Plethora
Oh sick.
Being sick, thanks largely to my old Doctor who informed me I had been misdiagnosed for years regarding my sinus problems and gave me a daily allergy pill to solve all of my problems, is not something I am used to anymore.
When I was younger I would get a positively insane sinus infection every shift in the season and be bed ridden for at least a day or two. Dr. Lin took one look at my sinuses, prescribed me claratin (Which I’ve taken virtually every day since) and sent me on my way. This was 2005. The amount of time I have spent sick since that day has been minimal, subtracting the bizarre “death plague” of 2006. (A fun instance where my non-bacterial / non viral stomach infection warranted me five days in an ICU and en excited gastroenterologist hoping to have the first US case of Cholera in decades. Sorry to let him down, I was.)
I lost my voice on Tuesday.
As a singer, you imagine the worse. Something about my singing practices has destroyed my vocal chords, my former smoking habbits of yesteryear have come back to haunt me, I have nodes in my throat, all of the horror stories kick in to high gear.
It’s just a simple sinus infection that happened to manifest as though it was accute Laryngitis. Still scary as shit, but not at all serious. In fact, a couple days of bed rest, proper hydration, and some sudafed have almost cured me. I luckily have arranged to not have to work until Sunday morning, (by means of a severe fuckup leaving the store understaffed for four hours this morning) which means I can catch up on some well needed rest. This sadly involved the cancellation of my Friday night gig in Mountain View. Much to the chagrin of the band, I assume. I’m not entirely disheartened because it seems to come at a time when we have found an at least semi-permanent member of the band for percussion and the need for acoustic gigs has slowly worn itself down to a minimum.
That said, Brian (The drumming juggernaut) wasn’t available this Friday for the gig anyway, so cancelling it instead of just riding the remaining acoustic wave almost is a nice thing.
I love playing live but I am craving the electric experience.
I’ve been really worried about songs like PSA and Somedays. They are two of my favourites but they have not been coming across in a way that I fancy. Electric practices have kept me sane in this regard as Brian’s subtle nuances in Somedays make my neck hairs do the tango, and PSA is shaping up into the song it was destined to be.
Back to the Basics
The big issue I’ve had so far in working with Braeburn has been experimentation with completed work.
I’ll step back a bit.
I wrote a series of songs, recorded (or mixed properly) the best 60 or so seconds of them and stuck them on the interweb in search of members to help me build a band to play them. I absolutely love Imogen Heap but doubt my abilities to properly mutli-intrumentalize these songs live by myself.
I was aimless after the, well, suburban Disaster. Sean was so obsessed with vibe and image that getting out and playing seemed near impossible, mixed with an unexplained hatred of everything we wrote together two days after it was recorded.
So I had these new songs that I wanted to play live and eventually found the means to do so.
A guitar teacher by the name of Josh Friedman had an ad on craigslist stating he was also a composer and was looking for something that wasn’t prog rock, or as prog rock as his current band, Fractal.
We met up, jammed acoustic and he really loved the material. To expedite the process, he opted to play bass as he knew another guitarist and a talented keyboardist.
I found a drummer on Craigslist who was into a lot of the same material as I (I mean, how often can you find someone who DRUMS who is interested in both Josh Freese Projects, APC, Abandoned Pools, Ect, and Alanis Morisette? He was a dream on paper).
The four of us started jamming at Apple because we had no propper practice space and Jonathan, the keyboardist, knew of a room unused at nights that we could jam in.
This is where the wheels on the bus wobble a little.
I started to take a step back in the leadership process. This is something I do, I’ve noticed. I spend a vast majority of time at work as a leader, and sometimes I want to just chill the fuck out and not make decisions.
This is a huge mistake for someone who, when it comes to the music they’ve written, is a borderline control freak.
I get strongheaded. This is almost a complete opposite of the afforementioned paragraph, but bear it out.
When I started this project, the name of it was Monster Music Prizefighters. I even made a coat of arms style logo for the project. I’ve always wanted to name a band The Albedo Effect, but I Was heavily writing the book at that point and doing both seemed, I don’t know, too “compilation” for my tastes.
