Finally!

After waiting to get internet set up at our house, and subsequent battles with my wireless card, I can upload songs! I have, however rethought this blog. After recording every day for half this month, I've decided you probably don't want to hear everything I've done (trust me, you don't). So I'll only be posting the things I think came out well and we can all avoid a lot of pain. I'll also use this blog to post other odds and ends and never-released recordings from previous projects I've been involved in. That being said, here we go!



Song 3: Breathing in Billows

This is the last song that I recorded on my crummy computer mic before getting a small mixer and better microphone. So you can expect a small increase in quality from here on out (however not huge since I still know next to nothing about recording and mixing). The reason I didn't re-record this on the new equipment is that I improvised the guitar parts between the verses and don't exactly remember what I did.



This was my attempt at writing an epic song with multiple movements a la Joanna Newsom or the Decemberists' "The Tain". However, as a practitioner of the "tiny" genre of music, even my epic song only clocks in at 5:15. But, seeing as I usually only make about the 2 minute mark, breaking 5 is quite a milestone in my opinion.

A Song a Day

Well here we go

As of late, I've found myself to be rather musically unproductive. I've made plenty of excuses for that fact, but I think the plain truth is that I've gotten out of the habit and now it's hard to write. The brain works like any other muscle in your body (wait, is your brain really a muscle?). The more you use certain connections, the stronger they get. Seriously, it's science. That's why if you make a concious effort to think positive, it will only get easier and come more naturally. Science.

So, I've decided to try an exarcise and record a song for every day of the month of June, and perhaps longer if it goes well. I've created this blog as a place to share the results and tell a bit about the songs, because I think stories are important too. Some disclaimers...

1. I may not post a new song every single day, but I will have 30 by the end of the month. I may be out of town or something on certain days and have to play catch up afterwards by posting 2 songs on some days.

2. I will try to write as many new songs as possible for this project, but I'm sure I'll do some covers and maybe some different versions of songs I have recorded or plan on recording with Old Time Burials. The point of this exercise is not so much to work on songwriting as it is to practice arranging, playing, and recording; in the words of Socrates, "to flex the ol' noodle."

3. Because of the sheer quantity of songs, I can't guarantee that every one will be great (or the any one will be great for that matter). I'm sure that some days I'll have to force myself to do this, even if I'm not feeling it. And I'm sure I'll be experimenting with lots of different instruments and styles. However, any feedback would be appreciated, be it glowing praise, constructive criticism, or unforgiving judgement.

Since it's not quite June yet, I decided to dig up some old chestnuts which haven't really ever been circulated. Here's 2 minor key accordion waltzes for the kids. The first was recorded 2 christmases ago as part of a cd I was making as a gift for my dad. I believe I had just gotten my accordion and was putting tons of accordion on everything I was recording at the time. The other was recorded last year for a split cd (which ended up never being released) with my friend Dave. I like to think it has the kind of drum beat that makes you want to be an a giant ship, methodically rowing.


Song 1: A Heart of Gold is Not Always Useful


Song 2: Tower of Seeds