day;
One by one they all take their own lives,
Over walking the streets and tryin' to survive...
One by one they all pass away,
and we're losing twenty two every day;
One by one they all pass away,
and we're losing twenty two Veterans every day!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mix 1.0, how do you like it?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FINAL MASTERED TRACK NOW ATTACHED!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How 'bout Lonely?

Are you Tired?

I can't fault you for wanting to move along,

Please forgive me if I try to tell you that it's wrong,

But if you'll join me tonight perhaps together we'll both feel strong,

Maybe tomorrow we'll be singin' a different song.

We can put it off until tomorrow...

Even though we tread a world full of sorrow...

Just one day until this hurt ain't quite as strong,

We can find a way to soldier on.

Are you Hungry?

Are you Angry?

How 'bout Lonely?

Are you Tired?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo6kUzfvq1E

After a few edits and capturing/editing more video, we got a lot closer to finished with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FUSTwoDpSY

This time around, nothing fancy... just some behind the scenes edits to the audio which you'll find attached in .WAV/.MP3

Enjoy!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There were three layered tracks for Bass guitar, each with its own EQ, Amplitude, etc.  Once I had snipped, crossfaded and everything else I needed, I bounced all three to a stereo .wav track with no effects.  I then performed a .WAV export of the drum track as well.

From here, I was able to "hide/disable" the CPU/Memory heavy EZDrummer and Amplitude tracks, then bring in the two stereo tracks to complete the drum and bass foundation.

Yep, you guessed it... next up... Guitars!

Edit: Few hours later, guitars emerge.  Attached.

1-25-2017 Edit:  1.1 Mix attached.  This has some of the lead guitar tracked; this one has had both Stratocasters all over it, so I'll be bringing in the Harley Benton for the humbuckers next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I added a wall of sound sort of rhythm guitar coming in on the lead, which you'll note comparing the 1.0 and 1.1 mixes, I snipped and clipped and bounced and did magic.  I added a four count drum queue at the beginning of the 2nd mix, and added some sparkle to the DI tracks to make them pop.

The EJ-200 has dual onboard Nanoflex and Nanomag pickups, with dual quarter inch outputs.  The Nanoflex I piped through stereo ping-pong delay on the RP-360XP (brought in stereo, one track each), while the Nanomag came into a track of its own.  Each acoustic rhythm guitar comp is a blend of each of these three tracks.

The lead guitar is my MIM Stratocaster through the Paul Trombetta Bone Machine, then hitting the RP-360XP with Uni-Vibe and Delay, split stereo output; Left channel Orange AD30 into 2x12" Celestion closed-back cabinet, microphone MXL 551, Right channel Fender Frontman 2x12" open-backed cabinet, microphone MXL 550.

Bass guitar is my brand new Harley Benton, a Christmas gift that got hung up in customs from Germany.  I pipe it through Amplitude and a touch of chorus.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perhaps it's why I'm such a late bloomer,
But I'd much rather have a fucking tumor;
something you can point to,
something to remove,
another thing you can't relate to,
that's tryin' hard to prove.

Lurking 'neath the surface,
my plus one at every event;
reminding me of awkward times we've not yet spent,
a self sustaining cycle, with Dexter's Dark Passenger on the helm, your Mustang's zero to sixty's got nothing,
when I'm overwhelmed

I'm singing 'bout anxiety, Lord it's sucking my vitality,
I'm singing 'bout anxiety, and not privately,
I'm singing 'bout anxiety, Lord it's sucking my vitality,
I'm bitching 'bout anxiety and psychiatry.

Don't wanna do the laundry,
don't wanna take a shower right now;
been in these clothes for three long days...
don't wanna go out in the world,
don't feel like hangin' around inside,
I never cease to be amazed by all the ways I can sabotage what I'm working on... what I'm working on. This fucking anxiety. It's got a hold on me.

I'm singing 'bout anxiety, Lord it's sucking my vitality,
I'm singing 'bout anxiety, fuck anxiety... fuck anxiety!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was at serious odds really as to whether or not I should even touch this track again.  My last experience with it in my car at about 95% volume, my head was bobbin' and my hips were making my little Hyundai sway back and forth.  There where, however, minor little production inconsistencies that kept slapping me in the face.  "That _One_ damned spot man, you mis-fretted the bass."  "Dude, that rhythm guitar is spot on, but rushed in that one spot and needs another mis-fret fixed."  "This stereo picture would be absolutely lush if you panned a bit this way, then automated a swirl over here and stuff...."

I was at serious odds really as to whether or not I shoulds even touch this track again.  My last experience with it in my car at about 95% volume, my head was bobbin' and my hips were making my little Hyundai sway back and forth.  There were, however, minor litte production inconsistencies that kept slapping me in the face.  "That _One_ damned spot man, you mis-fretted the bass."  "Dude, that rhythm guitar is spot on, but rushed in that one spot and needs another mis-fret fixed."  "This stereo picture would be absolutely lush if you panned a bit this way, then automated a swirl over here and stuff...."

