Tagged: keyboards

February 7, 2013

Every Song Tells a Story: One More Round

The Story

I got the idea for “One More Round” while thinking about drinking songs one day. I thought to myself, “I need a good drinking song.” Most of the gigs I play are in bars and clubs and everyone’s drinking, so why not? Let’s get them invested and give them something they can relate to, right?

A simple drinking song wasn’t good enough for me, though. Being a fan of artists like John Lennon and Paul Westerberg, I admired their use of double entendres and wordplay. One of Paul’s more famous twists (and he used it in multiple songs) is when he sings something about “whose Suicide you’re on.” I’ve always loved that one.

So it occurred to me at some point that the term “One More Round” could actually mean more than one thing. One more round of poker. One more round of golf. One more round of drinks. One more round of applause. That was all I needed to bang out the lyrics in about five minutes. While writing the lyrics, the chords took shape in my head and yes, it was that simple.

It’s by no means a complicated song. Not counting the bridge, it’s all of three chords but many a fun song has been created using three chords, right? It became quite popular at shows so we often close with it. It’s a good one to jam to, has lots of good energy, and gets people singing along. Can’t ask for more than that.

The Recording

Once the lyrics and chord progression were in place, the recording was pretty simple. From the get-go, I knew that near the end I wanted to have a drums-only chorus section which would be where I’d try to get people to sing along at shows. So while recording the drum track (which I usually do first) I made sure it happened. I didn’t have a bridge in mind so I just played some hits and fills and figured I’d play something over it later, which I did. I do this a lot with songs where I don’t have a specific part figured out in the pre-composition phase. Gotta keep moving forward, right?

I used my trusty Rickenbacker 4001 bass and my ’52 Reissue telecaster for the basic tracks. For the missing bridge parts, I played D-E-F#-A and backed that up on guitar. Easy! After that, I threw an organ backing track down which I hope to insert into the live shows once I get a good keyboard player. I would love to have a good organ part there. Mine is pretty basic.

It was all guitar and vocals after that. The lead guitar parts are always tough for me. I experimented a little with acoustic slide guitar. I can’t say I’m totally thrilled with how it came out. I split the solo into half acoustic slide and half electric slide. The electric part came out better. When we do this song live, I actually play harmonica instead and like that better. If I ever re-record this one, I’ll do that instead.

The lead vocal was easy to do and everything just fell into place exactly as I heard it in my head. The backing vocals are a little weird but somehow they work. I’m sure a real singer or vocal coach or producer might cringe a little listenting closely, but honestly, I don’t care. When we play it live, it’s more of a gang vocal thing, plus the crowd is always singing along, it seems.

On the whole, I think this one only took a few hours to complete. Not bad!

The Lyrics

I’m tired of holding
I’m tired of folding
I ain’t seen a face in forty hands
You run your mouth
And I’ll run my business
Baby I was born to take this chance, so…

Rock me baby – Gimme one more round
Rock me sugar – Gimme one more round
Rock me honey – Gimme one more round
Rock me baby – Gimme one more round

Tap the ball
Drop it in the cup
That’s a big eighteen, baby shake my hand
Now go get your bag
Meet me at the One
Let’s tear the green grass up again

Sun’s going down
I find a seat
Have a drink, maybe find a new friend
I check my watch
It’s just 3am
It’s a crazy night – we can’t let it end, so…

I take the stage
Play my guitar
Make you smile, make you sing along
Don’t sit there staring
Get up on your feet
Put your hands together, wanna hear you all night long

Lou's News / Writing

February 5, 2013

Everything and Nothing

“Everything and nothing” is my new favorite way to answer the question, “What’s going on?”

Good Lord, I’ve been totally avoiding my own site. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time for updates. So I threw up a new theme design (hope you enjoy it) and said, “I’m going to write something, dammit.” So here we are.

Goodbye 2012

I want to have a quick look back at 2012. The band and I played many a gig, and many a GOOD gig! I have to not only thank the band members but also everyone who came to the shows and supported me. It really is the most important thing when playing a show. Playing to an empty room is no fun at all. Playing to a room full of people, familiar or otherwise, who are into it and singing your words back to you on cue is a euphoric experience that I can’t explain.

