making of a hit - part 1 (and a bit)

part one would be when i first started mapping out the tracks and got this rush of excitement as i realised that this piece had serious potential - things have developed a bit since then - hence part 1 (and a bit)

(anyone stuck for time may want to skip to the sentence written in bold - its probably the most important sentence in the blog)

so my good friend martin has been writing all this poetry and i can tell is desperate for an outlet, so when i find myself with the beginnings of a monster dark-house track, i decide that he should perform for the piece.

the track is basically some industrial percussion sounds, thick, sweeping synth pads, a heavy 4/4 kick and then a big electro bass line. think daft punk with a visage edge. his spoken word performed in a deep, monotonous vocal would finish the track perfectly.

i had emailed martin raving about my plans and had got him all excited and wanting to hear the track, so last night, a butterscotchworld.com meeting, i took along my laptop so he could hear what id been up to and decide whether he wanted to be a part of it or not.

this is where i get nervous.

most of my electronic music gets written and produced on my laptop and stays there - forever. its very rare anyone else listens to it. martin is also well known for his great critical skills and has a very clear knowledge of what he likes, and what he doesnt. i was fully expecting him to dismiss the track or to be very un enthused by it. then id feel like a right mug!

anyway,

you should never doubt your work. never make excuses for it and never be afraid to share it, so, i swallowed my pride, cranked up the stereo and the rest, they will say, was history.

i cant really explain the feeling of accomplishment you get when people are excited about your music. that what you spend your time obsessing about and slaving over actually gets peoples attention and for the right reasons too.

now all thats left to do is finishing the sound design, finish the arrangement, finish the mixing, record the vocals, mix the vocals, master the track and then figure out what to do with the result.

thats not my song, thats not my song, thats not my....song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtmS2ePSSdU&feature=related

radiohead playing covers during their studio time.

im starting to change how i feel about covers.

i mean i still stand by what i said in my last post.

but im really warming to playing other people songs. i find they stretch me and force me to develop my performance more than my own songs do which i find i can sing and play too comfortably.

and even simple songs i can play easily, its a chance to really pick a song apart and look at what its actually made up of.

anyway enjoy the vids.

best open mic night everrr

monday night was the best open mic night ever.

firstly, it wasnt as busy as the week before. this meant that it wasnt so hot and noisy but also, each artist could play three or four songs and take their time on the mic, not having to rush through their set so that the next artists could play. the atmosphere was really relaxed.

also, there was a really high standard of performance from everyone. this is especially nice to see from newer performers who you can tell are really nervous but then go on to play fantastic sets.

most importantly though, i played brilliantly. not meaning to blow my own trumpet but it was the best set i have played in a long long time which was nice, taking into account all the worries i was having regarding my music and my performance.

next week though, i am taking a break from open mic night. by that i mean i have decided to play a set of covers rather than my own songs which i have been playing for the last three weeks.

im not normally a fan of covers for two reasons. firstly, i usually just end up ruining the song. i either cant play it properly, its in the wrong key or just doesnt suit my voice, or worse, i end up doing an exact copy of the original along with accent and everything.

secondly, too many performers, at open mic night especially, use them as an emotional weapon against their audience. perhaps they feel their own songs arent as powerful as they would like them to be so use other peoples songs to try and create epic, movie style moments and capture everyones attention. i have no respect for people who do that.

so im going to have to think hard about the songs i cover - bit of a challenge for the weekend - see what i come up with, it will be nice though to relax and enjoy playing some songs that everyone knows and not having to worry about how i present my own material - to get fully into the open mic spirit of coming together to enjoy and share music.

no more complaining

another interesting blog i have found on the subject of songwriting

http://measureformeasure.blogs.nytimes.com/

i have also taken some inspiration from a recent article in sound on sound magazine with songwriter diane warren.

