Alright, so here we go ! Originally this song was going to be called "Pack Of Luckies", then "Criminal" and now "Best Days Of Your Life". I came up with the song idea about 4 months ago, so the lyrics and rhythm guitar are already worked out. The style is going to be somewhere between Punk and Rockabilly. I am very excited about this tune !! I really think that it has the potential to be a hit. The lyrics are nostalgic and it has a very catchy chorus.
2-1-10, I've got the drums ready to roll. I will probably start recording them tomorrow night. I have a dental appointment in the morning (bridge work), which has me feeling a bit nervous ... dental work sucks ! It's definitely a good thing that I'm getting it out of the way before I do my vocals, the fewer distractions the better.
2-2-10, Ouch !!! I survived the dentist, but I sure am sore. Unfortunately this isn't the worst dilemma of the day. I tried to save my digital recorder data last night and encountered a lot of trouble. To cut to the quick, I had to backup all my songs to my PC. The CD-RW I was originally trying to save the data to was faulty, causing the HDD to back up. I was forced to unplug the recorder, which is definitely not recommended. I am currently doing a surface scan on the BR-1600, and I am hopeful that I will be able to reload the data saved on the PC back to the recorder with no problems. As a worse case scenario, I will have to re-record the first 3 songs. I've got my fingers crossed that won't be the scenario !! Nothing like on the job training !
2-3-10, Whew !!! I did it ... everything is alright ! I finally got the data loaded back into the BR 1600 from my PC. The only casualty of the whole ordeal was my "Won't Be Home Again" song. I am currently using a good CD-RW to backup my songs. The lesson learned is to backup song data often, you never know what might happen. Now where was I ? Oh yeah ... the drums for "Criminal" are ready to roll, and I WILL record them tonight !!!
2-5-10, The drums and bass are finished !! I went out and bought some new Ernie Ball strings (45,65,80,100) for my bass guitar. It was absolutely vital to get a nice punchy bass tone ... the results are awesome !
2-7-10, I had an awesome lead guitar session last night ! I didn't know I had it in me !! I came up with a really cool rhythm lead for the intro and solo section. I also found a catchy lead part for the choruses. I still need to work out the verses, but that will be a bit easier once I lay down a scratch vocal track. The last thing left to do is the acoustic guitar, and maybe some background effects. The acoustic is pretty much a straight forward strum. The rhythm section and lead guitar rock, so I need the acoustic to hold it all together. This is a 5 minute song, with no breaks, so it won't be easy. I'm anxious to get back to the tune, but it will have to wait until the Superbowl is over(10-6, Colts over the Saints at halftime).
* The Saints had their lucky New Orleans voodoo working, because Manning threw a late game interception just like Favre 2 weeks ago. (Saints won 31-17)
2-9-10, Well that should be it !!! After 2 days of failed attempts, I finally got the acoustic recorded. I also finished the rest of the lead work. I have a real good feeling about this song. The R'Billy Crunch effect I used on the lead guitar worked perfectly. The song is very upbeat and rocks from start to finish. If everything goes well with the vocals, it could very well end up being a hit.
* I had kind of a surreal experience while working on this song. While I was laying down the lead guitar, I looked out the window from my 2nd floor apartment and happened to notice the mailman pulling up. Of course the poor fellow was in a mad rush and looked really stressed out. I'm very happy that my life no longer revolves around that suffocating stress pit of a job.
5-6-10, I just got my storage/studio unit 2 days ago (see "Miscellaneous" post). I finished "Coming For You" and "Downtown" on the first night. I am a little bit burned out right now (Cinco de Mayo) yesterday, and my voice is still hoarse. I am excited about doing the vocals on this tune and I have been driving around singing it in my jeep. When the voice gets back to normal, this will the next song I work on. If I get it right, this song will be a hit ! The lead guitar is so freakin' cool. I am actually bending some of the notes up out of key, but it's alright because it rocks !
5-7-10, I couldn't wait any longer. I spent a hot grueling night working out the vocals for this tune. It was an exhausting experience, but well worth the effort. Everything turned out very well. The only thing I may have to redo is the first 2 lines of the song. Other than that, the rest should be alright. I'll use the monitors tomorrow (today, its 5:00 a.m.) and see how it sounds outside of the headphones.
5-8-10, The majority of the song sounds really good. I am going to have to redo some parts of the first verse, though. I had also recorded backup vocals for the chorus on two other tracks. I have decided that I am going to redo at least one of them, using my other microphone (maybe with some effects). This should make the chorus sound bigger (using the same mic, and settings, just doesn't work well). For the last 3 songs "Coming For You", "Downtown" and this one I have been using the C3000 with no effects. It worked out well for these 3 songs, I just don't want to become predictable. I listened back to "Sweet Adelaide" today and the vocal effect and laid back approach were perfect (very eerie). I like for each song to be unique and have its own sound. If I get in the habit of using the same vocal approach with each one I will lose that edge. One other thing that I am aware of right now is that I don't want to get in a hurry. I have to fight my Aries urge to do everything quickly. It worked out fine with the music, but things are different now. This is the best vocal opportunity I have ever had, so I might as well take full advantage of the situation ... and get it right ! If that means doubling back and fine tuning things, then so be it. If I don't get things to where they are acceptable now, it will drive me crazy forever.