We had many great shows at places like Crossroads, Connolly’s, National Underground and wrapped up our year with a great gig at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. I’ve gone to many a show there and was thrilled to be able to be on that famous stage. Being from NJ, I think we take that place for granted a bit but there’s lots of great music history there and I’m glad to say I’ve played there. Thanks to my friends in Bradykynin for offering the slot to me.

This year I want to try and keep to at least one show a month, so I hope to see you out there. Our gig at Hat City Kitchen in January was AMAZING. So many great people and so much good energy. Thanks to our friends in Test Pattern for giving us a slot and recording the show. You can hear the audio bootleg here:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN-l3msgLRg

I think my biggest achievement in 2012 was The Code of the West. Writing and recording a concept album is a very ambitious feat and it is not easy to pull off. I’m used to working quickly but this record really forced me to slow down a bit. There was months of on and off research (most about the old west, guns, and so on) and there was a lot of writing before any notes were played. Taking this thing from concept to fleshing out the story alone was hard work. Then I had to actually record the music and hope that it all made some kind of sense.

While the songs still have that “demo” quality (it was all done in my garage) I have to say I’m proud of the whole thing and there are some very different and interesting things on there for me. I went into areas I didn’t know I could and came out a better musician. Please give it a full listen if you can and let me know if the story works for you.

We’re going to start breaking in some of these songs live very soon. The first will be “This Gun is Now My Life” and we’ll follow that up with some of the more rocking tunes like “On the Run” or perhaps “Keep on Moving West.” I’d really like to play the closer, “It’s Finally Time to Sleep” at some point also. Please give me some feedback when you can.

The Band

I’m happy to say that the band is doing well. When you’re a solo artist, it’s quite hard to find people willing to come in an be the backing band, especially when there’s little to no pay involved. I’m sure Lenny Kravitz or Bryan Adams can hire whoever they please. Lou Tambone has to take who he can get.

You have to find people who love music so much that they don’t really mind what they’re playing or why. They play because they love it. I was lucky enough to find a batch of musicians like this. For some odd reason, they are happy to come down and play my songs to people for next to nothing and I appreciate this immensely. So much so that I want to give individual shout outs to them.

STEVE SAVONA plays bass. I’ve known Steve for what has to be around 20 years now. He was the first person I asked to play and he agreed right away. I never, ever, have to worry about what he’s doing or how he’s playing things and he has a humble attitude that’s refreshing. He’s laid back, but tight and in the pocket. A pleasure to have next to me, even though he towers over me and makes me look even shorter. I’ll have to invest in some platform shoes, I guess.

DAVE WILSON plays lead guitar. I remember auditioning Dave. We were really going through the ringer auditioning guitarists and none of them were working out. I’d give them songs to learn and they would hardly bother with them. Dave was one of maybe two guys that actually listened to the songs and learned them. He came in prepared, played the songs, and left with a handshake. That’s pretty much how he got the gig. Plus he could play. He’s good-natured, easy to work with and very accommodating.

ROB SILVERMAN plays drums. Much like Dave, he was a drummer who came down prepared to play and knew the tunes well. I was pretty impressed at how he picked up on a lot of my little drumming quirks or chops and was able to repeat them. He’s a funny guy with many a story to tell. He puts in the time and it shows on stage. As busy as he is, he always finds the time to get to rehearsals and gigs. He smokes electric cigarettes, which to me is cooler than smoking real ones. Now I’ve said too much.

That’s the core band, but as you might know, sometimes LIFE happens and someone can’t make a show for whatever reason. Sometimes they’re away for work or on vacation. Sometimes there’s a family event. These folks are doing me a favor by playing in my band so I always tell them that family is first!

That said, I’ve started to try and make sure I have alternate players available so that when there’s a gig someone can’t make (or a last minute replacement is needed), I don’t have to cancel the show. Booking gigs is not a pleasurable experience for me so when I book them, I like to keep them.

As of now I have two alternates, one for bass and one for lead guitar. When there’s no drummer, we’ll just have to go without… or maybe I’ll play some live drums one day… who knows?

HANNAH HAREL plays the bass and is my good friend. We have played together in another band and had lots of fun. For some reason, she seems to really like playing my songs. I think something must be off in her head, but it works to my advantage so I go with it. When Steve can’t make it, she’s my go-to girl. You’ll see her in some of the youtube videos. I can’t say enough good things about her. We always have a good time.

