Based on what I writing yesterday, I really like to keep the bar as high as I can. It means having to be painstaking about things. Especially when they’re going to a major label like Universal to be represented. It doesn’t help when the co-producer has to go out of town during the deadline. It makes it hard to get a quick reply as well as an answer when you need it to get the mix considered final.

Add to that wanting to get moving on finishing a book, a bunch of songs, music for the library, and getting a sales staff on it’s way to making goals happen. It means I need to jump into todays song and get a move on.

I’m rolling on These Words (I Love You) a remix of a song by Natasha Beddingfield. Obviously a song that has undergone a remix. A very fun remix. It’s the kind of thing that takes a fun song and makes it different and creative. It’s part of the reason I’ve been taking some of my new songs and allowing them to be remixed by friends of mine.

Natasha has created and then had remixed a very catchy tune. No doubt about it. A simple message and a catchy way to express it. Gotta love it.

The idea of being constantly connected is intoxicating. When a person can reached by any one of a multitude of ways it could very well be overbearing. Do I understand it? You betcha. A whole lot of my friends love to call me “Dot Com” as a joke. I’m usually on the first of any friend to be exploring a new service or idea. Like those bands I’ve been hearing about though, I’m starting to feel too much like a slave to the social services. Hell, I’m even a slave to this blog – and yes there are times when I consider dropping the concept of doing it daily, and therein it would mean either passing the reigns or shuttering it until further notice.

There are studies being done about services like twitter. One such now says that the average Twitter account is only following about 10 people and has about 10 followers and has only made about 10 tweets. Whole lotta 10’s there. What it doesn’t add up to is a perfect 10. The hoopla that occurred in the past two years has died on it and now the only thing that seems to drive that one is if something newsy happens – maybe it could also be truthyness. I know that I’ve tapered off on it a bit, to the point where some of my fellow tweeters started asking me what was up.

I didn’t have an answer at that time, but I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s because I’m not looking to be constantly juggling everything. Why? Because the music started to get neglected. Which led me to start thinking about something once said to me. It was about knowing what you love to do and what you hate to do. That’s very black and white, but there’s areas of grey that fall and social services are one of those things that are fun in spurts, but get a little draining when done all the time.

Back to the music. I’m thinking about all this I’m gonna roll with Too Much Too Little Too Late by the Jellyfish. I make it no secret that they are one of my favorite bands of all time and wrote some very amazing music. This song is specifically geared for a marriage that went bad, but it can be a good metaphor for anything where there’s too much that leads to too little that eventually goes nowhere.

Amazing vocals, killer instrument sounds, with an arrangement to die for. That’s the beauty of a band taking the right time to get the rights sounds for a great song. It’s a level of perfection to shoot for. It’s a bar that I like to shoot for and I seem to feel like I reach more often when I’m not focusing on the Internet.

If you haven’t got any Jellyfish, you need to change you life and get it now.

I also have to tweak on a mix that I was doing last night for a new song that will be going to a project heading to Universal Records. I’m getting everything as ready as I can so that I can drop the drum tracks in tomorrow.

Later today I’ll be heading to a little Apple function at a local computer music retailer. Why? I like to learn the software based on how others tend to use it. The guy who is demonstrating it is probably hands down the greatest guru for Logic that there is on the planet. Always something good to learn from someone who knows more than you. I like that.

Because I’m thinking about learning I’m going to dip into the archives of an artist that helped to propel rock n roll to the American masses. That’s right the sounds you’re hearing come from the famous Buddy Holly. I have no idea if he actually wrote this song, but if the Internet is correct, then yes Buddy did write this short little ditty.

It’s very much got a Buddy Holly style arrangement. Though I will the first time I heard the song, the strange sound jumping from the left speaker made me think there was something wrong with the recording until I realized it was muted guitar being raked on the strings. That’s Buddy, using sounds to create an effect while keeping the arrangement fairly simple.

If you’re not familiar with Buddy, it’s time to get so. So go buy his tunes.

It’s a different ball game when you know what should be charged. You then have to start standing firm when people attempt to low ball the value. It’s why I have to get sales people in to take care of the licensing.

I gotta get to the typing. I’ll leave ya with this tune for today…

A little Celtic ditty for ya. I’m feeling a bit shufflely today, so what better to have than a Celtic tune to get the bouncy feel off to a rolling start for the week. Maria certainly has that Irish sound going on. It’s a bit more organic than a processed major label thing, but it still works. In fact it’s the kind of song that I could hear at the underground pub that I’ve been too the last several months. Why? Because it’s very much an Irish style pub. The jams that occur there late at night do revolve around a Celtic nature which often is felt in 12/8 or lots of shuffle and triplet feels.

Diggin Maria, then go get her legally!

I’m wondering if it has something to do with the weather, or maybe the economy or something. Or maybe it’s the time of year. Do people tend to get lost in the time between winter and spring?