5-9-10, I made it to the storage/studio tonight but I didn't get a chance to work on this tune. I ended up working on "Horrible End" instead. It was an awesome session, and I am proud to say that song should be finished ! At some point I will get back to this tune. (later in the day) I am actual contemplating redoing all the vocals. There's something that's just not hitting me right (it needs a vocal effect/delay). I have the 2 tracks that I used for backups. I will probably redo the entire lead vocal track using one of them, that way I can still keep this track preserved (just in case I decide that I like it). My brother Tim, suggested that I need vocals in the chorus background that don't sound like me. The BR 1600 does have a vocal tool box for vocal accompaniments. I'll have to spend a little time reading the owners manual. There are so many more options with the BR 1600, than the BR 8. I usually go into things head first and learn as I go. This would probably a good time to change that approach a bit. I want to get it right !
5-11-10, I am ecstatic ! The BR 1600 has so many vocal tools available. I'm not going to give away all my secrets, but I will so I was able to fix the track. I still need to do a backup track for the chorus. There are some real cool harmony effects in the recorder. It will be a lot of fun to experiment with them.
5-15-10 (5:00 a.m.) What else can I say ... I am a perfectionist. I ended up redoing the vocals for this song tonight and everything went very well. I know it has the potential to be a hit so I wanted to to give it one more shot. I used a bit more of a mid range voice for the vocals. On my prior tracks I was trying to yell it out too much. While driving around in my jeep, I would often sing this song using a mid range voice and it sounded great. So, I decided to bring that approach to the studio. I'll have to listen back to it tomorrow to see how it turned out. After I finished working on this song, I also laid down the lead vocals for "Doppelganger Blues". It was another awesome night at the studio !
5-16-10, I find myself being so fickle with this tune. I now have 3 tracks with lead vocals. Ultimately 1 or 2 of them will be used for chorus backups. I cleaned the track, saved/protected the song and backed up the data. I decided to put the song aside until I finish the last 3. Then I will listen back to all of them through the monitors and decide which, if any, need to be redone. I am also eying "Coming For You" as a possible redo. Then again, I may be over thinking everything and they will both be alright as is. We'll see ....
6-20-10, This is one of the 2 songs that I am considering redoing the lead vocals for ("Coming For You" is the other). I know this tune has the potential to be hit and I want to get it right. My past efforts have been pretty good, but I am positive I can do it better. I am going to try using the small AKG mic instead of the C3000. I will also try using some different vocal effects. I just got done recording the lead vocals for "Wilderness Of Mirrors", which was my last song. I have the storage unit rented for 2 more weeks, so I have more than enough time to spend on this tune.
6-25-10 (2:30 a.m.) This song is a hit !!! I just got home from redoing the lead vocals. As far as studio vocal sessions go, this is an early return for me. Everything went perfectly ! I did use the small AKG mic, and the results were excellent. I needed to get a bit of a laid back, yet upbeat, approach to make it happen ... and I did. The funny part about the song is that the lead guitar actually bends up out of key. The out of key notes are intentional and they give the tune its upbeat character. Still ... it was a bit challenging. I am not an accomplished vocalist, so my tendency was to bend up with the lead guitar. To get it right I ended turning down the Lead guitar and concentrating on the acoustic and bass. I am ecstatic right now ! I knew this song had a ton of potential if I did it right. For me, it was a make or break moment for the Cd. Nothing against the other songs, I just knew that this one needed to happen to make it all work. YES !!!!! (4:30 p.m.) Yes !! It is a hit !!! I cleaned up the track, saved/protected the song and backed up the data. I am so happy that I went back and redid the vocals for this song. It might end up being a historical moment.
UPDATE (2-16-14): All of the songs from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd can be heard in their entirety through the tune player below. Please make sure to also visit my home website at: www.foxmanmusic.com
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Problems and Setbacks
It's just how life goes, you have to take the good with the bad:
On 1-8-10 I had to call a computer tech to remove a computer virus. He said it was a Ukrainian Mafia racket, where they infect you with the virus then try to trick you into paying them to remove it. Of course they also get your personal information in the process.
On 1-17-10 my profile page for My Space encountered problems. An error report pops up and I can't view the page. The My Space tech team is working on the problem, but it's been a week now. I removed the cookies/caches on my end, so I just have to be patient with them. Yes !!! On 1-28-10 the problem with my My Space profile was corrected. My compliments to the tech team !!! Patience is a virtue.