So, the MPPrizefighters. Monster Music, being a twofold thing:
1) It’s no secret that I love Monsters. I was raised on Godzilla and spinoffs. I saw Cloverfield opening night. I’m a sucker for things that I wish were real because they make life more interesting. Shit, this is where the Gorn came from. I needed a story about Sea Monsters.
2) Heavy music right now is all the same. Deep, “chun chun” guitars in either C or C# with a guy screaming in various states of throatyness. There is no middle ground. There is nothing in the musical marketplace right now that has a sonic fucking tidal wave of distortion and atmosphere with decent vocals. This is where I get pretentious. I wanted to create something that could simultaneously floor the listener while getting the point across with a voice people can like. When people can HEAR my voice, they love it.
So the Monster Music Prizefighters. A troop of dedicated musicians in a sea of shit crumbling your metaphorial Tokyo.
I buckled on that because the will of the band was against me.
We chose the name Braeburn as an homage to Apple, the company that sort of fostered us both with a place to play, and with finances as I was broke at the bands formation and Jonathan took a lot of initiative to buy needed equipment, his salary coming directly from Apple.
This is not where I ceased my “hands off” approach. Songs began to change. Songs that I had heard a hundred different ways were now being taken apart by the other members of the band and reassembled into barely recognizable versions. At first I was open to the experimentation but the longer this went on, the more I realized the songs were not at all what I was trying to do and I couldn’t find any logical way to convey that to the group.
The drummer, Alfredo, was incredibly talented, however as the songs took on new and bizarre shapes, the drums needed were far less conventional and a lot different than what I had asked Alfredo to do.
One of the songs ended up being in 5 timing, something he had never had to do before and was therefore quite bad at.
So the job description for Alfredo said one thing, and the band was doing something else. This was bound to cause problems.
The other problem was a time and commitment thing. Alfredo, the oldest of the group, had a full time job, a wife and a kid. His ability to be free for shows and practicies were far more limited, and social, non musical exploits of the band were missed by him entirely. It became a Braeburn + 1 endeavor. Songs would change direction 100% between the Thursday practice where he last saw us to the following Monday.
I did nothing to stop it.
Before Alfredo could be asked to leave, he voluntarily quit stating, “The music just isn’t fun anymore”. Not really thinking too hard about it, I disagreed with him. I now realize I was lying through my teeth.
For anyone who missed the meaning of the last three thousand words, it is this:
Alfredo came and did exactly what I asked him to do, and when the band shifted focus I not only didn’t stop it, but I assisted in his leaving for lacking the ability to keep up, regardless that I agreed with his position. I still have no idea why I did that. I wonder what would have happened if I had left with him.
So the acoustic endeavors began. We sought a new drummer endlessly, but began lining up acoustic shows to at least get our name out there. This worked well, as we got to strip the songs down even further and remove some of that fat that I did not like. The most the really came from this was a less bloated version of PSA.
I love the guys in the band dearly, but I’ve reached a point where I know what I want out of a song. I don’t want colaboration so much as performance. I want minor input, not key change. I want vocal harmony ideas, not lyrical changes. I want asistance with dynamics, not additional chords or relations that take away from the song.
I’d like to point out that I do not fault any member of the band for this other than myself. The expectation was never set, and therfore impossible to follow. In fact, I outright said from the get go that I have heard these songs tons of different ways and was open to new ideas. By the time I realized that was a mistake it was a little too late.
I’m going to go down the setlist now because I’ve been meaning to do this for a while.
1) Gods and Monsters
The piano intro is irksome. It needs to go back to the guitar, but only in the electric version. The lower octave acoustic version doesn’t come off as well.
The vocal harmonies need to build - Chorus one, just me. Chorus two, me and Josh. Chorus three, Jonathan, Josh and myself. I like the new dynamic of the second verse but we need to nail it. I’d also like Noe to play the original build line from the second verse.
2) Elaeven
This is not the song I wrote. I’m pretty sure I’m done with it’s current incarnation. The all-too “Everything in it’s right place” part needs to go, the guitar needs to come back and the chord changes are done for. The benefit of doing it like this is I think the VersePrechorusVersePreChorusChorusOutro format may be better, but I haven’t tried it in the original chord structure. I will do so as soon as my voice comes back.
