Speaking of City Lights I’m hopin you’re here on the Single of the Day page right now checking out Malynda Hale. I’m going through a backlog of material that has been sent my way. After sending about 20 requests to the ether bin I found Malynda’s song to be something that caught my ear. Right from the get go it’s the hook of the music grabbing me and pulling me right in. The song is there. It’s thumpin from a writing standpoint. Hooky piano, hooky bass, and a groovin drum loop. Malynda’s voice comes in and starts flowering over the top. I really like the chorus when it pops on. From that aspect it’s ready as can be.

There is one thing I’m sitting here thinking though – There is no dynamic between sections. Sure things come in and out of the mix. However, I’m missing an element of volume change. It’s a common issue with artists wanting to compete against the majors who are getting hot records that still have some dynamic to them. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m watching tons of episodes of a show all about mixing from and by the “big” name mixing engineers. For my own ability to mix for projects I do and for others, I’m really beginning to pay attention to little details.

For most people I think this won’t be an issue – no volume change. However, when the verse is already on 10 and the chorus is to pop in and bring the song further up, there’s no where else to go – especially when there is so much ear candy to latch on to. This doesn’t mean I don’t like the song. I really dig it. But it can be better with dynamics.

Maybe there comes a point where the artist runs out of money and can’t go any further with it. Maybe that’s the issue with these co-writers who are missing deadlines on the project I’m doing going to a major network. The unfortunate thing is, it’s a business and the music while important, often has to take a back seat when money is involved. That doesn’t stop me from paying attention to detail. As we learn and grow, the production and the music should be getting better. When we hit that awesome balance that’s when the City Light are shining on us. I do think Malynda has a great future. Keep an ear out for her!

What I was impressed with was the pre prep of the sports. BMX in particular. BMX is now an Olympic sport. The course for the women had a particular jump that if the wind was blowing a certain way, resulted in too many crashes. Thus they modified it to reduce the crash rate. That’s awesome.

Enough about the Olympics. The real gist of this post is for the video you see above. The band Air Bag One comes from across the pond. While they might not agree, I’d liken the immediate look to that of a British version of the Jonas Brothers. Musically I’m hearing a bit more stylized sound from Air Bag One. There’s a harkening homage to the falsetto of the Bee Gees going on here.

Snappy is the first word that comes to mind in describing the tune. Personally I like the way they’re using the falsetto of their voices. Lots of layers going on sound wise with nice stops and starts throughout the song via the more prominent instruments. There’s some serious production going on in there. Ear candy galore.

Video wise this song had some creative input that also pays homage to an era when music videos collided with avant garde film making. I hate to write it, but some of the visuals and their metaphorical meanings complete escape me. Doesn’t mean they’re not cool to look at as it’s extremely well shot and edited.

Expand the horizon with some tunes from across the pond. Add some Air Bag One to your library and hopefully you’ll be getting whatever you want.

In thinking about the concept of a deadline I have friends who have been wildly successful. They built a business made tons of money then decided they wanted out and sold. Made large chunks of money and now travel, and talk of doing other things, but then never do. While I’ve never approached the subject of if they feel lost without the job or lack of deadlines, I have to imagine there’s a point where getting up and having no goal, and nothing to do can actually be a road to despondency.

I’m aware that mine is only fleeting. I’m pushing myself right now to put these words out into the digital ether-space. I have a theme to write. I have songs to practice and commit to memory. I have a radio interview tonight (UMR) <– listen at 8 p.m. Mountain Time. There are other things coming. However I’m feeling like I’m in limbo and that will eventually push me to take action.

Despite that, I’m rolling with a song that was presented to me a great song for my blog about Yoga. I had a bit of a chuckle about that when I opened the email, mostly due to the fact that I don’t have a blog about yoga. While I’ve got several years worth of posts here on Single of the Day, and I’m sure I’ve mentioned yoga as it pertains to the beachbody P90X and P90X2 workouts I do, SOTD is not about yoga. Though in thinking about it right now, I’m in a two week break from working out before I start another 90 day adventure of getting into better shape. That’s another thing that is likely part of my ponderings this morning.