On 2-1-10, I encountered problems with my recorder after trying to backup song data. The CD-RW I was using was faulty which caused the HDD to back up. I managed to save everything to my PC, but lost my recording of "Won't Be Home Again" in the process. It could have been a lot worse !
2-26-10, another virus attack similar to the one on 1-8-10. I was ready this time and I kicked their asses !! Hacker scumbags beware !
3-9-10, another virus attack ! Once again it was no match for my security. All hacker scumbags should be sent to Guantanamo Bay and tortured. Our country is at war and these losers are trying to steal our identities ... how is that not terrorism ?
3-11-10, another virus attack ! I think this is the Ukrainian one again. I don't know what happened ? My malware didn't find anything and the virus just vanished ? Very, very strange !
3-26-20, A couple more viruses were removed today. They just don't know when to quit.
3-29-10, I got a $256 speeding ticket today.
7-14-10, Just when I got my numbers on the up and up, MySpace decides to chance their format and disallow the posting of 3rd party widgets. Those buncha muderless pricks ! Oh well, it's just a setback and not a major problem. I'll have to figure out another way to generate numbers.
*7-18-10, MySpace is no longer blocking the 3rd party widgets .... Yes !!! But they are blocking the autoplay finction !
8-7-10, Now it's Anytime Fitness that I am having trouble with. I think what happened was that ReverbNation changed their billing approach. It used to be that $40 covered an entire Cd's distribution for one whole year. Then all of a sudden it becomes a quarterly thing, with no notice. Well anyway, my payments to them go through my credit card. This unforeseen charge caused my limit to go over my allotted amount. This in turn, caused my Anytime payment to not be accepted (my credit card company also changed its approach). As a result, Anytime hits me $30 for late fees and other charges ... and my monthly payment is only $35 per month !! Another example of an American company pouncing on its member/customer as soon as the first opportunity arose. I know I am not alone, and many fellow Americans are dealing with the same BS. It's just that it gets really old after a while. What in the hell happened to integrity and customer service ?
* (8-8-10), No problem with Anytime. I went in today and talked to a staff member. They were going to wave the extra fees. They also said I could pay in cash as long it was 72 hours before my due date (the 23rd day of the month). I was about to pay off my past dues, when she realized that it was already paid. Their billing company must have resubmitted the payment and it went through. I will have to check my credit card statement to make sure that the extra fees weren't charged. Whew ...
8-28-10, Damn ! The last thing I needed happen was for my jeep to break down. Hopefully it isn't going to be anything major. Last night while driving around it overheated. I waited for it to cool and put some water in the radiator. That was enough to get me home. Today I put a whole thing of antifreeze in it. Later at night, I went and got some more antifreeze and drove around for a bit. Once again it started to overheat. I pulled over in church parking lot and waited for it to cool. I also discovered that the oil was low. I added a quart of oil, and another whole thing of antifreeze. I am guessing that there must be a leak in the radiator, because that is a lot of antifreeze in a short period of time. As you can guess I am very bummed out right now. I definitely can't afford any vehicle repairs. I have 3 more days until my vacation, so I am not going to worry about it right now.
8-29-10, Judging by the large puddle of antifreeze under my jeep, I would have to think my radiator is shot. Oh well, it could be worse.
9-10-10, I just got back from California 2 days ago. I had an excellent vacation ! Yesterday I brought my jeep into Goodyear. Today they called me up and told me the problem was a worn out o ring in one of the hoses, and not the radiator. All together it ended up costing $282 to have it fixed. Whew ! Things could have been much worse. I am happy to have my wheels back.
UPDATE (2-16-14): All of the songs from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd can be heard in their entirety through the tune player below. Please make sure to also check out my home website at: www.foxmanmusic.com
On 1-8-10 I had to call a computer tech to remove a computer virus. He said it was a Ukrainian Mafia racket, where they infect you with the virus then try to trick you into paying them to remove it. Of course they also get your personal information in the process.
On 1-17-10 my profile page for My Space encountered problems. An error report pops up and I can't view the page. The My Space tech team is working on the problem, but it's been a week now. I removed the cookies/caches on my end, so I just have to be patient with them. Yes !!! On 1-28-10 the problem with my My Space profile was corrected. My compliments to the tech team !!! Patience is a virtue.
On 2-1-10, I encountered problems with my recorder after trying to backup song data. The CD-RW I was using was faulty which caused the HDD to back up. I managed to save everything to my PC, but lost my recording of "Won't Be Home Again" in the process. It could have been a lot worse !
2-26-10, another virus attack similar to the one on 1-8-10. I was ready this time and I kicked their asses !! Hacker scumbags beware !
