My Third Internet Music Collaboration

DisclaimerThe links for music in the following post are corrupt. Artist blast has shut down as of Sept. 2, 2005. The post remains unedited to preserve the exhuberant rhythm that I felt at the completion of the songs described herein. Thank you.


Ahhh—shucks I have to have something in my life that smacks of success, achievement and completion---let the music play on…

My Third Internet Collaboration is with the great Ian Rushton.  Ian is a fellow musician and home recordist from New Zealand.  I became acquainted with Ian on the cubase.net forum music lounge.  I would consider Ian “Mister Collaboration,” because he has made it his goal to produce at least one tune with everybody who posts music at cubase.net…

After I played the last one with Kevin Evans, I shot a message to Ian offering my dobro services.  He came back a few weeks later with a proposition of collaboration on his tune “Distant Horizons.” He also said that this tune would be on his next cd release.  I, of course, jumped at the chance!!

I did my parts over the weekend, and he got to mixing them in right away.  He posted the tune at cubase.net, and the following is the text of his post (you can click on the song title to stream the tune):
                                                    
(quote)

[Soft whispery voice] Now, make yourself as comfortable as possible. Close your eyes and become aware of which parts of your body are feeling tense and which parts are relaxed. Now take a few deep breaths, taking the air in through your nose, holding it momentarily . . . and then slowly exhaling through your nose . . . And with each exhale, you will find yourself relaxing more and more deeply, more and more completely. Take the air in and let the air out. Allowing yourself to relax . . . relax . . . relax.... It is a bright summer day. It is late in the day. You decide to go for a walk along the beach. The sun is radiating warmth and comfort as it shines boldly. The sky is crystal clear without a cloud in sight. The grains of sand beneath your feet shine from the sunlight and warm the soles of your feet. The sound of the waves beating against the shore echoes in the air. You feel the warm, light breeze brush against your face as you walk onward. Far off in the distance, you can hear the cries of sea gulls . . . You watch them glide through the sky, swoop down into the sea, and then fly off once again.... Distant Horizons

(/quote)

Ian has three cd releases available at CDBaby.com.  Check out his stuff, and buy a cd or two while you’re there. You won’t regret it!    

I'm gonna shave my head on tuesday!

That’s right, no time like the present.  It’ll be another thing I can cross off of my “need to do at least once” list.  Well, there isn’t really such a list, only when I get the bright idea to pull a unique (for me) stunt, this “list” comes into play and gets the appropriate markings.

When I was younger, it was hair down to my ass.  It wasn’t in fashion then, either.  I tired of the longhair deal after

1. It came back


2. I got married.

My wife always would trim my hair—she is good at that sort of thing.  Every time she would do a trim, the result was shorter and shorter.

She is out of town a lot these days, and I have taken to giving it a go myself lately with the electric dog clippers…

And now, in an effort to stave off the festering ennui, to engage myself in bizarre amusements, I will rid my scalp of all hair—locks, tresses, and stubble…


except for my eyebrows and van dyke beard of course!

Live from the ether

I don’t ever record my dreams.  This one was vivid and when I awoke it was morning, so I thought I would go ahead and jot it down.  It stands out because it was one of the few times I was actually able to play an musical instrument in my dreams…


Karen and I had some kind of land--a house or something.  I got a job in the area as a plumber…

I was trying to hang a pipe on a board--I ran into much difficulty as the pipe was ten feet long and nothing was cooperating.  I was trying to hang it on a wall—I was up a ladder and was trying to keep it steady and level.

There was a guy I was trying to hire, but we were waiting for approval from my boss.

Gerry was there briefly. I told him the galvie nails were no good for the pipe hangers I had--this bewildered him.

My work then fell off the wall.  The new guy and I tried to re-hang it, but he didn't quite get what I wanted to do.

Karen was across the street talking to the new guy’s wife and some toothless hag in a truck whom I didn't approve--I went to see what was going on, Karen said to nevermind but I should get back across the street.