ROB FERRARO plays lead guitar. He and drummer Rob Silverman, along with myself and another bass player named Anthony Capricuso are all in another original band called Radio Therapy. He’s going to be filling in for Dave at our NYC show on April 6th. This is a real sweetheart of a guy and once again, I’ve lucked out. He also played on the track “On the Run” from my Code of the West recording. He’s a great player.

I’m still auditioning keyboard players but I think I’m close to someone. Keyboard players are a tough breed! If I find one, you’re going to start seeing some cool stuff happening.

Music Stuff

I have all kinds of ideas. All the time. Getting those ideas to a place where you can see/hear them is a project unto itself. Some things make it, others don’t.

There will be new songs/music this year. I’m determined and have lots of drum tracks recorded. Once I have the drum tracks down, that’s usually a good indicator that the songs will actually happen. If I can eek four more drum tracks out, that’s enough for a new record and that will make me very happy. Stay tuned to the site and my Facebook page for updates on new music.

I’ve been seriously considering trying out this whole crowdfunding thing. Sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo seem to be doing well for musicians. The only X Factor is people. Running one of these campaigns is like a part time job for a month. You really have to get behind it, make a video, plan out all kinds of rewards and make sure people know where every dollar is going. I’ve already done most of the work but I haven’t made a video.

Here’s my thinking. Right now, I have three “albums” of material that I’ve recorded mostly alone in my garage/home, playing all the instruments not counting the occasional guest spot (sax, steel guitar, lead guitar parts, etc.) All of these recordings have a home demo feel to them. I’d like to have an album available that is studio quality. I don’t expect people to shell out money for my current home recordings. They’re not sonically up to snuff and I don’t have the money to record in a real studio.

If I could raise some money through crowdfunding, I could cherry pick 10-12 songs from my first two albums and make a “real” album of studio quality songs that I feel good about handing out to people or selling on the internet or giving to clubs to get better gigs/time slots or selling at gigs, and so on. Since I could play music, I’ve always thought it would be a funny idea to make a first album and call it Greatest Hits. I have no idea why. When I started doing more recording at home, I broke that rule with Damaged Goods. However, those are really demo-like. This could be a real studio record and it would be my first solo one. So Lou Tambone’s Greatest Hits may see the light of day if this whole crowdfunding things works out. I’m still on the fence about starting it though. Part of me thinks, “What have you got to lose?” and part of me just wonders if it’s worth it. If no one donates, I’m back at the drawing board.

Please leave me some comments if you can. Have you done it? Would you do it? Have you donated to other people’s campaigns? Would you donate to mine? I’m considering it but not totally sold.

Previously, I mentioned another original band I’m in called Radio Therapy. It started off as a cover band but that quickly fell apart and we all decided that original music was where it’s at. Team leader Anthony brought in a bunch of his songs. I donated a few more. Rob F. gave us one finished song. The rest came out of joint writing sessions with the three of us. The songs are really good and we’re about ready to play live so look for updates to the Calendar here and on Facebook for the gigs.

***

Look, I could ramble on all day but I feel I’ve done my duty here. Thanks again for a great 2012. Hope to see you all at a gig in 2013. Please leave me some comments about whatever you want. I promise I’ll try to update more! See ya!

Lou's News / Music

September 26, 2011

Every Song Tells A Story: My Own Private Babylon

The Story

This song is about an aging rock star, sung from his point of view. He’s an amalgam of sorts. I guess you could say he’s based on a few characters, both real and fictional.

One of those would definitely be WASP’s Chris Holmes. I am by no means a big fan of WASP but Holmes was famously interviewed for the documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, during which he floated on a raft in a pool (fully clothed) guzzling three different bottles of vodka (and also pouring it over his head). He referred to himself as a “full-blown alcoholic” and even a “piece of crap”. He said he’d probably be dead in a few years and didn’t seem to care. This was all in front of his mother, mind you, who sat poolside trying to maintain her composure.