3-9-10, another virus attack ! Once again it was no match for my security. All hacker scumbags should be sent to Guantanamo Bay and tortured. Our country is at war and these losers are trying to steal our identities ... how is that not terrorism ?
3-11-10, another virus attack ! I think this is the Ukrainian one again. I don't know what happened ? My malware didn't find anything and the virus just vanished ? Very, very strange !
3-26-20, A couple more viruses were removed today. They just don't know when to quit.
3-29-10, I got a $256 speeding ticket today.
7-14-10, Just when I got my numbers on the up and up, MySpace decides to chance their format and disallow the posting of 3rd party widgets. Those buncha muderless pricks ! Oh well, it's just a setback and not a major problem. I'll have to figure out another way to generate numbers.
*7-18-10, MySpace is no longer blocking the 3rd party widgets .... Yes !!! But they are blocking the autoplay finction !
8-7-10, Now it's Anytime Fitness that I am having trouble with. I think what happened was that ReverbNation changed their billing approach. It used to be that $40 covered an entire Cd's distribution for one whole year. Then all of a sudden it becomes a quarterly thing, with no notice. Well anyway, my payments to them go through my credit card. This unforeseen charge caused my limit to go over my allotted amount. This in turn, caused my Anytime payment to not be accepted (my credit card company also changed its approach). As a result, Anytime hits me $30 for late fees and other charges ... and my monthly payment is only $35 per month !! Another example of an American company pouncing on its member/customer as soon as the first opportunity arose. I know I am not alone, and many fellow Americans are dealing with the same BS. It's just that it gets really old after a while. What in the hell happened to integrity and customer service ?
* (8-8-10), No problem with Anytime. I went in today and talked to a staff member. They were going to wave the extra fees. They also said I could pay in cash as long it was 72 hours before my due date (the 23rd day of the month). I was about to pay off my past dues, when she realized that it was already paid. Their billing company must have resubmitted the payment and it went through. I will have to check my credit card statement to make sure that the extra fees weren't charged. Whew ...
8-28-10, Damn ! The last thing I needed happen was for my jeep to break down. Hopefully it isn't going to be anything major. Last night while driving around it overheated. I waited for it to cool and put some water in the radiator. That was enough to get me home. Today I put a whole thing of antifreeze in it. Later at night, I went and got some more antifreeze and drove around for a bit. Once again it started to overheat. I pulled over in church parking lot and waited for it to cool. I also discovered that the oil was low. I added a quart of oil, and another whole thing of antifreeze. I am guessing that there must be a leak in the radiator, because that is a lot of antifreeze in a short period of time. As you can guess I am very bummed out right now. I definitely can't afford any vehicle repairs. I have 3 more days until my vacation, so I am not going to worry about it right now.
8-29-10, Judging by the large puddle of antifreeze under my jeep, I would have to think my radiator is shot. Oh well, it could be worse.
9-10-10, I just got back from California 2 days ago. I had an excellent vacation ! Yesterday I brought my jeep into Goodyear. Today they called me up and told me the problem was a worn out o ring in one of the hoses, and not the radiator. All together it ended up costing $282 to have it fixed. Whew ! Things could have been much worse. I am happy to have my wheels back.
UPDATE (2-16-14): All of the songs from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd can be heard in their entirety through the tune player below. Please make sure to also check out my home website at: www.foxmanmusic.com
Sunday, January 24, 2010
"Won't Be Home Again"
The first song "Nothin" is an old school Rock-n-Roll hip shaker. The second song "Horrible End" is a grungy chiller. It only makes sense that the third song "Won't Be Home Again" is a bad boy Country song .... right ? Well, that's how I like to roll !!! The more variety the better. I've already got the song written, so I have a good idea of how the arrangement will go. It will probably take me a few days, or so, to work out the drums. I am excited to see what kind of acoustic sound I can come up with. The song will feature a heavy dose of straight forward guitar strumming, so the tone is very important. My hollow body Ovation is definitely going to earn it's keep. There is a very good chance that this song might just be guitar and vocals only, which would be another new approach for me. 3 songs in one month would be an excellent start. Well ya'll, I best be scootin' on. I've got me a few ladies to entertain.
1-26-10 I decided that it is just going to be an acoustic/vocal song. I'm a little nervous but I think I can do it. The trick will be to get the best guitar tone possible
1-28-10 Well, I think it is complete. Just the vocals, editing and final mixdown are left. I went to Fort DeSoto Park and found a nice cool shelter with an outlet, and recorded the acoustic. It was a cool experience being outside in the crisp Florida air, while looking at the Gulf Of Mexico. Kind of an odd place to lay down a guitar track for a bad boy country song, but that's me ! The song also has keys and bass synth tracks, and that's it .... no drums, bass or lead guitar. The keys actually add an eeriness to the tune. Before all the ladies get mad at me, the actual moral of the song is honesty ... it is the best policy.