There were people there rummaging thru our yard, like it was the dumps

I went over, and a Russian man who was all wet had an old budweiser rug and a metal oblong bucket with a hole in the bottom like it was old.  I told him ten dollars for the rug and fifty cents for the bucket--he said ok and gave me some change and a sawbuck that was all wet out of his pocket.

Then, two boys (one in a wheelchair) came to me with an old banjo--they offered me fifty cents and I said ten dollars--they looked surprised, but gave me a banknote of some value and I felt bad for saying ten bucks 'cause of the wheelchair kid and gave them the banjo (I took the banknote though)

The non-wheelchair kid was happy to have it--they both went to a truck, and I met the kid around the back of it.  He was playing it like a guitar (it was tuned like a guitar)  I told him it would have to be retuned if he was going to play it correctly.  I knew the short string was a “G”--I thought it was in fourths after that and told him so, but wasn't sure (I told him that too.)

We then were near a porch where there were older guys playing bluegrass type stuff--one guy had a dobro that was about an inch thick, and he could play so-so.  He was dressed kind of like Strother Martin in “Cool Hand Luke”--but he had a straw hat...

Whenever I would look at them playing they would stop--I was an outsider.  I told the man it was okay, that I played too.  He laughed like he was mocking me and handed me his dobro so I could put my money where my mouth was (he didn't use those words, but that was the feeling I got…)

He gave me the dobro without handing me a steel or picks--I said I needed a steel if I was gonna play.  He hesitated, then handed me a short thick bullet shaped steel, maybe two inches long and one and a half thick.  I wondered how they could play with such shabby and odd equipment...the dobro was a pale blue and felt like one of those bumpy metal ones available, but it was thin

So, with everyone watching (there were probably five or six in the room (it's a room now, not a porch--I guess it always was a room)) I decided to play “Panhandle Rag.”  The dobro man laughed.  At first, I thought the man's laughter was borne from derision.

No, I impressed   him, and made it through the tune flawlessly.  By that I mean I made no more mistakes than I normally would have.  You see, in dreams often when I try to play music I am faced with limbs that don’t respond to commands, or the inability to remember how to play…

Folks then knew I was on the up and up, and started milling about, going outside and such.  
There were still maybe three folks still in the room, seated.  One man was looking right at me, waiting for another tune.  I attempted “Cherokee Shuffle”, and after I played four bars, the man started to sing it.  The dobro man went outside after a minute or two of this.

I got tired of standing and tried to sit on the floor.  It was awkward at first, then I finally made it to my butt.  I tried to work out the song with the man who was trying to sing.  He didn't know the words, and I was trying to show him slowly how it went.

After a few minutes, the dobro man came back in the room.  I saw a couple of people put on their thin dobros.  I was on the floor with my back to the arm of a sofa.  The man came over and sat on the sofa.  I handed him his dobro back--he motioned 'no' with his hands and I insisted he take it back and show me something.

He asked me if I liked his steel.  It had “Taylor” on the bottom of it, and “Tut Taylor" stamped on the side.  Tut Taylor doesn't use a steel like this--they don't make them that short--it wouldn't work with anything stamped on the playing surface...

I handed him his steel. He started to play…


I woke up.    

Blowing off Steam

How do you break into the tech world with 15 yrs of plumbing experience?

That’s a good question, and one that I hope to answer soon.

I am still looking for the classic “in.”  I know it can be done.  I have heard tales of lesser men who lie their way into tech positions.  These guys had no idea about anything regarding computers, the internet, or technology in general—yet, somehow they possess the “schmooze” element that gets them in.

I have sent out many resumes and cover letters to various organizations, with no feedback at all.  My cover letters tend to illustrate my tech achievements despite my plumbing experience.  Still, it is an uphill battle that I am determined to win.

I will get in.

Somebody will see the advantage of hiring a settled man who is a quick learner and self-starter over hiring some kid fresh out of school who parties too much and takes everything for granted….