The track is Unstruck Chord by Steve Gold. It’s based on a poem by Lorin Roche. I found it to be a nice little relaxing tune. There’s a spirited feel to the guitar playing. I get a sense that Steve probably listened to a bunch of Cat Stevens in his formative years. Maybe some Michael Hedges and some of the other great acoustic guitar players and song writers. Steve’s voice has a velvety flow over the top of music. I’d liken it to feeling of a soft tissue of a cover that is gently folded into the mix.

In a way I’m feeling a bit unstruck today. I’d attribute that to the restless without deadlines aspect of my day. Which means it’s now time to go make some. What’s your deadline today? Does Steve’s song help relax your stress as you achieve your goal? It should.

It’s odd that right now we have a political system that has dropped the idea of doing something good for the people. Instead they’re into sound bites and propaganda. Sad. Especially when we have a president that is having issues fixing a broken system. Even worse when the “opposite” major contender lies out of his mouth and ass at the same time – oddly I’m still amazed that very few people cares that he lies and continues to lies with no repercussion.

The rise of poor health is mostly about poor food supply. Yet instead of making the idea of fucking with the food supply illegal, we let it continue. In this respect I’d like to dare America to be more like Europe and stand up against the corporate destruction of our food supply. Stop allowing Monsanto and other purely evil companies to screw up the food supply.

There’s a bright side. Those that create, work, and stand up can make a difference. Will you?

Right now I’ve got a song that’s been sitting in my inbox for a bit.  Of course I’ve been shirking my made up job of this blog to work other aspects of my existent. One, I’m happy to say that one of my goals recently has been to Look Good Naked [hint hint, main reason why I'm rolling with today's song], to that end I’ve been doing P90X2 and I’m saying – it works. I’m an advocate of taking care of my own health. Beyond that I stretch out in my main career.

Roshambeaux, who’s song you’re listening to right now, is about people using their “money makers”. The obvious idea of a mm is a woman’s ass and/or boobs. For a guy it’s generally his rugged looks and/or his package. The thing is, this song is perfect for something like the collegiate/university market. Not heavily polished, but very live feeling. Plus, when you’re out drinking at a party, then main idea you’re pursuing is being attractive naked to those whom you’re interested in.

With the swagger this song has, I can imagine that should Roshambeaux put on a hot and sweaty show, the crowd will be going home lucky. That’s the whole idea right? It’s what makes your money maker drive right? It should. Love yourself enough to be the change for yourself and ultimately for others. Get on their bandwagon. Get on my bandwagon. Buy the music. Sign up for email updates. Go forth and be alive.

I’ve been hearing of this recently beyond being ill too. It happens in sports. I know of a sport where an athlete has recently decided to take on the governing body. Chances are they have overinflated their importance to the sport and will have likely destroyed their career.

This also happens a whole lot in entertainment. Music particularly. I can think of several artists that are petulant and believe they are better than they really are. Some are famous, some not so famous. There’s a fine line between being confident and being arrogant. Confidence is great, arrogance is supremely annoying.

How do you find that line? That’s a very good question. Pay attention to what people say or act around you. That’s the simple answer.

What would be a good transition from all that into writing up a song? There isn’t one. Here’s a song by Deer Park Avenue which for some reason reminds me of what I call my home town, Park City and the finger land of Deer Valley. Why? Because there is a Park Avenue that runs a good portion of town, and of course the Deer part of Deer Valley. To further that, Deer Valley is considered the “money” area of millionaire 2nd homes. With Deer Park Avenue’s song – Millionaire, I make it that way.

There’s a strong collegiate vibe going on in the recording. It’s not super polished, but there’s a good vibe there. From a production standpoint, I really think there’s a power hidden in there that could be unleashed with a bit more mixing polish. That’s a personal preference. I do like the vocals. They’re the standout point in this song.