2-3-10, Dang ! Unfortunately this song was a casualty of my BR 1600 backup problems. When I backed up the data to my PC, I had this song in mastering mode. Once it was restored I couldn't get it out of that mode. It was also the only song that wasn't protected. Lesson learned ... always protect songs ! The good news is that this was mostly an acoustic/vocal song, and it shouldn't be very hard at all to redo it. As far as the keys and other pads go ... I wrote down all the data and settings.
2-14-10, I have decided to put this song on the back burner for a bit, while I work on "Sweet Adelaide".
3-12-10, Hmmmm ... I am not sure yet, but I think there is a good chance that I didn't actually lose the original version of this tune. I am still learning the BR-1600, so many of the features are new to me. I thought the song was forever locked in mastering mode, but that may not be the case. I did backup all the data to CD-RW, so the song is saved. I don't want to focus on this yet because I am currently working on "Under The Weather". When I finish that tune I will pull out the CD-RW's and try to reload the song.
3-23-10, I was right ! I was able to recover this song in its entirety. I listened back to and I decided I am going to keep it as is. At some point I will get around to doing vocals again. if anything needs to be added, or changed, I will do it after they are finished. This will end up being the first song I have ever done without drums.
5-7-10, I attempted a scratch vocal today (see "Miscellaneous") to get a feel for the arrangement. All in all, I'd have to say everything is good to go and I am ecstatic that I won't need to redo anything. It's a very short song. I don't think the tune will qualify as being country, and that's alright. It's still a cool song. The final vocals shouldn't be that hard to do. I just have to capture the right mood.
5-18-10, I just finished the vocals for "Same Old Troubles". Only this song and "Where's The Sun" are left to work on. I still need to work out the lyrics for the latter, so this song will be the next one I work on. The trickiest part about this tune will be getting comfortable with the timing, since there are no drums in the recording. Once I get the feel for that, I don't think the rest will be very complicated (the song only has one verse, one bridge and 3 choruses). Since the tune is mostly all acoustic, I will need to find a good vocal effect. I will also need to capture the right mood. The song centers around a person confessing to his wife about his infidelities, so an upbeat approach won't cut it. The moral of the song is "honesty is the best policy". If someone isn't capable of honoring a commitment, then at least have enough class to let that person go. All in all it is a pretty deep topic for such a short tune.
5-19-10 (2:30 a.m.) Getting hyped ! I was singing this tune in my jeep on the way to workout, and back. I will hit the studio later tonight and grind it out ! But first, I need to get some sleep ... I'm exhausted. I try to hit the gym about 2-3 times per week, usually 2-3 hours per visit. Lately, I have been trying to focus a bit more attention on stomach/ab exercises (my nemesis). I think I only need to lose about 15 lbs, and I will be good to go. This is my secondary goal for the year, next to finishing this Cd. My knee and ankle are starting to feel a lot better, so in a week or so, I will start adding in some cardio work (my other nemesis). (9:45 a.m.) Watching "American Idol", it's elimination day for one of the 3 contestants (Casey, Lee and Crystal). It's hard to feel bad for any of them at this point, because they are all going to be millionaires. This is the first season that I have really gotten into following the show week to week ... I have thoroughly enjoyed it ! Once the show is over I will head to the studio and work on this tune. America might not know it yet, but I am also an American Idol. I just chose to pursue my dream in a different kind of way. After "American Idol" ends, some of the contestants will get their recording contracts and then hit the studio to start working on their own music. Well, I started that on January 1 of this year ... and I have a blog to prove it. Here we go ... who is going to get eliminated ? The answer is Casey. Crystal and Lee are the finalists. Should be an excellent show next week. Season finale of "24" on Monday and "American Idol" on Tuesday. Well, I'm off ... it's studio time.
5-20-10 (4:00 a.m.) Well I think I did it. The tune was a bit challenging, since there was no drum track to work my timing around. After 5 1/2 hours of grinding it out, I think it is good to go. I'll have to listen back later today, before I give my final approval, but I think it is going to be alright. I did a good job of getting on top of the guitar and letting the vocals guide the song. I also did a good job of selling the drama. The vocals project the battle of conscience that the main character is dealing with. He is stepping up and being honest, yet he still feels guilty for his actions. Ultimately, this approach leads to a melancholy effect. In a lot of ways, my songs are kind of like listening to a movie, in that the subject matter doesn't always apply to my life experiences. Sometimes, I like to think of myself as an actor when I record lead vocals. This is what I mean when I say ... selling the drama. (7:00 p.m.) I cleaned the track, saved/protected the song and backed up the data. I am very happy with how the vocals turned out ! My voice was still hoarse from recording previous songs, which ended up adding a cool raspy element to the track. It almost has a little bit of choking up effect. The progression of this song was very interesting. It all started at Ft. DeSoto Park on a chilly January afternoon, then the data backup problems occurred (where I thought I lost the song) and finally it all ends up coming together in a hot sweaty storage unit 4 months later. This tune is going to be a real cool addition to my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd.