I guess there’s also a little Joe Walsh in this song. His big hit “Life’s Been Good” also covers the same subject matter. I think I tried to capture a little of his humor in my song. He has a line that goes, “I’m making records, my fans they can’t wait. They write me letters, tell me I’m great.” I have a similar line about devoted fans that keep me so rich, I haven’t done a thing in years. Of course, the “me” is the character and not really me. Wouldn’t that be nice.

There’s definitely some (older) Elvis Presley in the song. The list goes on. You can take any pompous rock and roll star and adapt them as you see fit, I suppose.

Structurally, the song is a musical transcription of an interview, I suppose. The aging rocker has allowed a journalist into his home. The rocker is quite friendly but clearly not sober, even directing his assistants (Hey, Pierre – don’t put that there…) while showing the reporter around his mansion.

He’s had enough success that he doesn’t really need to work anymore, but he’s completely bored and depressed. He’s hardly ever in the news except for the rare gossip column where he makes a drunken fool of himself. In fact, he’s really happy to have this interview, which is probably the first one he’s had in years. People aren’t interested in him anymore, which is why he’s depressed and suicidal – yet still partying it up like a madman.

The unfortunate truth is he’s waiting around to die. He drinks way too much, does every drug put in his face, has totally let himself go and yet, he’s still here. He can’t seem to figure out why. I know it’s grim but hey, I just write them as they come to me.

There’s some commentary about the music scene itself in the lyrics. Popular music has a way of changing quickly and ferociously leaving many who cannot adapt behind. I always envisioned the song’s protagonist to be one of these people. He’s perhaps the aged rocker who is not quite as relevant as he once was, trying to deal with the new music scene. Underneath it all, though, he’s quite depressed and even suicidal. The line about trying to check out before the real hurting starts refers to this.

I had a lot of fun writing this one because I was writing it as a character, much like acting in a play. Once I became the character, the words just poured out and what you hear in the song is what was written that same day, pretty much unchanged. The melody made itself known as I was writing the lyrics so when it came time to record, there wasn’t much left to compose.

While the song is a bit dreary under the covers, it was actually written to be a bit humorous and tongue-in-cheek on the surface. It’s a satirical look at celebrity and what goes along with it, nothing more.

The Recording

This was a quick one to record. I already had the song in my head when I sat down to play the drum track so all I had to do was throw in the fun stuff like accents and stops, some of which were simply made up right there on the spot. I like to do that, actually. It’s fun trying to record around and on top of a drum track once it’s done.

The small riff that is repeated in this song was composed while recording the bass track. Sometimes, when I record bass directly after the drums, I do a lot of composing via bass. The rhythm section completes the foundation and sets the tone for everything else recorded afterward. The little riff just happened by accident here and decided to stick around for the duration.

The bridge was also composed at this time. While recording the drum track, I knew I wanted a bridge of some kind for the song but didn’t know what to play in that space. I wondered what would happen if I just played a slower part there instead. In the end, that’s what I did but I didn’t know what would be there musically, only that there would be a slower part in the bridge. There wouldn’t be any lead vocal either, I decided. So, while playing the bass track, I went from C to E twice and then from G to A twice. It sounded weird to me at first but it grew on me.

There are both acoustic and electric guitars on the track. The acoustic was added to fill out the sound a little but also to provide a different tone than the usual electric noise. You can hear it pretty well in the bridge. These were all quick takes and fun to play.

Rounding out the sound are some keyboards. You’ll hear mostly organ sounds but there are a few cool things going on in the bridge. It’s mostly stock stuff but fairly effective.

I admit that I had a lot of fun with the backing vocals. I had a few people tell me I need to do more with backing tracks so I tried to hunker down and put some really good “Ahhhhs” in there. I was very happy with the way they came out after a couple of hours screaming in my living room.

The lead vocal was a breeze for me. It felt more like talking than singing and I think the result really worked. The cocky rock star thing comes off and I think people can recognize the character and the message, whether they just have a laugh at his expense or see some of the issues underneath.

I always get comments about the little ad-libs at the end. I’m not sure where they came from. They were spontaneously yelled out while recording. You can interpret them any way you like. Are they they ramblings of a drunken, aging rock star who forgot he was giving an interview and thought he was actually on a stage? Maybe he feels he always IS on a stage? Is he the last of his kind? You make the call. Good night, New Jersey.

