Start With the Hook

Knocking, with a longer verse

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:45:48 PDT

This fixes a structural problem with a longer first verse. Now, we need to add a second verse and a bridge and/or a solo section.

Knocking v0.2 long verse

Knocking, v0.2

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:18:11 PDT

This version has instrumental tracks and some chord edits by Paul Goldowitz. I've taken his arrangement and put back the D A E D A E prechorus. I've also shortened the middle chorus and added an outro.

Knocking v0.3

Knocking, With Verses

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:41:46 PDT

Here are some verses (with some scratch lyrics) to "Knocking":

Knocking, with verses

Knocking

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:51:47 PDT

Here's a little demo of a hook I thought up today...

Kocking

Everything You Say 4.4

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:46:20 PDT

The levels are all screwy, but I finally like the arrangement. This is with Jesse Wickman on drums and Callie Watts on backup vocals.

Everything You Say 4.4 (mix)

Death by Dongle

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:54:58 PDT

Dear music software manufacturers, settle on a single dongle standard or f*CK OFF!

I now have three authorization dongles and two more are looming on the horizon. Whether or not you require a different dongle than everyone else is becoming a BIG factor in whether or not I buy your product--and that's just STUPID. I would like to buy your product based on its features. And, if I like your product, I will buy it. So will everyone else who buys software.

Crackers don't buy software. You aren't losing money to them. Those assholes are NEVER going to buy your software, so you're only punishing your honest customers.

If you make it hard for me to be an honest customer, I'm going to buy what I need from someone who makes it easy for me. (Like Apple. Dear Apple, you RULE for getting rid of the stupid emagic dongle.)

Oh-- and that crazy stupid thing that Propellerheads does with Reason where they every once in a while require that you insert the installation disk-- if I'm traveling and I don't have the disk and I can't use your software, then you've FUCKED me. And I don't don't want to use software from people who FUCK me.

Finall! Propellerheads do external audio

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:11:24 PDT

This looks to be completely awesome:

Propellerheads Record

I've been wanting to use Scream on my audio tracks for years.

I'm a little disappointed that their arrange paradigm is the standard multi-track timeline paradigm that all audio sequencers have been locked into for decades. I'd really like to see some innovation here, but I'll still probably buy it.

Robot Hand 4.6

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:07:24 PDT

Did some more work on drums and used the same ambience reverb on all instruments.

Robot Hand 4.6

Hold Me With Your Robot Hand

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:51:02 PDT

Here's a first look at the new version of Hold Me With Your Robot Hand. This features Jesse Wickman on drums and Paul Hoffman on bass.

Robot Hand 4.4

Yeah We Know, Latest Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:36:00 PDT

This one has more work done on the drums and the guitars.

Yeah We Know 5.4

Yeah We Know, Live Drums & Bass

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:44:34 PDT

This is the first pass mix of a new recording of "Yeah We Know" with drums by Jesse Wickman and bass by Paul Hoffman.

Yeah We Know 5.2

Everything You Say 4.2--Third Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:17:36 PDT

I think this one sounds a lot better. I did a lot to separate the parts and ease of the compressors. And give more ambience. I might still want to put the slapback delay back on the lead vocal.

Everything You Say 4.2

Everything You Say 4.1--Second Pass Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:09:12 PDT

This is, I hope, a slightly less spastic mix of Everything You Say.

Everything You Say 4.1 2009-04-16

Everything You Say 4.0--With Real Drums

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:24:18 PDT

This is the latest version of Everything You Say with a drum track recorded at Jesse Wickman's studio and performed by Jesse Wickman himself.

I re-recorded all of the other tracks to fit with the new groove.

Everything You Say 4.0 2009-04-15

Yeah We Know, Now With Same Verse Music

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:59:38 PST

... and a blown-out multi-harmony chorus after the verses. (All changes suggested today)

Yeah We Know

Yeah We Know, Now With A Second Verse/Bridge Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:17:24 PST

I'm declaring this song done (mostly-- I still reserve the right to tweak on the lyrics a bit):

Yeah We Know

Yeah We Know, With A New Verse

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:09:34 PST

This has been brewing in my head for the last few weeks. It's a new verse for "Yeah We Know." The only think left is some lyrics for the bridge.

Yeah We Know

Space Head With Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:16:36 PST

This is Space Head fixed up a bit and with the bridge. This is now done.

Space Head

Everybody Wants, Again

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:43:42 PDT

I've taken the suggestions from yesterday's workshop and put them in place:

Everybody Wants

A New Stab at "Everybody Wants"

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:43:04 PDT

I've tried to address some structural issues. Jury's still out on whether this is the final version:

Everybody Wants

Gas In My Truck

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:39:26 PDT

Here's a hard luck song Jake and I whipped up. This is just a rough demo with an anemic bridge, but the basics are there:

Gas In My Truck

Everything You Say, Medium Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:09:34 PDT

I think this is a better bridge:

Everything You Say

It's four bars longer and builds a bit more...

Liz Phair, Exile In Guyville Live in San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:08:21 PDT

Last night, I saw Liz Phair perform Exile in Guyville in its entirety. It was one of the best shows I have ever been to.

Like many, I think, I have a special relationship with the record. For two weeks after breaking up with a girlfriend, I listened to that record exclusively and constantly. It was a bright spot in an otherwise dark time. Watching her perform it live (with essentially the same instrumentation and arrangements as on the original recordings) was sort of a dream come true.

It did make me feel kind of old, though. At one point, she said to the audience, "I want to ask, but I shouldn't, but I want to ask, so I will... how many of you listened to this record, like, 'in the day'?" This was met with thunderous applause. Yep. That's me.

Anyway, thank you, Liz Phair. It was a very special treat to hear you perform one of my favorite records.

Everything You Say (short bridge)

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:18:17 PDT

Here's a version with a short bridge and lower lead-in to the chorus.

Everything You Say

This might be it.

Everything You Say

noreply@blogger.com (Orion Letizi) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:15:32 PDT

This is my current favorite:

Everything You Say

It's nearly done. The melody of the lead-in to the chorus needs to be dropped in the first two verses so it doesn't steal thunder from the chorus.