6-27-10 (5:00 a.m.), This recording sucks !! Of all 14 that I have recorded it is the runt of the litter. It is an excellent song, it just needs drums and bass to make it happen in the right way. I only have the storage facility rented for one more week, so I don't know if time is on my side to redo it. I will see what kind of mood I am in tomorrow (today) when I wake up. If I feel the drive I will try my hand at working out a drum track. As a worse case scenario, I will just have to scrap it from this Cd and save it for the next one. I guess I am just not ready to record an acoustic/vocal song yet. Well the good news is that vocals for all the other songs are completed. All I have left, recording wise, is a lead guitar for "Simple Minded". If I can get a drum track worked out, it won't be hard at all to lay down the acoustic. Once that is done, I can do the vocals, and record the bass and keyboards later. We'll see ...
6-28-10, I have decided to scrap this song. 13 tunes for this Cd release is more than enough. The good news is that I already have one song idea for my next Cd. I would have ruined the song if I tried to force it to happen. Oh well ...
7-8-10 (3:30 a.m.) Hmmmmm .... I have an idea, and that's all I'm going to say about that. You'll just have to listen to the Cd all the way through to know what I mean. The Foxman strikes again !!!
UPDATE (2-16-14): All song from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd can be heard in their entirety through the tune player below. Please make sure to also check out my home website at: www.foxmanmusic.com
1-26-10 I decided that it is just going to be an acoustic/vocal song. I'm a little nervous but I think I can do it. The trick will be to get the best guitar tone possible
1-28-10 Well, I think it is complete. Just the vocals, editing and final mixdown are left. I went to Fort DeSoto Park and found a nice cool shelter with an outlet, and recorded the acoustic. It was a cool experience being outside in the crisp Florida air, while looking at the Gulf Of Mexico. Kind of an odd place to lay down a guitar track for a bad boy country song, but that's me ! The song also has keys and bass synth tracks, and that's it .... no drums, bass or lead guitar. The keys actually add an eeriness to the tune. Before all the ladies get mad at me, the actual moral of the song is honesty ... it is the best policy.
2-3-10, Dang ! Unfortunately this song was a casualty of my BR 1600 backup problems. When I backed up the data to my PC, I had this song in mastering mode. Once it was restored I couldn't get it out of that mode. It was also the only song that wasn't protected. Lesson learned ... always protect songs ! The good news is that this was mostly an acoustic/vocal song, and it shouldn't be very hard at all to redo it. As far as the keys and other pads go ... I wrote down all the data and settings.
2-14-10, I have decided to put this song on the back burner for a bit, while I work on "Sweet Adelaide".
3-12-10, Hmmmm ... I am not sure yet, but I think there is a good chance that I didn't actually lose the original version of this tune. I am still learning the BR-1600, so many of the features are new to me. I thought the song was forever locked in mastering mode, but that may not be the case. I did backup all the data to CD-RW, so the song is saved. I don't want to focus on this yet because I am currently working on "Under The Weather". When I finish that tune I will pull out the CD-RW's and try to reload the song.
3-23-10, I was right ! I was able to recover this song in its entirety. I listened back to and I decided I am going to keep it as is. At some point I will get around to doing vocals again. if anything needs to be added, or changed, I will do it after they are finished. This will end up being the first song I have ever done without drums.
5-7-10, I attempted a scratch vocal today (see "Miscellaneous") to get a feel for the arrangement. All in all, I'd have to say everything is good to go and I am ecstatic that I won't need to redo anything. It's a very short song. I don't think the tune will qualify as being country, and that's alright. It's still a cool song. The final vocals shouldn't be that hard to do. I just have to capture the right mood.
5-18-10, I just finished the vocals for "Same Old Troubles". Only this song and "Where's The Sun" are left to work on. I still need to work out the lyrics for the latter, so this song will be the next one I work on. The trickiest part about this tune will be getting comfortable with the timing, since there are no drums in the recording. Once I get the feel for that, I don't think the rest will be very complicated (the song only has one verse, one bridge and 3 choruses). Since the tune is mostly all acoustic, I will need to find a good vocal effect. I will also need to capture the right mood. The song centers around a person confessing to his wife about his infidelities, so an upbeat approach won't cut it. The moral of the song is "honesty is the best policy". If someone isn't capable of honoring a commitment, then at least have enough class to let that person go. All in all it is a pretty deep topic for such a short tune.