The build into the chorus really a good way to push into it. I’d love to hear those punches really punching me hard. The elements are there and it will be interesting to see where they go when they get to polish themselves up a bit more from a production standpoint. The great thing is, the song is there. I’d be interested in knowing what they’re like live.

In the meantime, don’t be that person that is going out in public while sick, that kind of self importance blows. Watch your arrogance. Be confident, but don’t be a dick. That’s the trick. To that end, get Deer Park Avenue’s song from your favorite store. Get on their email list. Get on my email list while you’re at it. Enjoy your day!

The idea behind the release is that he’s moved pretty far from the style of music that made him popular many years ago. He felt it was time to head back towards his early career roots of hard rock and heavy metal. There’s a good chance that a lot of his newer fans wouldn’t know he started with metal guitar god Yngwie J Malmsteen. I would go on the line saying that Jeff’s voice is the pre-cursor to a lot of the “operatic” style metal singers that came out in the late 80′s.

Damage Control is not heading back to the soaring vocal stylings of his Yngwie era but the music certainly relating easily back to the early Talisman part of his career. Ton’s of heavy guitars. Mounds of molten riffs from the bass, guitars, and keys. Pounding drums underlie it all. It’s a power packed album from front to back.

Jeff let me know that it’s his way of saying thanks to the fans for sticking with him through the years, but also to say hey, I haven’t forgotten where I came from and I’m back in it the way you want me in it.

For super fans of the 80′s metal and hard rock years, this is the CD you’ve been waiting for. Of course it’s available in all your favorite digital places as well. Additionally, Jeff has a bet with his record label that has already been won. It’s already into it’s 3rd pressing. That’s pretty awesome.

Stay abreast of my musical happenings from Single of the Day via the email list in the upper right. You’ll be happy you did and I’ll be happy to have you in the loop too!

I’m not a competitive athlete any longer. Well, I’m not shooting for the Olympics or National level recognition anyway. But I am likely in better shape than I’ve ever been. Mostly due to the workout regimen I’ve been doing for the past year. It’s intense. It’s otherwise known as P90X. More recently it’s been P90X2. In each video they have a soundtrack. Why? Because music helps pass the time of working out. As well as sport.

Go to a live sporting event and you’ll notice that there is music playing. Sometimes it’s all the time, sometimes it’s some of the time. The X-Games uses high energy aggressive rock going nearly the entire time. A basketball game will have some music in between plays. In both cases it’s meant to get the athletes and the crowd pumped up. When I got into music I never thought I’d end up creating music for sports specifically. Now it’s one of the many aspects to the music I create.

The other night I did a live radio interview and during that interview, that ran roughly two hours, we spoke about sports and music. One thing I also touched on was the idea of owning your niche. Know what you’re accomplishing with the music you’re doing. I have found that many “bands” & artists have no clue where they’re going with anything. All part of the Musician’s Support Network Series I’ve started doing here on Single of the Day.

What constitutes a great song for sport? Good question. While it depends on the sport, I will say that in general, it’s high energy rock. Sometimes it’s just a vibe for the song. A recent song that has drawn attention for being young and at play is a song called We Are Young. While I don’t imagine it was to become a sports anthem when it was written, I do think it was meant as an anthem for people who are young. The song isn’t uptempo. It isn’t fast. What it has is a ton of energy. That translates.

It remains to be seen if Fun will end up being a one hit wonder or not. But the massive push on this single is huge! Very big. It’s everywhere and if you’ve not heard it yet, well, I’d think you’ve been under a rock. What this song does have is a melody. That translates into the power of melody in sports. It’s got spunk.

Go get the song. Enjoy your day. Do me a good deed by signing up on my email list over in the upper right. You’ll be happy you did. I’ll be happy you did and the world will be a happier place over all.

1. The first thing to look at is rehearsal. This part is one I see severely lacking for probably 98% of the bands I’ve seen live. Great songs that are poorly executed live will come across as amateur. Nothing will turn off a potential new fan faster than sounding like you don’t know what you’re doing. Spend time rehearsing the music and what comes in step 2 – the act. Only way to do that is to know how to play your instrument parts so well you don’t need to think about them.