I got a friend by the name of Greg Nicholson who has written a song about being lost. Of course it’s lost in a relationship, but lost non-the-less. Steamy indie guitars, pelting drums and a vocal that runs above it all, that is the heart of Greg. I’m wondering if Greg was feeling lost when he wrote the song. Not likely, but I’m sure he was channeling a time when he was.

If you haven’t explored Greg Nicholson’s music, I recommend you do. Do it soon.

I took a moment yesterday to listen to the song Boom Dynamite to compare it to Boom Boom Pow. Now, I’m all for protecting one’s work, but I have the feeling this lawsuit is based on an artist that is upset that they got passed over by the label they were talking to. It so happens that it’s the same label that the BEPs are on. I think the grounds of their suit is pretty flimsy.

The fact that they both use a word, in this case: Boom, is obvious. However, the lawsuit claims that the BEPs also copied their hook. Which upon listening, I’m left scratching my head. They claim the rhythm is the same – it’s not. They claim the melody is the same – it’s not. The only thing that happens that is relatively the same is that the phrase Boom Boom Boom is said. If that’s the case, it’s time for a whole lot of writers suing each other for saying, I love you. Cause those are 3 words that seem to show up a lot in writing.

To me, I think Satriani had a much better case with Coldplay, than this artist has with the Black Eyed Peas. One thing I’m sure is happening is that they are now enjoying some free publicity. Unfortunately, this is the kind that will get them some attention now, but in the end it now means very few labels will ever touch them in the future for bringing a frivolous lawsuit to light.

This is not the first suit to be brought against the BEPs. I haven’t looked at the others, but this one doesn’t seem to hold enough water to me. I think it’s someone who’s upset that another artist used a similar phrase, but did it in a more musical way and got paid better for it.

The only song I’ve got here that has the word legal in it is Legal Kill by King’s X. A rather mellow tune by comparison to some of their material. Opening with a lush 12 string acoustic guitar. This song is also sung by the guitarist Ty Tabor rather than the main singer Dug Pinnick. It tends to remind me a bit of a song that might be found at a renaissance faire or something. Maybe it’s the inclusion of tin flute or something. I don’t know. Go figure. Usually when I hear this song come on I’m instantly thinking of when I lived in Boulder Colorado.

Anyway, it’s no state secret that King’s X is one of my favorite bands of all time. Their attention to groove and tone is second to very few. Their harmonies and chord pickings are definitely unique and often emulated but rarely matched or improved upon. Put simply, they rule!

Go get ‘em now.

Last night I was hanging at an underground pub with some friends. It’s something that occurs once a month and it’s really fun. The difference last night was a songwriter whom I’m friends with showed up. He’s been in the business a long time. Has had a slew of cuts and some hits with some major artists. He’s got a talent that can’t be denied and he’s worked with some amazing people. Last night during conversation while swapping songs he made a comment about me and my songs that was extremely flattering. It’s the kind of thing where he was lumping me in with some of the most amazing talent on the planet.

This morning a little bird of a friend who is helping me get my library off the ground got me some information that is going to prove invaluable to the startup. The initial thing I’ve learned is that I’ve undervalued it pretty drastically. Fortunately I’m still in the formative stages and that means we’ll be able to shift to a proper level of reward based on the talent. Gotta love that.

As they say, information is power.

My selection today comes from a band that didn’t get the recognition they really should have. They had an insane amount of talent. Mostly the main writer who probably did most of everything, even in his next project Thornley. One thing I really like about their music is the density of the arrangements. His songs seem to have what they need, nothing more, nothing less. I can hear instruments that you wouldn’t normally hear in something related to a metal sound. That’s the thing I really enjoy about their sound. Creating a lush tapestry that isn’t normal for the genre. Could that have been the reason why it failed? It’s possible. However, I think it is really inspired to do this type of thing, it’s musical studliness.

You can still find their music and you can get the CDs. Do it.

I’ll be tackling that in a few minutes so that I can post a link of it here on this post. Then I’ll be making calls to the prospective sales people I’ve been talking to and that I really like. Slow but steady progress is starting to happen.

Here’s the video:

I’ve got to get to creating some more music for the library. In addition, I got an email while I’m writing this about a song placement in a major indie movie. It’s turning out to be a pretty good day so far.

Today’s song is another song called Cut To The Chase. This is an instrumental guitar oriented song done by Steve Morse. Steve Morse is a guitarist who has been around for a long time. An amazing guitarist that a lot of musicians and guitar players look up to him. Amazing chops. And an ability to write some interesting melodies. Enjoy the blazing chops and the video and your day!

The story itself is fun to tell, though attempting to cut it down to under a minute is extremely hard. But that’s what I’ll do later tonight so I can video it tomorrow.

I gotta run to meet another prospective sales guy for my library. So it’s time to leave you with today’s pick.

A tune from a Canadian band that has been around forever. I’m picking the song because of the need to cut down a little speech so that it will fit into a little video to leave room for several other speakers.

If there is one thing to say about Rush it’s that they can definitely craft some music. For a trio of musicians they are capable of really making a lot of sound. Spankin drums, wailing vocals, pounding bass and slamming guitars, they got it all. Don’t you agree?