5-19-10 (2:30 a.m.) Getting hyped ! I was singing this tune in my jeep on the way to workout, and back. I will hit the studio later tonight and grind it out ! But first, I need to get some sleep ... I'm exhausted. I try to hit the gym about 2-3 times per week, usually 2-3 hours per visit. Lately, I have been trying to focus a bit more attention on stomach/ab exercises (my nemesis). I think I only need to lose about 15 lbs, and I will be good to go. This is my secondary goal for the year, next to finishing this Cd. My knee and ankle are starting to feel a lot better, so in a week or so, I will start adding in some cardio work (my other nemesis). (9:45 a.m.) Watching "American Idol", it's elimination day for one of the 3 contestants (Casey, Lee and Crystal). It's hard to feel bad for any of them at this point, because they are all going to be millionaires. This is the first season that I have really gotten into following the show week to week ... I have thoroughly enjoyed it ! Once the show is over I will head to the studio and work on this tune. America might not know it yet, but I am also an American Idol. I just chose to pursue my dream in a different kind of way. After "American Idol" ends, some of the contestants will get their recording contracts and then hit the studio to start working on their own music. Well, I started that on January 1 of this year ... and I have a blog to prove it. Here we go ... who is going to get eliminated ? The answer is Casey. Crystal and Lee are the finalists. Should be an excellent show next week. Season finale of "24" on Monday and "American Idol" on Tuesday. Well, I'm off ... it's studio time.
5-20-10 (4:00 a.m.) Well I think I did it. The tune was a bit challenging, since there was no drum track to work my timing around. After 5 1/2 hours of grinding it out, I think it is good to go. I'll have to listen back later today, before I give my final approval, but I think it is going to be alright. I did a good job of getting on top of the guitar and letting the vocals guide the song. I also did a good job of selling the drama. The vocals project the battle of conscience that the main character is dealing with. He is stepping up and being honest, yet he still feels guilty for his actions. Ultimately, this approach leads to a melancholy effect. In a lot of ways, my songs are kind of like listening to a movie, in that the subject matter doesn't always apply to my life experiences. Sometimes, I like to think of myself as an actor when I record lead vocals. This is what I mean when I say ... selling the drama. (7:00 p.m.) I cleaned the track, saved/protected the song and backed up the data. I am very happy with how the vocals turned out ! My voice was still hoarse from recording previous songs, which ended up adding a cool raspy element to the track. It almost has a little bit of choking up effect. The progression of this song was very interesting. It all started at Ft. DeSoto Park on a chilly January afternoon, then the data backup problems occurred (where I thought I lost the song) and finally it all ends up coming together in a hot sweaty storage unit 4 months later. This tune is going to be a real cool addition to my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd.
6-27-10 (5:00 a.m.), This recording sucks !! Of all 14 that I have recorded it is the runt of the litter. It is an excellent song, it just needs drums and bass to make it happen in the right way. I only have the storage facility rented for one more week, so I don't know if time is on my side to redo it. I will see what kind of mood I am in tomorrow (today) when I wake up. If I feel the drive I will try my hand at working out a drum track. As a worse case scenario, I will just have to scrap it from this Cd and save it for the next one. I guess I am just not ready to record an acoustic/vocal song yet. Well the good news is that vocals for all the other songs are completed. All I have left, recording wise, is a lead guitar for "Simple Minded". If I can get a drum track worked out, it won't be hard at all to lay down the acoustic. Once that is done, I can do the vocals, and record the bass and keyboards later. We'll see ...
6-28-10, I have decided to scrap this song. 13 tunes for this Cd release is more than enough. The good news is that I already have one song idea for my next Cd. I would have ruined the song if I tried to force it to happen. Oh well ...
7-8-10 (3:30 a.m.) Hmmmmm .... I have an idea, and that's all I'm going to say about that. You'll just have to listen to the Cd all the way through to know what I mean. The Foxman strikes again !!!
UPDATE (2-16-14): All song from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd can be heard in their entirety through the tune player below. Please make sure to also check out my home website at: www.foxmanmusic.com
Monday, January 18, 2010
"Horrible End"
Alright time to change things up again. I wouldn't be me if I didn't keep things unpredictable. This song is a poetic grunge song with a big chorus and a horrible end !! The lyrics during the verses are definitely artsy. I guarantee there will be a lyrical shock at the end of the tune, which will explain the title. The guitar and drum track ideas are about 2/3 complete. By the end of the week, I should be ready to start recording. Grunge Baby !!! Time to get dirty
1-20-10 (Wednesday) Yes ... I've got the drums, and bass, worked out for the entire song. I'm ahead of schedule and should be able to start recording by tomorrow night. Just like "Nothin", a stripped down drum approach works the best (no tom tom's). The bass is going to be a little more up front in this song, and I may even experiment with some sound effects. I'm going to use a capo on the first fret for the guitars, and the bass will be tuned up 1/2 step.