Bitter, am I?  I am trying not to be.  I just need a job, and I want to do the computer thing…

Meanwhile, I am putting together a web site for me that will demonstrate my skills, at the same time studying for A+ certification, while simultaneously recording and mixing my music, concurrent with honing my culinary skills…

Idle hands are the devil’s workshop…

Another collaboration with Kevin Evans

DisclaimerThe links for music in the following post are corrupt. Artist blast has shut down as of Sept. 2, 2005. The post remains unedited to preserve the exhuberant rhythm that I felt at the completion of the songs described herein. Thank you.







This one started on the heels of the last one...

Kevin had a tune, "The Last Son," that he had recorded with just his vocal and guitar. He sent it to me while we were still hashing out "Easy." I gave it a listen and was instantly moved, the sparse sound he had and his high lonesome vocal cut me to the core.

So I told him I thought I could provide a couple of instrumental breaks between verses. He wanted a musical redo based on the structure he sent me. It took me two or three communications to finally get this--I actually cut a version with an electric guitar solo and a dobro solo, which was exactly what he didn't
want...

He is a good guitar player in his own right (just listen to any of his tunes on his site where he didn't collab,) yet he insisted he wanted to hear it how a "real" guitar player would play it.

So, I messed around with it for a spell. I put the Gretsch away and relied on my Taylor and microphone, and I came up with a loose fingerpicked comp. Then, the back and forth ensued, Kevin would always redo his lead vocal, I would have to add some dobro comping, then dobro solos were requested for the breaks.

Well, I've only been at the dobro for over a year, and it showed this time out. Intonation became an issue, a victim of my willy nilly approach to steeling. Several takes and a few more back-and-forths, and (coupled with some deft mixing and equalizing on Kevin's part) we got something acceptable to our ears.

I thought some backing vocals would be a nice touch, so I sent Kevin a sample of how I heard they should go. "That's just what we need!" sez he, then "You need to send me some high and some low..."

ack...

I am not a trained singer. Every attempt is met with trepidation on my part--a result of many requests to sing a solo (so low we can't hear you Geoff.) But I gave it a go. Totally putting the 'nilly' in willy nilly too, we had to go back and forth a couple of times on the backing vocals. I had sent him some in questionable tune, also some that were a bit distorted.

oops...

Well, after several instrumental takes, and about a million(backing) vocal takes, I am proud to present "The Last Son" written by Kevin Evans, arranged by Kevin and me, sung by Kevin and played by me.

first song on the list at my site


click this link to stream (recommended for broadband users only)

A true collaboration

geoff guest solo on latest tune by kevin evans

DisclaimerThe links for music in the following post are corrupt. Artist blast has shut down as of Sept. 2, 2005. The post remains unedited to preserve the exhuberant rhythm that I felt at the completion of the songs described herein. Thank you.


here is the link to the page: http://www.artistblast.com/music/bands/5/

the name of the song is "easy"

here is the tale:

ahh--the bittersweet feeling of completion

my first internet music collaboration has reached fruition.

a few weeks ago, my friend kevin evans asked if i would toss in of dobro solo on a tune he was working on. i said "sure," and that day i got a song-segment that was eight bars long and nothing else...

so, i figured i'd play a few things to it, maybe three or four examples, send it to kevin and see what he thought. he was pleased, chose two of the four and one solo became two breaks. at this point i had no idea of what the tune would sound like, he only hinted later that my part would be in the middle of a rock tune.

o.k.--this oughta be good! a hoe down section in the middle of a rock tune...

so, we go back and forth with this thing, uploading and downloading, which can be cumbersome. on the other hand, the internet method of music has its convieniences as well, because we don't have to agree on meeting times or anything--"get to it when you get to it" which is perfect for your basic lazy musician, which is me sometimes!

during this process, i keep getting teasing messages "wow, this is gonna be great"--at one point one of my solos was compared to a simpsons dream sequence where homer is in candy land and dancing around, eating all the chocolate! that is great respect, and a high compliment, to have one's musical output bring forth such imagry.

i was going to be out of town for a couple of weeks and hadn't heard any draft of the tune yet. kevin was waiting for a piano player to add a break to the tune--but i was like a kid on christmas eve waiting to hear this thing.

the day before i left, i got a "you wanna hear what i have so far?"