Lyrics

Take it in – Have a swim
I’ll watch your face with a polite grin
I confess – It’s a mess
Take off your gloves I’ll never pass that test

Still alive – flying high
Trying to burn out but not fade away
Hey Pierre – Don’t put that there
I might fall down and bust my derriere

Don’t know how I get through the day
I’m tired, I’m hungover, and you’re in my way
Don’t try to save this ship I’m on
I’m just living in style in my own private Babylon

It’s a simple thing – I’m the king
I don’t throw parties, people bring them to me
What the hell? What’s that smell?
Something’s dead in the roach motel

I got five master bedrooms
I got three heated pools
I got my own bowling alley
I got a helicopter on the roof

I got fans so devoted
I can make them spray tears
They’re keeping me so rich
I haven’t done a thing in years

Talent is irrelevant
It’s all about how you look
There’s no need for me to read
Because I wrote the book

I bet you don’t think
I see this hole in my heart
I’m just trying to check out
Before the hurting starts

Lou's News / Music

March 29, 2011

Every Song Tells A Story: Something New

The Story

I work from home most Wednesdays, at least at the time of this writing. I also use those days as music days, where I can work on my original material. I have my work computer dialed in to my left and my Mac all set up with the interface on my right. So when I’m taking breaks or in between things for work, I just roll my chair over and record a track or something. Wednesdays are usually great days for getting work done in both cases. There are few distractions. I can knock out a lot of my work (for my day job) in half the time I normally would. I can also get a lot of music written or recorded.

As far as the music goes, those Wednesdays are spent in different ways depending on my mood. Sometimes, I won’t feel motivated to do anything at all. Sometimes I’ll work on four songs. Sometimes I’ll experiment. Sometimes I’ll just record a vocal track. Sometimes I’ll just mix things. It’s all quite random. This song was written while experimenting.

The theme of the song is fairly obvious so there’s not much to explain. When you’ve been in a relationship for a long time, sometimes you have to try something new or something different to keep things interesting. Do something crazy. Do something you’d normally never do. Get in the car and drive somewhere without a plan. Get out of the familiar and into the unknown. Change some routines. Make life a little interesting. It’s a simple notion that can make a big difference, even if for a day.

It could be something as simple as trying a new restaurant or something as drastic as going hiking in a foreign country (if that’s something you don’t normally do). It really depends on the people involved. Trying something you’ve never done before is almost always the way to go. If you’ve never been on a roller coaster, give it a shot. Try switching sides of the bed, maybe. Get a pet. The list is endless.

That’s really all I’m trying to convey in the song. When you’re bored and sick of the same routines day after day, try something new.

The Recording

The song “Something New” was written completely by accident on one of my “experimenting” days. Even the title was a bit of an accident, as you’ll see.

One random Wednesday I decided that I was going to experiment with loops. I was only using them as stand-ins at that point. Actually, I was using them as faux click tracks for recording drums. Since then, I’ve used a few here and there, but sparingly. This time, I wanted to just sit down and experiment with some drum loops and see what happened. Maybe I’d come across something I could use down the road. Who knows?

While paging through the plethora of loops, I came across this fairly straight beat that caught my ear. The kick was pretty heavy on the one and three, yet it was complimented by a nice rim-shot on the two and four. I liked that contrast. It didn’t have that huge accompanying snare hit I was expecting. I made a track in a new project and stretched that loop out to eternity.

Keep in mind that I was not composing or even thinking about writing a song. I was simply going through a sort of musical “stream of consciousness” exercise. I was taking paint and throwing it onto a blank canvas to “see what stuck”.

Around this time I thought that I should probably save the file. We’ve all lost files to power outages or disc errors from time to time, haven’t we? Saving often is always a good thing with computers. I needed a name so I called it SomethingNew, because it was something new I was working on. For all I knew at that time, it would have ended up in the trash later that day.

Enter the clavinet. I’ve always been a big fan of “the clav”. When I think of clav, I immediately think of Stevie Wonder who really mastered the way to play that thing like no other. I also think of Christine McVie and the way she played left-hand clav on Fleetwood Mac’s “You Make Loving Fun”. What a great sound. Of course there are tons of other great records that make use of the clav, from Led Zeppelin (“Trampled Underfoot”, etc.) to The Band (“Up on Cripple Creek”) to Sly Stone, Pink Floyd, and prog-rock bands like Yes to name a few.

