Assigning the musicians; I was reading through 1 Chronicles 25 and was struck by some aspects of Gods designs for worship musicians. It was a quickie of a spoken thought – with a washer running in background and people walking upstairs – but I hope you get the idea of why I wanted to share this…about 6 minutes long. The blue arrow streams, or you can download.
this music was laying around in a folder and reared its head while I was working on something else (so what else is new). I really wanted to finish it, and decided to go ahead and assemble a little video. Vocoders, edgy drums, arpeggiated synths and even a djembe solo on the outro…funny side story on the edit; I was mixing down the djembe and had a guitar fuzz effect on it – literally screaming, but backed off and decided on a “supermarket speaker” reverb… a little more lo-fi. If I use that fuzz later I’ll explain more, it will be cool in the right setting. Anyway, the vocals are run through a vocoder, and I wanted to see if I could do a rappish, scat thing but keep the musical key through the vocoder…I think it is ok. I like the burnt glow video thing – and am hoping to tweak it some more on other stuff. The video is about 1 1/2 minutes…I have also posted a “mov” file for those of you using a stock i-pad (flashless) – but I will tell you this, the .mov is about 50 megs, and the flash 17 megs…ummm – not complicated math there. So anyway – enjoy ok?
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I have been working on some new songs, and videos, and bits of my kit…and a responsible conscientious blogger would be rattling away and updating you the whole time…I should be – but- alas – I haven’t. Well – it is only because I have started several things and not finished any of them that I am in this predicament. Someone asked me what the most significant thing was I learned from doing the wallops…I replied “volume matters” and by volume I mean quantity, then thought about it and added – and “finish everything”. I never really know if a song I write will be good until it is finished, and I might not be as crazy about a song someone else likes, and not every song is great – but maybe 1 in 10 or whatever. Also – finish your stuff. Too many people get caught up in the exciting starting phase of ideas and noodle away without doing the real work (and sometimes even more difficult work) of hanging in there until it is done. This week I was playing with a free SSL plug in on the drums and wrote this little sketch mono manno ,
it is only about 1 minute and a half long…but my label just shrugged when I asked about distribution costs…plenty more should be coming in the next days – stay tuned.
BTW if you want some history on this plug in, as well as the infamous “In The Air Tonight”drum fill… read the Phil Collins article in MIX
I asked my label about doing some interpretive videos – and they said, and I quote, “we don’t have the money”. Remaining undaunted I spoke to Kaylee, (my daughter) about shooting some footage I might be able to use. She was open – but since we don’t have a proper video recorder – we had to use our canon powershot, which is actually a still camera with video options, and that means that we lose some detail in the process. Great, now we need a location “how about b-works” someone suggested…well – b-works is my trusty basement studio / lab, and well, that was as good of an idea as any. So my friends – here you have down to my knees which was an October release in my wallop series. I have included the lyrics here, since I never did on the original release. This is the first of what I hope will be many new videos to come…the lyrics are below the video, just click the arrow and stream.
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down to my knees
bright shining love like the stars above me
yeah this I know is true
deep waves of power over me tower over me
whats a man – whats a man to do
birds taking flight beasts run with might
wonders they abound so and as I kneel
and as I fall I’m struck to feel
Im struck to feel my king so profound
you bring me down to my knees
na na na na na na na na…
and all this world man woman pushin shovin
provin now baby now what they gonna do
and as I look and as I run and as I look and find
now more more more what you going through
well breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe the pain
oh no more more what you gotta do
and I live and I live oh deep inside
I open my eyes and bring heal
you bring me down to my knees
na na na na na na na na…
solo
as I’m going down I’m going to praise you
as I’m going down I’m going to praise you
when I’m going down I’m going to praise you
I lift off my crown – God I want to thank you.
