Everything Is Going To Be OK

Can't believe another age has passed since my last outing here. Sometimes wonder where the time goes.

There was a little hiatus, as during November I turned producer, recording my cousin, Danny Thomas, who visited me and wanted to do a Christmas album. We did 10 tracks over a long weekend and, after some mixing and tweaking, came up with a very good collection of festive cheer and reflection. It was an interesting exercise, recording someone else, getting a performance. Danny, always a fab singer, did a really good job and came up with some really nice harmonies. There were a few moments when listening back the hairs stood up on the back of the neck! And the good thing is, these songs can be used again next year!

Sadly, though it was in the queue, my own, original Christmas song never got recorded. A song of lost love that might one day pull at the heartstrings.

I managed to get one new song recorded and a video produced just after Christmas. That song Look On The Bright Side, was me revisiting one of the very first songs I wrote, not long after owning my first guitar. Thematically, it is similar to It's Alright With Me, basically, using those troubled moments we all have and seeing the positive.

As I do, I start these projects and let them evolve a while before getting down to it, that way when I jam the song, ideas will come; in this case the D shape intro, a slight variation on the melody from the original, a solo... My harmonies with myself seem to come naturally now. In the process of recording I hit upon the idea of having an uplifting, mantra-like outro, coming up with the all new "Everything's Gonna Be OK" ending, which threw up some interesting overdubs and harmonies.

Once I have the song recorded and I'm happy with the mix, the next thing to think about is a video. I'd invested in a new HD camcorder, hoping for better quality and a 'lock on subject' focus seeing as I tend to be filming myself. I took some footage in the local park, with a film crew of one and some funny looks as I mimed to a mobile phone. At home, I filmed in front of a new greenscreen cloth, hoping to add backgrounds; unfortunately, I’ll have to resolve issues of cloth transparency, mock-studio lighting and enough computer processing power! (Green sheet rather than green screen.) The edit was difficult in that the new HD files were 'too much' for the computer (juddery monitoring) so syncing sound and video was hard. After much trial and error, I got there in the end; and, it having enough bits in it to make it interesting, was quite happy with the produced video.

However, an uploaded video is reprocessed by YouTube and on occasion I get syncing problems, which is off-putting to the viewer (and frustrating to me), so the live version is the fourth attempt!

With each song and video I learn something.

Look On The Bright Side

It's very pleasing after all those years to bring such an early song to life. Brought to mind the quote from Star Trek spoof Galaxy Quest "Never give up, never surrender." It’s kind of how I feel about all of these songs and my belated musical foray – and why not?

So Much To Do, So Little Time

Sometimes writing things down helps set things in motion, so with this in mind, I thought I'd make an interim post about what I'm up to with tinkersong. I need to come back in due course and write a little about my most recent upload.

Wake Up: a song for our times - one of political, social and economic observations - which having had a little boost from the blogging community (Max Farquar*, Captain Ranty* and others) has done quite well, heading towards being my no. 2 most viewed video in less than a month.

I should also write about my experience of putting on a local music festival, but that is another story...

I embarked upon this music project 18 months or so ago, as much out of a frustration that, if it was to be, it would be up to me, as a need to purge the soul and set 'mes enfants' free. Though, in the process of progressing this project, it's been more about doing than outcomes. A pebble thrown into a lake... success and recognition would be a bonus.

Funnily enough, I've always felt a little unworthy when in the company of proper musicians – when I think of some of the original music I've heard that got nowhere, you wonder whether it's worth picking up the guitar. That said, I think I've surprised myself with what I could do with my limited home studio set-up and a little endeavour.

At the outset, I already had quite few demos recorded - some of better quality that others - my 'better' songs I’d intended keeping for the studio (or the album), so I've been mostly doing songs that were new recordings, apart from a few strategic songs like Mathew Street (Beatles connection) and Driven [below] (a relatively polished, studio recording that came from a music production course). So doing these 'new' songs has been a voyage of discovery.

Driven

In the pipeline, I've a song called Have You Tonight, which is about the lustful frisson of excitement of meeting someone. The Condom Song: a song about being prepared! The Spanish version of I Told You So. A twist on Happy Birthday about an estranged love. There is my Christmas song, which has been around for years, 'un peu triste' and not so jolly, but I think it's alright, and I really need to get cracking on with it or it won't be keeping the X Factor annual musical contribution to the world off the top! There are three or four others 'in progress' (Dreams, Ever Since, I Got No Bed, and a reworking of Boys Talk) which just need me to get on with it!!!

Then there are a couple of songs from my Boys Talk days where the decent quality; studio-recorded demos need something visual to accompany them. One an energetic cover of the Everly Brothers' song Temptation; one our observations on 'body language' which coming out quite funky was one of the best things we did. Again, having gone down the YouTube road, I need to come up with something visual. There being no duo any more, I have an idea of getting people to mime the lines whilst acting it out. How to organise…? For Temptation, images of temptresses, come-to-bed eyes, red lips and flashes of naked skin come to mind (all in the best possible taste of course).

And then there are the covers: a Beatles cover off their first album, recorded but needs something visual; I've a Smokey Robinson song I've been playing with, which has potential. Both quite different from the originals.

All of this against a backdrop of the maelstrom of life and other demands, and monkeys on backs. Hopefully, there will be enough time, and fruits of my endeavours will be worthwhile. Bear with me…

*Of the bloggers, Max Farquar stopped blogging, and dear old Captain Ranty (Colin Grainger) passed away in 2015.

Stop The World I Want To Get On

Summer seems to have come and gone with a whimper since the last posting; there have been 3 new songs, a mini-music festival organised… with other songs in the pipeline. The good thing about doing the music is that I am coming up with new ideas, which is pleasing; my initial thinking was that I would work through songs I already had.