So of course, while rolling through the keyboard sounds I had to stop on the clavinet sample. I was hitting octaves on the low D notes and stumbled upon the rhythm you can hear in the beginning of the finished song. I tracked it and stretched the loop out as I did with the drum loop. Now things were getting interesting.

Flipping through the bass loops, I came across something that sounded deep and fat and started tapping away on the midi controller. I wasn’t thinking about key or progression. I wasn’t composing. I was just experimenting, remember? Within five minutes, however, the bass line was born, tracked, and looped across the rest of the song.

It was at this point that I realized something was happening but I wasn’t quite sure yet. Did I have something that might make good background music in an elevator or did I have the makings of a new song? It wasn’t clear yet, but I kept going because I had a great little groove going on. It sounded good to my ears because it was simple (drums, bass, & clav) but yet it sounded fat enough to work.

I knew that if it was to become a song it needed some variation, and for that I turned to the piano since I was already working on the midi controller. Click a few buttons and you’re all set. The catch is that I’m not a good piano player. I don’t just sit and play piano effortlessly. I knew that I wanted something different, though. So I whipped out my handy piano chord book (much to my musician friends’ chagrin) and started experimenting some more.

If this was going to morph into a song, here would be the big test. I had two short-term goals. One was to put something over the existing groove. The other was to come up with a new part that would add some kind of variation. I had no idea what either might be, but I was in some kind of musical zone, so off I went.

I already had the D octaves on the clav tracked so I naturally looked to the pages in my chord book that listed the different D variations. This took a little while because there were two things I had to think about: Rhythm and Chord Progression. In the end, only three chords ended up being used but I had no way of knowing that at the time. I was looking at yet another blank canvas and trying all sorts of things.

I started playing different D variations/inversions to hear how they sounded against the groove that I kept on a constant loop. I didn’t want to be boring and just slap a plain old D major in there. I wanted something a little more fun and full. Major 7ths are beautiful chords to my ears but I tend to use them a lot and try to save them for when I really need them. At some point I placed a D11 before a D9 and noticed that while the chords were very similar, I could still tell them apart even with a D hammering away on the bottom.

The D11 that I used consists of G-A-C-E (with a D in the bass). The D9 that I used is the exact same thing but with an F# instead of a G – and what a difference that F# makes! This whole thing intrigued me so much that I had to keep it. The fact that one note in all that mess really made the difference was key to me. I loved it.

I still had the problem of variation to solve, though. For that, I went the boring route and moved up to the IV (Gm). For color I hammered in a quick F to G thing (one finger) at the beginning of the G minor chord just to give the illusion of movement but the solution to the variation problem was, in essence, just a G minor chord banging away in a Latin style, rhythmically. I altered the bass line beneath it to match but left the drum pattern pretty much intact.

Something just worked there and it was at that point that I knew I had crossed the line from experiment to song. It was funky, yet jazzy. It was simple, yet groovy. But how was I going to finish this thing?

The file name I was using stuck in my head and while I was composing I was humming vocal melodies in my head and making up words on the fly. Some were nonsensical but others seemed to work. I used the words “Something New” in there and began to build lyrics around them, putting them down in a text file as I went on writing the music.

I had a pretty good thing going. I knew I could put a jazzy piano solo in there somewhere over that groove so that was no problem. I felt the song needed a bridge of some sort though. Even with the short Gm variation, it wasn’t enough to keep the song from being too boring. It needed a good third quarter after halftime. What I didn’t want to do was keep the same groove going so I went back to the drum loops to try out some other things.

I found this funky part that I thought complimented yet contrasted the rest of the song and went with it. I didn’t want to dwell too long in drum loop city. The part I chose seemed great, so I was happy. I threw it in the timeline where I thought it would fit best. I then added some bass that kept the pocket tight and solid. If you listen closely during this bridge, you’ll also hear some triangle action. To lead back into the main groove, I added a drum fill that was a loop but sounded a lot like something I would do on drums.