"showing up" may not sound like a magic bullet to many aspiring songwriters and musicians, but its amazing how many of us dream rather than show up. by contrast, warren knew from day one, even in her parents garden shed when writing three songs a day ("they all sucked"), that 'showing up' is the first commandment of success."

ive decided that it is better to do something than to do nothing, even if that something is just to play about with a simple chord arrangement, or to record a sample of an unfinished song....

or to enter yourself into a silly television competition hosted by my hero, alex zane....

motivation?

today i have moved on from thinking about my success as a musician, or rather, the lack of.

todays question is, where has all the motivation gone?

i have absolutely none - i seem to have lost all interest in my music.

i wondered if this was just a form of writers block but i have decided that this is much worse. i am perfectly able to write, i have the material and the ideas, too many ideas perhaps, i just dont feel compelled to do anything with them, im just letting them go.

i can currently think of two possible reasons why i am experiencing this problem.

reason number one:

no outlet. there is nowhere to perform - no audience wanting to listen and there is absolutely no need for me to record - who would buy the CDs?

reason number two:

no inspiration. this is partly due to the first reason but i havnt seen or heard anything for ages that has made me excited about music, challenged me and made me want to pick up the guitar and be a musician.

there is nothing compelling me to write and i see no purpose for any material that i do write.

im not gonna just give up tho - i am sure that this feeling will pass but its me who needs to make the changes - no one else is gonna turn up and motivate me.

so i have been thinking hard for the solution.

no luck as yet.

however - i am making a promise to myself to keep on writing and playing until i realise the solution.

(although i have a sneaky feeling that if i do this, soon enough, something will just happen, something that excites me, keeps me up all night writing and that drives me to perform to whoever will lend me half an ear)

? recognition

martin joiners thoughts on the measurement of success:

"i have worked to please the masses and i have worked to please the underground. I have had exhibitions that made me feel whole and i have had exhibitions that made me want to give up. looking at these facts in hind sight i can say that my measure of success is the number of people who genuinely talk to me having been excited or moved by my work. on a good show it will be 4 people, on a bad show it will be 0 and 1 or 2 is average. but! beware the people who come and talk to the artist not to discuss the work and its effect, but for their own personal gain."

ignore the spelling and grammar, this was discussed and written in the pub on friday night.

recently martin exhibited a visual instillation at a local music festival. the instillation was set up between the branches of a cluster of trees with a small PA system amplifying a soundtrack to fit the visuals. he had spent months working on fantastic footage and collaborating with musicians and DJs to create a fitting soundtrack.

the installation was switched on as the sun was setting at around 10pm. it was a really great piece of video art but martin was extremely disheartened with the lack of attention the work gained. perhaps, judging by his earlier statement, he viewed the installation as a failure.

in my opinion, the installation as a work of art was a huge success, progressing with the soundtrack through a range of emotions and clearly demonstrating his talent as a film maker, however, his success at planning the location and timing of when he exhibited the work was perhaps not.

he placed himself, a fairly unknown artists in direct competition with the biggest bands of the day hence why he failed to significantly capture peoples attention. his installation was also hidden from his audience behind the trees, barely noticeable from the festival green.

when we talk about success in creativity, do we need to separate the creative act from factors such as budgeting, marketing and promotion?

measuring success

im a musician

how do i measure my success?

i guess usually you would tell by the number of records you sell. or the number of tickets you sell for gigs.

maybe even the number of hits/plays/downloads on your myspace page.

well i see little future for the record companies - they are fighting a losing battle against technology.

what about live performance? seems to me that its more about artists playing sets full of covers to please beer hungry punters.

the venues and artists that dare to perform original music often do so at the expense of their pockets.

please do not think that i write music just for attention - i am not chasing fame or record deals - its just that it can become difficult to ever finish a song or album knowing that you have no outlet for what you produce.

i can only imagine that this becomes even harder for visual artists/film makers who cannot busk their work on the streets or open mic nights - how can they exhibit their work to the world and gain recognition for what they have produced, other than in a traditional gallery?

so how do i measure my success? how can you tell if anyone is appreciating what you do? is it worth writing and rehearsing songs if the only person who will ever really listen to them is yourself?

im going to find an answer - a way for an artist to measure their success in a world where people always want something for nothing and fashions and trends shift from one week to the next.

why this blog?

need somewhere to log what i get up to everyday

need somewhere to let people know about the new things im going - the music im making

somewhere to post my thoughts

bored of the social networking sites