2. The second thing to look at is stage show. Here’s a part where a vast majority of musicians will say it’s selling out. That is, the need to be entertaining on stage. Face it. In today’s fast paced life there are 1,000′s of things for people to do now. This includes staying home to watch TV. Thus to stand like a statue on stage looking at your hands and doing nothing but play without moving is not going to sell your music. Figure out the story to the song (you should know it already). Figure out a move or expression you can do to make it come across in an entertaining way. The more a potential fan can remember you gave them a good time, the easier it is to hook them to your music for life. You want to sell out shows so places will ask you back.

3. Don’t be a Dick. This is one that I’ve run into a number of times. It actually applies to more than the live show, but I’m putting it here now. Many is the time I’ve found myself backstage [one of the perks of being a musician]. From stadium shows to small coffee houses, its only a matter of scale. But if you’re a dick to other musicians, venue owners or to potential fans, it leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths. We’re all human and things will sometimes slip, but when you’re performing or at a venue, you’re working – be confident, be cool, but don’t be a dick.

With these things in mind check out the video from the band Dastardly today. This is a good example of a band using the video medium for telling a bizarre story to the song they are playing. The images help propel it. The look of the people involved also add to the style of the music they create. Being that they’re not focusing on their instruments as they play [well all except for the drummer maybe], they appear to be well rehearsed.

While I haven’t seen them live, I feel like I get a good feel of what they might be like based on the video. That’s a plus for them.

I’ve never met them, so I don’t know what they are like in person. Based on the vibe of the characters they are in the video, I’m also going to postulate that they are not dicks to people. I suppose at some point I’ll have to cross paths with them to find out. If you’re familiar with the band and the peeps that comprise it, feel free to post a comment.

1. You and your music are now a Brand.

2. Be aware what your Brand is.

3. Who helps image that Brand and the music?

Whether you like it or not, intending to sell music makes you a Brand. If you have fans already, it’s probably a good idea to start finding out how they see you in relation to your music. If you don’t have fans yet, it’s a great idea to enlist people who’s opinion you can trust. Because it’s time to start thinking about that Brand and what it means.

From my own standpoint, early on, I never gave much thought to anything but the music. I knew the sound I wanted. I knew the music I wanted to write. I was a nut about how I approached it. But I never thought about the look that went with the music. Major mistake. We all learn by mistakes. My early mistake was not knowing what I should have been looking or dressing like, in relation to the music I was writing. I thought image was a lame waste of time. An example of an image fail.

Long ago, the image of the musician was not nearly as important as it is now. Which is why if you don’t know what you’re music is supposed to make you look like, you need to enlist the help of others who do. It wasn’t until a friend of mine took me aside and said very plainly – your music is amazing, but your image doesn’t fit the music and it’s not helping it sell. Ouch.

He set me on a journey to research the sound I had and what bands were similar and doing extremely well. We visited with a photographer who pictures the Stars where I learned about what colors compliment me. Then we went through my closet and donated a ton of my clothing to Good Will. It was either the wrong color, too dated, worn out, or the wrong look. After that, we spent some time hitting stores along the infamous Melrose Ave as that was the look my sound required. After a couple of days perusing stores and picking up clothing that not only looked the part, but also fit the body correctly (and believe me at 6’4″ that isn’t easy). Which led to a whole new look. A look that fit the music.

At the end of all that, I learned #1 and #2.

On to #3. Who helps you with your Brand? This is where having a connection with a professional photographer and probably a stylist as well certainly comes in handy. Mostly because that look needs to be together before you’re putting the music on a CD or in image for selling. I’m going to mention a need for a good cover artist. These people will work in conjunction with you to make sure your image, music and art all coincide. Like in step one and two. Make sure these three people are people you can trust their judgement and whom you can get along with in an working environment. Be prepared to be shocked at what a difference a professional does to your look. Believe me, I know.