At that point, the song was pretty much set up and all of the main tracks were done except the piano solo, vocals and guitar. I will say that I was VERY tempted to not have any guitar at all on the track. I liked the way the song sounded as it was and was not hearing any guitar in my head at all. I decided to plug the telecaster in and see what happened, though. I found a sound that seemed to fit and just let the song loop for a while. I kept noodling but soon realized that overplaying on this track was not going to work. It needed simple accents and hits and that’s what I ended up doing. I went high up the neck for the funk factor and it seemed to work. I left well-enough alone.

I did want a guitar solo over the bridge part though because it was so different from the main groove. If there was going to be any strong guitar in the song, that was the spot for it. I threw on some distortion and made it work. Then I went back and added a very long piano solo which came before the guitar solo. I enjoyed very much but I knew it was way too long. One of the joys of digital editing is the ability to pull measures out of a song and have it all just fit back together in seconds. I pulled out some of the piano solo (mostly the stuff in the middle that wandered a bit) and gave it another listen. The length was much better. I re-recorded a piece at the end of the solo with some high triplets to make a nice segue into the guitar solo groove and that was that.

Then it was lyric time. This was odd for me because many times I have the lyrics all finished before this point. I already had a text file open and in progress. The words just flowed from there and all came together. Looking back, it’s funny how the file name became the song title and a whole theme of spicing up a relationship came about. It just fell together and made sense in some weird, cosmic way. I love when that happens.

In any case, the vocals were simple and easy to sing because they’re very talky, for lack of a better term. It was almost like talking instead of singing. When we play it live, the band might come up with some fun backing vocals if they choose, but on the recording it’s just one voice. Again, the simplicity of the song really made it work for me. I could have filled it up with a lot of “Ooooohs and Ahhhhhs” but decided not to. I went with what felt right to me at the time.

“Something New” was actually an experiment that turned into a song, and one that I admire a lot. I learned a lot in the process and had a fun time putting it all together. Starting the day with a blank slate and ending it with a full song a few hours later is a great feeling that doesn’t happen too often in our busy lives. I’ll always have fond memories of writing it.

Lyrics

Baby baby we’ve been together
Baby baby a long long time
Going through the motions just ain’t doing it no more
We need a little excitement tonight

Baby don’t you think it’s time that we try something new
Don’t you think it’s time for something that we never do
We gotta find a way to make it work for me and you
Don’t you think it’s time for something new

Let’s get the car and drive until the morning light
Let our thoughts take us away
Feels a bit unnatural – like going back in time
When you feel that freedom – you’ll wanna stay

Don’t you think it’s time for something new

Baby baby we’ve been together
Baby baby a long long time
I know I’ll go crazy if we don’t bury this routine
We need a little something else tonight

Don’t you think it’s time for something new
Something new…

Lou's News / Music

March 8, 2011

Got Me A Rock And Roll Band, It’s A Free For All

Oh, that Nuge… always good for a quote.

It’s been an interesting couple of years to say the least. 2009 and 2010 found me writing two albums worth of material, plus what I call “pre-composing” two concept pieces of about 10 songs each. I call it pre-composing because those pieces exist only in my head except for the lyrics which are all written and complete.

Why did I do all this, you ask? To what end? Well, you didn’t ask but I’ll ask for you. I’ll even answer.

The goal for me is to play live. I enjoy it. Since I was a teen, I’ve always found it far more interesting to play original music than to be in a cover band. In fact, I hadn’t really tried being in a cover band until a few years ago. Here in New Jersey, there’s more money in doing that than with original songs. So after trying to maintain a cover band with me singing and playing guitar, which was fun but unfulfilling, I decided that I had to get back to original music. I still play drums with some other cover bands which is cool because I like the guys and the songs and it pays well. However, I’m very focused on original music. It’s just more interesting to me.

What I like about playing original music live is that there are no expectations. Even if people have heard your music, they’re not expecting it to sound a certain way. They are my songs and I can play them as I see fit. I’m not reproducing someone else’s sound or expected to hit Steve Perry’s high notes. I don’t sound like other people or sing like other people. I sound like me, like it or not. Playing covers is fun and it pays well, so at the end of the night you have some money which makes up for the unfulfillment. I need the money, but I also need to feel some musical/artistic integrity and satisfaction. It’s the same reason artists display their painted canvases on walls. Art should be shared. Keeping it to yourself is a little bit selfish, I say. A good piece of art or a good song can really make someone’s day, especially if they can identify with it on some level.