The summer began with the completion of a brand new song, of which the spark came in June 2010. Born of frustration and being somewhat 'lost'. The idea and tune for what would become 'Stop The World' came to mind, which I recorded into a mobile phone - a few words which gave the song its direction and a tune for the verse. Always handy to have some recording device at hand for when the muse strikes. For me, the creative process could be me singing a few words when an idea arrives or strumming a few chords on a guitar and singing something over it.

I have boxes of cassette tapes with these snippets of ideas, some get developed into songs, others go nowhere ending up in a musical cul-de-sac; others, fragments, have the potential to become something - the tune staying with me a barometer of that. It's not always an easy process, and it's very rare that something comes in one go.

Having been picking up the guitar and working the idea, it wouldn't be until May that it I would begin working on 'Stop The World' in earnest; that moment being the arrival of the middle eight chord sequence. I had the tune, a verse and chorus, middle eight… firing up Cubase (music sequencing software), I would build up a structure (arrangement) in this case of intro, verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle 8, room for a solo, chorus, to the end. My initial tempo, would be sped up to something more natural, one that felt right.

A work in progress, having a song structure and basically playing it; I worked on the bass line, guitar parts and drums (with fills as a finishing touch)… added guide vocals and harmonies, developing the music whilst jotting down ideas for additional lyrics. By now I had in mind an idea of what I wanted to say, it was a matter of finding the words to express myself; on a couple of sheets of paper, I would scribble down lines as my subconscious sent them to me – no rush.

As the weeks progressed the second verse emerged, the middle 8 blanks were filled (with some good lines I thought). I wanted a more ‘positive’ ending to what is an angst-ridden song - an optimism that links a few of my songs.

Drawing on a country feel, which seemed to fit with the sentiment, at first I camped up a little on the harmony, which was fun if a little over the top, and was toned down considerably by the time Cubase version 5 arrived. In the interim, I had the idea for the a cappella section after the middle 8. I produced a little solo, as well as the riff in the outro.

It took a while but was a very pleasing creation all round. A Grammy Award, maybe a Granny Award, around the corner! Said what needed to be said, and had enough interesting bits to hang it together. And after some more endeavour, it came out like a proper song in the mix. Not bad for a song recorded in my living room. I think it is a little country in style - a youtuber commented 'Traveling Wilburys', which I can live with. Pleased that the tinkersong output so far is quite mixed.

Stop The World

For the video, perhaps in the excitement and rush to get it done, and due to gloomy weather outside, I shot a simple video of the 'recording' with a few cutaways, and edited with Sony Vegas.

Personally, I like it when songs resonate with me, which is perhaps the trick; for me, 'Stop The World' is quite a naked affair, each word, each line, a truth and, in that, a release. It’s done now.

I performed it live to a backing track for the first time at Howfenfest 2011 (24 July).

Inspiration and the Online Democracy

It’s been a while (oops!). In the interim I've managed to finish off a new song 'Just In Case' and do a little home-made video for it – this is now live on my YouTube site. There is another song recorded that needs a video to go with it… it's that cover of an obscure Beatles song (I'll say no more…).

Just In Case

'Just In Case' is my seventh video/song upload; it feels like progress… I set myself a goal of doing something with these songs that I have conjured up over the years. It feels like 'unfinished business', the need to be involved and to do something with my music has always been there, I suppose as the years race by, I regard these creations as part of me and my life, a sort of legacy. After all I'm not a working musician, just someone who is musical and can express himself through song. I have no idea where this journey will take me, I just feel I have to make it.

I think YouTube and the internet are fantastic, as tools and opportunities to showcase yourself. It's great that talent in whatever guise can put something out there and find an audience. I discovered Stevie Riks doing Beatles impressions through a 'word-of-mouse' link: there was a video of 'The White Album in 10 Minutes,' two blokes with a guitar and mic (a sheet behind them) running through these songs. I couldn't believe that 'John' and 'Paul' were the same, very talented guy, not only a first rate musician, but original and funny too. The videos are many, replete with humour and love, sometimes serious but always engaging.

It was that 'it doesn't matter if it's in the living room' aspect of this world that I found inspiring. If you think about it, YouTube and its world is democracy and people-power in action. Known for his home-made videos, I'm sure John Lennon would have loved it.

So, inspired by Steve, I made my first foray into the online world with a video of a song co-written with my 'Boys Talk' bandmate Mike Meade, 'You Make Me Feel Better' filmed a little self-consciously in the house and sung live to camera. As they say, journey of a thousand leagues begins with the first step… [This song since updated with a more polished version and video.]

I'm a big fan of blogs and the online community; to go all 1960s for a minute - 'it's where it's at!' The shared knowledge and discourse is great. And often puts the Main Stream Media (MSM) to shame, I'm attuned because probably, I'm a lot more cynical and questioning than in the past. You can search for the facts and make up your own mind, whether it's music, politics, economic issues, 'climate change', or just entertainment or a hobby - I have to laugh, as a young boy, living on the Mersey, I had a fascination with boats, and lo and behold, there are people out there who marvel at such things. Sort of reassuring in an 'I'm not so mad kind of way!'

Back to the music, the new song, for me goes back to my student days, and that whole 'boy-meets-girl' thing, and the trials and tribulations of 'fancying someone' but being too shy/scared/lacking in confidence to take the plunge; or maybe this love interest was somebody else's love interest. The human condition is such that once an obsession takes hold it's hard to shake off, and this is a song about that… feelings and longings shared I'm sure by more than share my slightly anoraky interest in ferries!