such a feeling of anticipation, waiting for that song to download. wow--i was really impressed and surprised. i had no frame of reference for how it would sound, and my first listen was like a ray of sunlight beamed directly into my skull.

that, however, was only version one.


i split town for a couple of weeks. when i got back, not only had the piano player not  played his part yet, but kevin had done some revisions. another two weeks went by with no piano.

a true test of patience for kevin that was...

well, now we have the final revision, and i hope that you not only listened to it but enjoyed it as well. kevin wrote and arranged the song--he has a unique voice and songsmithing style that i find refreshing. he is blazing his own trail, which takes guts in a field where most want to take the wide path.

please listen to some of his other tracks--his music and poetry are authentic, i guarantee it

http://www.artistblast.com/music/bands/5/    

collaborations

wow, cubase opened me up to musical situations i had never even considered...

the official forum for registered users of cubase, cubase.net, has one 'room' called the music lounge that is populated by a mix of music professionals, recording professionals, and home recordists like me. i discovered that some of these nutty guys actually use their cubase software and the internet to collaborate on tunes.

there is one guy living in new zealand who has actually released a whole cd based on these collabs--his name is ian rushton (use the google on the link list and check him out.) these cubase fellows are doing this all the time--making music that actually sounds good and they never met face to face!!

i am proud to be a part of all that. i am currently in collaboration with a songwriter and musician from seattle who contacted me thru the forum and requested a dobro solo on one of his tunes. one solo turned into two, and now we are working on another song of his. i will post the links when the tunes are fully "cooked."

if someone had told me last year that i would be making music over the internet, i'd have likely laughed in their face...

i am in the midst of a career change

now for a little more self promotion--

i am looking to break into the information technology field. i have quite a lot of experience in computers and operating system configuration.

i do all of my own work with my equipment: i install and configure my os, software, ram, indeed all hardware components. i have built my own digital audio workstation from scratch using these components:

asus a8v motherboard
amd 3500+ clawhammer processor
80 gb and 200 gb p ata hard drives
2 gb corsair value select ram
agp video card
m audio audiophile 24/96 sound card
antec p-160 case
windows xp pro sp 2

my knowledge of this comes from the same source as most i.t. professionals--part intuitive, part reading, part surfing the web, always asking the right questions when in doubt.

i live on the peninsula in the san francisco bay area. i also own a house in the state of maine one hour north of boston. if you happen to be hiring, or know who is, please drop me a line

geoffvanm@artistblast.com

i am eager to start, and i am ready to go on either coast!!

music disclaimer

the music at my artistically site is reflective of a learning curve with my cubase software.

the story so far...

in january of this year, i purchased cubase se. cubase is a multitracking recording platform that i hoped would satisfy my urge to record some self-accompanying music. i figured on some bass and guitar pieces, things of that nature.

little did i know that there was technology called vst--which essentially is a way to represent a multitude of sounds and instruments using small dll files. vst's allow one to reproduce any instrument you can imagine--organs, strings, violins, drums and percussion, as well as signal processing tools like reverb, compression, etc.

so all of a sudden i try to become a one man band.

i am in the process of redoing a couple of the tunes there at my site, hence the disclaimer--things are a bit rough in spots, but overall i am proud of my efforts and will post new tunes as inspiration and time allow.

about the links to the left

the google link is there by default--it's always good to get there easily in my opinion...

the second link takes you to my artistblast page, where i currently have four songs posted--three are original compositions.

the third link takes you to the artistblast home page--if you are a musician and want or need exposure, artistblast is a good place to showcase your music. if you go there via my link, they throw me a bone, so

Thanks =8>)

hello and welcome

Greetings, and welcome to my blog page.

Here is where I will try to dazzle you with tales from my exciting life as a swashbuckling doer of daring!! As if that weren't enough, I will also chronicle the more mundane aspects of being Geoff, which at the moment include attempts at a career change and recording music in my kitchen.

I am new to the blogging experience, so I will be like a wide-eyed babe of discovery for a while before my true curmudgeonly persona surfaces.

Thanks for checking out my site, and please check back!!