That’s not to say you can’t make money at all playing originals. If you can successfully draw a big crowd, you’ll do quite well. At the same time, there are places in the big cities you can play where you won’t even come close to getting paid until you bring over XX amount of people. They’ll keep 100% of the cover charges until there’s a big enough crowd. Some places will tell you up front that they just don’t pay at all. It’s really hard to draw a big crowd of people when you’re starting out or rebooting yourself so you suck it up. The only way to get bigger and better is to play out more and gain a following. To do that, you must have gigs. You must also have good songs. That’s all up to interpretation, I know, but they must at least be well-written and performed if you want anyone to pay attention to them. For me, it’s more important to get out there, play live, and share the music. If I can make a few bucks then I’m even happier.

What I guess I’m trying to say is that it’s a long haul from the garage to the stage and I’ve taken the time I’ve needed to write, record and prepare to take the songs out to clubs, bars, festivals, and whatever else. I am one guy, though. You can’t do this without a good band.

I had secured a lead guitarist and bassist a long while back. Finding a drummer was more challenging. There are a lot of people who like to call themselves drummers and many of them can even hack their way through cover bands just fine, but throw them into an original situation and you’ll instantly see the difference between drummers and what my lead guitar player calls “drum owners”. That said, I’m glad to say there’s finally a drummer in the mix and he’s both enthusiastic and can play well.

The drummer, in fact, was really the only thing holding up the process of booking gigs. I still want/need a keyboard player because some of the tracks are piano/organ driven and others have things like horns and synths in them. However, I do believe we can gig without the keys for now as long as the drums are there.

I won’t stop looking for keys though. It’s very important to me. Things like keys, horns, synths, and organs can really make a song stand out. I have a few songs that will sound quite different without keyboards and I’d rather play the songs with them than without them.

So now that there’s a core band, the songs are starting to sound better in a live scenario and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I always said that these songs would “pop” live. Just the fact that there are good musicians playing with me makes the songs better. Chris is an infinitely better guitarist than I am. The solos and lead work will be wild. Steve plays much better bass than I ever will. His fills blew me away at rehearsal. As for the drums, it’s pretty amazing to hear Rob be himself yet at the same time stay true to the drum parts that I played and the structure of the song. These guys are working hard not just for me, certainly not for money, definitely not for the chicks (well, maybe Rob is), but for the love of music and the love of playing original music live.

That’s where it’s at.

Now that our first official rehearsal is over and went quite well, I have some feelers out for gigs. I’m hoping that by Spring, we’ll be out there in full force, having some fun. If you’d like to book us, let me know.

You can (virtually) meet the band before the gigs if you like by looking them up on Google or The Facebook or whatever your flavor. The drummer is Rob Silverman. Steve Savona is on the bass. Chris Preston is on lead guitar. This is a multi-talented band with loads of experience behind them. Steve and Chris are also solo artists and everyone has a few projects going on. I’ve known Chris and Steve for years. We all worked together at a local mom-and-pop music store selling instruments. Chris and I were in a band back in the 90’s. Steve and I played the occasional acoustic gig. Rob is the new guy. We don’t know much about him yet but my extensive net of spies is currently investigating his past.

The band is solid.
The fun factor is dominant.
The gigs are coming.
Will you join us?

Lou's News

December 13, 2010

Happy Holidays To You

Another year over…

I just wanted to take a minute and wish anyone reading this a Happy Holiday Season, no matter what Holiday you celebrate, if any. How’s that for PC? 🙂

It’s been a mixed up, crazy year for my family and I with lots of ups and downs. Plus I turned the big 4-0 this year which is both exciting and depressing at the same time.

I did, however, record and release a lot of music with much more planned for 2011. While I did not attain my goal of getting a full band together and playing some gigs by the end of the year, I was able to secure a lead guitarist and bass player (both of whom are multi-instrumentalists and can play guitar, bass, and keys).

Here’s hoping that 2011 brings a solid drummer and permanent keyboard player to the group so I can get out there and trying these songs out on people. It’s going to be a great time.

Whether this year was good or bad to you, it’s time to put it away and look forward to a new year with lots of positivity.

So Happy Holidays to you all, Happy New Year, and see you in 2011.