It’s been fun trying it alternately, but I am not satisfied when I play it, the outro seems to come as if from nowehre, the blatant radiohead rippoffery makes me tear, and a song that onced moved people is now one of the weakest parts of our set according to Braeburn concert goers. In fact, Elaeven is only beaten out in terms of “I almost left” by The Giving Tree and In Irons.
3) The Secret Lives of Retail Monkeys
The piano is too jazzy. I need to bring back the synth and give it more of an electronic edge. The piano was just meant to double the voice line for the pre chorus. I’d also like to perfect the dynamics to the guitars have more of an explosive effect when they ‘eavy up. The “solo” octave thing during the last chorus should also be done, probably by Noe since I’m singing primarily.
4) Somedays We Sin, Kindly
Probably the most accurate portrayal of a song yet. Either bringing in the tremolo’d synth or guitar for the prechoruses and either replacing the Noe guitar line at the outro with a more effected line, or having Jonathan play the original Massive almost “china” sounding synth would make it complete.
5) PSA -
The strings need to be more stocatto like the recording. The bassline should be bowed and sweeping, not the other way around. I don’t mind guitar replacing the horns in the choruses as long as Noe’s guitar line matches the harmonics, but I think the bells should be a lot more prominent. They don’t always get played. Not sure about piano interlude. I liked the acoustic guitars. The violin lines in the pre chorus to match the guitar need to happen also.
In fact, I’d like to possibly play synth also, or at least trigger midi events on this one. The only guitar parts I’m absolutely sure about are the intro harmonic line, the acoustic breakdown, and the distorionfest last chorus. The outro, instead of repeating before going to the G should just:
D C G G G. Cut to the chase, as the majority of damage the song has done is over. Repeating that DCE before the triple G is counter productive.
6) Shard
This is a song that I don’t really care how it’s delivered. So far we’ve done great. Let’s not screw with it.
7) After All
I really just need to practice this with Noe. I feel bad every time we play it because he and I haven’t ever sat down to work on his parts. I think what he’s trying to do in the choruses is good in theory, moving it a long a little, but as we haven’t practiced it it does sound kind of off.
The Aeronauts
(SPELLING CHANGE!! WHOOHOO!)
The tale of the HMA Archangel is Shaping up very well. The dynamics are almost perfect. This song was a minimal guitar, synth (or orchestra) heavy romp that we’ve managed to translate very well. Brian’s additions are welcome, and I think this one (as a band) will come along by itself. I still think more of the orchestra parts need to come through. There are a few Oboe lines that need to happen. I got chills when we hit the “This Mess undressed” part at Red Rock. The was the best performance we have had yet, and I think it came because the Thursday previous we had done an AWESOME version with Brian. Playing with a drummer helps a LOT.
9) The Diary of Lee Brighton
Sort of a “prequel” to PSA, tells the story leading up to the Nicodemus Event. PSA of course being Archimedes message to the people before his bloody rampage in the years AFTER the Nivodemus. I’d love to see more of the original guitar effected parts. We’re getting there Electrically, Noe is starting to go exactly where I want him to, even playing some of the riffs only found in the recording: I’ve never shown them to him.
Possibly no Piano in the Choruses. The guitars need to be huge on the A. The native spirit guide flute is genius, though. I’m glad Jonathan tried that.
10) Yesterday I Watched The World End
I’m not a fan of the intro key change. The synth, while neat, doesn’t do enough to do justice to the original. I need a square wave distorted to shit like it’s about to explode. Slower tempo than we’ve been doing it at (It’s still a fast song, but we do need to slow it down) will help. Something about Noe’s guitar tone makes it sound too “Rock and Roll”. It needs to be a sonic destroyer, not a contender for KFOX. My guitar noodling at the end is not by any means good. I’m still not sure what to do because Noe and I playing the bass line doesn’t seem to make sense. We’ll figure something out. Joshu’s added outro is one of the few times I’ve actually enjoyed something that has been added in after extended periods of play.
I’d like to go over drums with Brian so that the weird “disco” thing happens a little bit.
Seven people (at different shows) have stated that this is our hit, and / or our “radio single”. I’d like to keep it that way.
Now the newbies:
11) The Visit
Doesn’t need a second guitar. Needs a bass, or a deep moog type synth in a few spots. Can’t envision this one electric though, it needs to be primarily acoustic. Harmony vocals might help, but I haven’t done any yet as I haven’t test recorded it to see how they mesh. It may be fine as is.