deserves a new song right? Well – I haven’t worked much with this piano yet – it was tweaked over Christmas by a family member, and is tuned, at the very least, somewhat to itself. It is from Holland originally, and is quite old – will say more as I find out more….Yesterday I was working on cleaning out the fireplace – and I sat down and played this cascading melody…and then decided to go downstairs and see how “ïn tune” it was with my studio, then I wrote this song…took about 30 minutes – and I decided to share it with you – I am actually working on another tune with ambitious, yet to be announced plans – but this will have to do for now you said
it was fun to watch a Wednesday go by without putting a wallop up. Some of you are wondering where SKIA / Pull is, well – I put it up – and unless you were here within an hour (via RSS or something) I took it down. It’s just too much for right now (it really is melt your speakers aggressive) – plus – I wanted to go a wed without publishing anything – you know – just to see what it’s like. Plus – I already have been working on the next song I will be putting up… I think…I actually have the lyrics this morning for another song which might be cool…we’ll see – gotta check with my label – they’re saying moneys tight – and Lady GAGA is the bomb.
depends far more on its interest than upon its comfort. The need of exertion and the doubt of success, renders life far more interesting to the poor than it is to those who, unblessed with the anxiety for the bread that perisheth, waste their poor hearts on rank and reputation.
Robert Falconer
if you knew the details of how all of the songs have come to be, you would likely either laugh or cry…this weeks wallop was originally inspired by a book I am reading called Robert Falconer…the text in question is here, and describes Roberts descending the stairs of a big church in Antwerp, and here is what follows;
With his mind tossed on its own speechless delight, he was slowly descending still, when he saw on his left hand a door ajar. He would look what mystery lay within. A push opened it. He discovered only a little chamber lined with wood. In the centre stood something–a bench-like piece of furniture, plain and worn. He advanced a step; peered over the top of it; saw keys, white and black; saw pedals below: it was an organ! Two strides brought him in front of it. A wooden stool, polished and hollowed with centuries of use, was before it. But where was the bellows? That might be down hundreds of steps below, for he was half-way only to the ground. He seated himself musingly, and struck, as he thought, a dumb chord. Responded, up in the air, far overhead, a mighty booming clang. Startled, almost frightened, even as if Mary St. John had said she loved him, Robert sprung from the stool, and, without knowing why, moved only by the chastity of delight, flung the door to the post. It banged and clicked. Almost mad with the joy of the titanic instrument, he seated himself again at the keys, and plunged into a tempest of clanging harmony. One hundred bells hang in that tower of wonder, an instrument for a city, nay, for a kingdom. Often had Robert dreamed that he was the galvanic centre of a thunder-cloud of harmony, flashing off from every finger the willed lightning tone: such was the unexpected scale of this instrument–so far aloft in the sunny air rang the responsive notes, that his dream appeared almost realized. The music, like a fountain bursting upwards, drew him up and bore him aloft. From the resounding cone of bells overhead he no longer heard their tones proceed, but saw level-winged forms of light speeding off with a message to the nations. It was only his roused phantasy; but a sweet tone is nevertheless a messenger of God; and a right harmony and sequence of such tones is a little gospel.
…so inspired I thought I would have a go at a bell piece of a gargantuan nature…and…well it landed a bit flat. Undaunted I searched my archives and found the bit that formed the basis for this weeks wallop. I wanted to have a theme for the season – and decided to add some bells and glockenspiel, synths, choral support, guitar and back vox by Dennis etc…, but I will warn you – this does not have the standard look and feel of a Christmas ditty…having said that – I for one am so thankful for the birth of Christ and the ensuing blessings, if in some small way this song conveys my joy in this blessed time of year…mission accomplished… Merry Christmas.
its Christmas time
…to download
its Christmas time
he was born a man in a world of clay
on a special year on a special day
and no one before or since among men
like He has set His rule over devils animals corn and wind
its Christmas time
be of good cheer
its Christmas time
the Lord Christ is here
its Christmas time
in the good book there will be a day
when every single creature in the earth the air on land and sea will praise
so the question becomes for you and me
will we be among the wise…the blind or those who see?
its Christmas time
be of good cheer
its Christmas time
the Lord Christ is here
its Christmas time
