If I had to pick just one hobby, I would probably choose music. Funny enough, it’s the one I’ve spent the least amount of time on in the last few years. Sure, I’ve practiced guitar a bit, and I’ve helped some talented friends record some demo tracks, but I’ve done precious-little writing and zero recording.
The inclusion of the “Creative” section of my blog is basically an attempt to blackmail myself into doing more music. Until I get there though, I suppose it would be appropriate for there to be at least a few tracks available here to reward the three or four people who click their way here.
I’ve chosen these three tracks, for no other reason than because they are completely different from each other. If you hate one, maybe you won’t mind another. None of these three, however, would I really consider fully developed songs. I’ve got those, but most of them are still in rough demo form, and like most things you really care about, you want them to be just right before sharing them.
Eclectic Sampler by bradycline
[box] Track Notes:- All Those Birds: I had fiddled around with that main part in C#m for 10 years, but while in Hawaii in 2009, I finally added a chorus-type section and an outro. I was hanging out one day in the studio with Richard Harrison, owner of Grass Shack Records, and he asked me to record something. I’d always thought this song should be on nylon strings so I gave it a few takes. Back at home, I overdubbed the bass and drums. I asked my dad to add a guitar solo, and while going through several takes, I kept hearing a bunch of birds chirping outside in the headphone monitors. Thus the name of the song.
- Blame This on the Blues: While living in Wiesbaden, Germany, I set out to record a few proper songs that had been sitting in my notebook for a few years. With one, titled Blame This on You I foolishly laid down a drum loop and rhythm guitar without actually singing it in my head. The result was something that was completely incompatible with the song. I kinda liked the groove though, so I turned it into a bluesy jam with a few of the lyrics of the original song sprinkled in with an alternate melody. I like to think of it as well-suited for a non-album track on the 12-inch single. Maybe just the Japanese import.
- Pygmy Pie: I have no idea where I got this title from and I’m not really sure what genre this fits into. Like too many of my recordings though, this one started out with me fiddling around instead of tackling a finished song. Despite the electronic feel to this song, I played quite a bit of live instruments on this one: drums, bass, and guitar. They’ve been chopped up, looped, and covered in a healthy serving of techno nonsense, so the end result isn’t what you could really call organic. It’s all kind of silly and sloppy, but I think it might actually sound alright in a sweaty dance club.