12) Making Circles Square
Josh did exactly what I needed with his midpoint bassline. Maybe because I wrote it electric with a loop pedal handy and delay effects, but the only time I see the need for a second guitar is in the solo part toward the end. I’d love to see what Noe can do there.
Synth wise, I don’t have any parts written yet, but I do so love me the moog church sound. It should make an appearance.
13) The Messenger
I haven’t played this since I recorded the second demo at Sean’s place. May lose poignancy due to the creation of The Visit, but will be neat to go back to and see what it needs. Will be a must to finish if the book is released. Mary’s story is at the heart and soul of everything else that happens.
14) Refugee Camp
Still one of the only established Ideas I have that has not been heard by any member of Braeburn. The “spiritual sucessor” to PSA, in fact, if we were a sucessfull band I’d slap this one on the second album. Chronologically set AFTER the Sideii invasion and before Archimedes revolution, this song will involve a lot of work. In fact, I do not think it needs a guitar at all. My synth plus Jonathan with Josh playing bass should be sufficient.
The song is bit of a march, slightly upbeat in lyrical content regarding the refugees from New Colombia after Sideii impact. The sentiment of the song leads people to unite with Archimedes and attempt to fight off the opressors. This of course is fowled up by Operation: Scarlet Fever which takes us back to the Aeronauts, as far as the storyline is concerned.
Live this could be a hit or miss. Another dynamic powerhouse, it would have to be executed flawlessly to garner a cheer. The orchestral outro is what worries me and makes me think, ‘album only’.
15) Pangea
It’s taking a lot of effort not to use a vocoder on this. I’m reminded that I need to finish this one every time “Hide and Seek” pops up in rotation on the ol’ iPod, but equally noted that it should be worked on with that song FAR from my mental foreground.
16) Starting Point (Growing Wings)
Has a definite structure. I really loved what Alfredo did with the drums on this one in his garage. The reggae organ mixed with bells in Xpand! were a joke that turned out to sort of help the song. Sean always thought I was going for a Peter Bjorn and John sound with the guitar tone, but that was just lack of experience with Amplitube and Guitar Rig. This is a drum and bass intensive song. I really need to make something more than the Chorus. It’s fun for me, but I doubt others will enjoy it as much.
17) New Hampshire (formerly Approaching Dawn)
The Untitled approach to this has helped, but I haven’t sat down with it enough. There are enough pieces of it to make the propper song. It’s also (for the first time) fully functional electric and acoustic. It’s just a matter of hammering out the details.
18) Awkward of the Week
I really just love the intro / solo thing in this. I should stop just playing that part over and over again and work on the rest. I have a chorus line, but no established chords or transitions.
19) Breakfast
Jokingly showed this one to Josh. Not sure if it can be a real song or more of a jam / fuckaround but it is so much fun. It’s nice to have a few songs in standard tuning.
Unused Oldies:
20) Loose Ends
I thought about changing this song for a long time and I’m done trying to. It was written the way it was meant to be. I don’t think it should ever receive limelight, rather just be an acoustic track played every now and then to break up shows. Add bass and possibly harmony vocals, but sparingly. No drums ever again. 80’s bad.
21) Once in a While
The uninished glory that it was. I’d love to give it a go. Add in the lost lyrics for the second “Verse” and include more of a dynamic sweep, so by the “Tell me that I am wrong” section you are in the part of your psyche where chills come as if from nowhere and simultaneously give you a back rub. Synthwise I think the same sort of effect Jonathan is using on Somedays could work here, plus or minus a little bit of knob screwing as the song heats up.
This song, if executed the way I want it, could be the most amazing show opener a local venue has ever seen.
22) Eclectricity
If the band stays that way it is, this song does not fit.
However, if it goes the direction I WANT, this is a contender again. It’s blatant Pumpkin esque rawk, but that is exactly why I wrote it, and let’s be honest - the lyrics pissed off so many people that were not at all involved in the subject matter that it’s worth bringing this one back from the mp3 grave. Maybe I should retitle it, “If you think this song is about you, you are incorrect - Eat me”
- More to come.
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