Now, speaking of image and how it relates to the music. I’m rolling with Marilyn Manson today because if there is a better connection between an image and the music that connects the two, I’m not sure what it is. He fully embodied that look and sound. The song is, the beautiful people. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Chances are, you’ve heard of him too. Over the top and full on with the image. That’s what it’s about. Owning the image and making it work with the music you’re creating.

Do you have your image together? Cause that’s what musician support network part three is all about.

Speak up about your image. Speak up about others image. Join me via my email list in the upper right.

But Jody, you’re thinking to yourself, is there really a need for a network in recording? The answer is yes. While Garageband has brought the idea of doing home recording to everyone that has a fairly modern computer, having a recording setup does not a professional recording make. There are some things that a musician or band needs to get straight. Here’s a list of 5 ideas that should be in place:

1. Funding to record. It takes money to record, especially to make a quality recording. If you’re a soloist and you’re doing a full band style sound, there’s a need to pay the other performers on the recording. There’s a need to pay for the studio time. There’s a need to pay for things related to recording, i.e. instrument stuff like strings, or drum heads. Don’t forget food and other outside things. Recording is a job and it takes money to do it.
2. A studio with a great recording engineer. Do you have friends that have done recording? Or are you friends with other bands? Can you ask them where they recorded? The big thing with a studio is it’s room and what engineers they have or that you can bring in. Why? You want to work with people you get along with. Is the engineer experienced? Have you heard previous recordings of the engineer? Do they sound pro, like things you’d buy in a store or at a place like iTunes? The adage of if you think a professional is expensive, try working with an amateur. More often than not a professional will be faster and actually cost less. Above all else, you’ll be spending a good deal of time, so make sure you can get along with them.
3. Knowing the material, your songs and parts. Wanna save time when you’re recording? Make sure you know your songs and the parts you’re playing, like the back of your hand. Hire a producer if you’re having trouble getting your parts together and arranged. Know those parts so well that you can record your part in as few takes as possible. It’s surprising how many musician’s go into the studio not knowing their parts, or can’t play them very well. This makes for a frustrating experience for the musician/band and for the engineer. It becomes a waste of time for everyone involved and increases the amount of money you have to spend to sound good. Great execution of the music = great music.
4. Having a great mix engineer. After everything is recorded, it’s time to get a great mix. It’s a rare exception to have the recording engineer be a great mixing engineer. It’s also wise to have an additional set of ears on the material. Like the studio/recording engineer, it’s wise to ask musician friends who they’ve enjoyed working with. Is it important for you to sit in on the mix? Does the mixing engineer allow that? These are things that need to be determined. Again, finding a mixer who’s ears you can trust are very important. Do they allow revisions on their work? Mixing these days can take time, depending on the style. Which means you want a mixer who is versed in the style of your music. It will save time and money.
5. Going to a great mastering engineer. This is the final polish before the next step in the journey. It’s a step that should not be ignored if you’re planning on a commercial release. It’s very much not recommended to have the same person who mixed it to be mastering it. Having a quality set of professional ears on the music is very much a step not to be missed. Finding a mastering engineer is much like the previous engineers. Ask friends. Look at the credits on CDs/recordings you love. It’s well worth it. Make sure you can get along with them and that they share your vision of the final output of your songs.

These things need to be in place to get a great recording of your amazing songs as per the last post.

Let’s take a listen to a song that has incredible recording quality, mixing and mastering. This brings me to John Mayer’s Say. One major advantage that John has is he has the ability to go to the very best in the business. Not only does he write great songs to speak to a plethora of people, but they’re extremely well recorded.

Notice the sound of the guitar. Notice the drums when they come in. Hear how his vocal doesn’t sound hissy or overly full of reverb. From a mix standpoint be aware that there is a really good balance between all the parts involved. It has energy and it moves along from an arrangement point. The mastering really polishes this piece off and gets the volume almost to the point of pain, but stops just short of it. That’s quality.

Be aware that you need to have support while recording. Do what you can to have a network to rely on to get a quality recording. It’s vital step of making your hit songs as presentable as possible. Don’t discount the ideas in the musician support network part two. If you’re enjoying it, share a comment or better yet join my email list.