The attached "tracking.jpg" includes a bit of the production notes behind this most recent edit, which included tracking a 2nd Bass guitar and mixing both down to .WAV to save memory hog Amplitude, which I'm quite fond of utilizing for the deep Bass guitar amplifier sound.  (Largely an Ampeg solid state head emulated through an EL-84-based tube amplifier.)  An addition of an alternate rhythm guitar pairing to punch in a mis-fret grew into a thicker sound as we approach and pass through the Chorus, and I passed exactly four notes of the original Bass guitar through Melodyde to correct a different mis-fret occurrence.

All in all, I'm EXCEPTIONALLY happy with the reception this track had in its first "Oh My Gosh, check out what I did" mix... so I'm expecting a few more ears to perk up when this comes wafting in on the wind.  I'm counting on my street team to help make that happen!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I was watching a bit a couple months ago on homeless veterans, and their migrant nature, and the fact that it's very difficult to keep track of the numbers. This is just a rough sketch; I had truthfully forgotten about this until digging through data this evening. Man I sure hope I took good notes - I know I have lyrics for a _whole_ song for sure, but may have lost the chord charts, etc.

At any rate - a very personal piece, and I figured it was time to show off the sketch.”

I had no idea I would eventually join their numbers, and find this to be an even more personal issue for me as a result.

Lyrics:

Can you see my face in the cold moonlight, 

My uncle flew me 'round the world tonight and I'm a long, long way... from my home.

Used to sleep indoors, blankets, pillows and clothes, on nights like this I can't feel my toes and I'm a long, long way... from my home.

I took my first hard tour in Afghanistan, so I could come home and feel like a man - but nobody told me things were gonna get so outta hand.

How in the world did it come down to this - traded my soul for the devil's kiss. Recruiter told me everything would be just fine, 44 and strung out and standing in line, again.

& can you see my face in the cold moonlight, my uncle brought me back to the world tonight, have I come this far to have no home? Wake up screaming and sweating now somethin' ain't right - I'm sleeping on the side of the road tonight. Have i come this far - to have no home?

Last year I gave it another pass during the "iPad of Jank" sessions.  The first incremental improvement, which is the larger influence on today's work.  You can stream last year's version here:
http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=211646

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an extremely personal piece of work.  I have a special needs son just across the state line in Kansas whom I’ve not seen in nearly five years… largely because I followed opportunites in California after I couldn’t find gainful employment in Kansas City during the recession.  His Mother hasn't been the least bit supportive of a reunion - but it's gonna happen anyway.

Lyrics:

You'll be seventeen years old in the morning, feels like I'm two thousand miles away;

and now a short nine mile drive across that state line, could put me face to face with you...

... but what's your mother, what's your mother gonna do?

And I'm sorry Dizz-knee-land never happened, I made so many plans that fell right through;

& those decisions in hindsight's light now haunt me, all of them took me further from you....

... but what's a homeless Daddy supposed to do?

You'll be seventeen years old in the morning...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a whim I wanted to record  a demo of my new guitar rig (Orange AD30 with 2x12” closed back cabinet.)  A goofy Google Image search for “rig” and “deux” as I hit my second take/mix brought forth photos of Diana Rigg in her role with The Avengers, and naming the song took on a life of its own.  Ultimately, it’s the second-second go-round that names the tune, despite several subsequent mixes since.  The sliding octaves during the break and into the bridge were very spur of the moment, one of those studio decisions that completely changes a piece of music.  It’s that lightning in a bottle moment!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a short opening  track to set the overall tone for the album with a drum line from EZDrummer 2 and human bass (direct into the board), and a pair of acoustic guitars tracked against one another.  (MXL 550/551 paired Left, then again Right, totally four tracks.)  Also a simple vocal harmony pair, dotted with occasional third part in the alto range.  These were all brought in with the MXL 550.  This is about the process of birthing a piece of art, torn from within.

Came back with Melodyne and corrected a few off notes in the vocals, added a 4th vocal track, and masted at High Volume via landr.com

Lyrics:
“More of the blood letting, drop a pint and see if I can get closer to what’s inside of me;

moved on from the struggle and begging, a steady job and life becomes so easy,

But then I’m still me…

And as I contemplate the total cost of entry, will I be losing my edge and laying off all my sentries;

Have I taken the easy way out, a vacation from, easy access to all my doubt?

Or does the simple life just make it harder,

does all this newfound comfort take me farther;

from the one, the four and the five, from those three chords and the truth,

that make me feel so alive.” Copyright 2016 Maslow’s Basement

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.