1-22-10 (Friday) Kickin Ass ! Got the drums, bass and rhythm guitars recorded already. I found a real cool eerie effect for the bass. The rhythm guitar (acoustic) is finger picked and works well mimicking the bass line. The lead guitar is almost worked out, just need to put a solo together. I am using a real cool detune effect on the lead guitar. This has turned out to be a very chilling song !!!
1-24-10 (Sunday) That's it !!! All that is left are the lead vocals, editing and the final mix. I am very happy with how this song turned out. There is some really cool lead guitar work, and the effect on the bass is awesome. Pulling for Brett Favre and the Vikings vs New Orleans tonight.
Oh well, it was an excellent game and I'm happy for New Orleans. Colts vs Saints should be a classic Superbowl. Brett is still a legend, and he had an MVP year.
5-8-10, My throat it is a bit torn from working on "Best Days Of Your Life" last night. Yet, my storage/studio (see "Miscellaneous") is calling me back. This song is a bit more theatrical and a simpler orated vocal (with a cool effect) will work best in the verses. The chorus is a bit more explosive (my current rasp should work well there). I need to redo a few parts in the "Best Days .." tune. If all goes well, I plan on working on this song afterwords.
5-9-10, (4:30 a.m.) Well I never did make it to editing "Best Days Of Your Life", because I starting working on this song ! I had an excellent recording night ! I thought this tune was going to be a laid back poetic venture with a big chorus. Well it ended up being a kick ass rocker with an explosive chorus. I kept grinding it out until I finally got everything to where I wanted it. The AC at the storage unit was running which caused some over-boosting of the electricity (which had somewhat of an affect on the mic/background noise). There was also a loud party going on at one of the nearby apartments, and that's cool (at least I know that the neighborhood doesn't have a problem with loud noise). Despite these two distractions everything should be fine. I thwarted A huge disaster at the end of the night when I was loading up the BR 1600. I set it on a folding chair and it fell on the ground. I hurried up and and plugged it back in to make sure everything was alright. At first, neither headphone jack was working. After a few seconds headphone jack one was back ... whew ! Headphone jack two is still inoperable. It could have been a major disaster, thankfully it wasn't. I'll have to be even more careful in the future. Anyway, this song should be finished. I will clean up the tracks tomorrow and do a final inspection. I am a very happy, and tired, man tonight. Good luck seems to be on my side, hopefully it continues (fingers crossed). Oh, by the way, I ended up using the C3000 mic with a Slapback Delay effect. I also did a backup chorus track using the same mic, and settings, with no effect. The effect really adds a freaky element to the tune. It is also the same effect I used in "Sweet Adelaide".
* It's perfect !!! This may be one of my best vocal tracks ever. I cleaned up the track, protected the song and backed up the data. Everything is fine with the recorder, no more negatives from last nights mishap. The hum from the AC at the storage/studio ended up being a non issue. I could hear it clearly with the headphones, when just the vocal track was playing. Once the instruments were brought in, it's not even noticeable. It rocked through the monitors !
UPDATE (2-16-14): All songs from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd can be heard in their entirety through the tune player below. Please make sure to also check out my home website at www.foxmanmusic.com Thank You :)
1-20-10 (Wednesday) Yes ... I've got the drums, and bass, worked out for the entire song. I'm ahead of schedule and should be able to start recording by tomorrow night. Just like "Nothin", a stripped down drum approach works the best (no tom tom's). The bass is going to be a little more up front in this song, and I may even experiment with some sound effects. I'm going to use a capo on the first fret for the guitars, and the bass will be tuned up 1/2 step.
1-22-10 (Friday) Kickin Ass ! Got the drums, bass and rhythm guitars recorded already. I found a real cool eerie effect for the bass. The rhythm guitar (acoustic) is finger picked and works well mimicking the bass line. The lead guitar is almost worked out, just need to put a solo together. I am using a real cool detune effect on the lead guitar. This has turned out to be a very chilling song !!!
1-24-10 (Sunday) That's it !!! All that is left are the lead vocals, editing and the final mix. I am very happy with how this song turned out. There is some really cool lead guitar work, and the effect on the bass is awesome. Pulling for Brett Favre and the Vikings vs New Orleans tonight.
Oh well, it was an excellent game and I'm happy for New Orleans. Colts vs Saints should be a classic Superbowl. Brett is still a legend, and he had an MVP year.
5-8-10, My throat it is a bit torn from working on "Best Days Of Your Life" last night. Yet, my storage/studio (see "Miscellaneous") is calling me back. This song is a bit more theatrical and a simpler orated vocal (with a cool effect) will work best in the verses. The chorus is a bit more explosive (my current rasp should work well there). I need to redo a few parts in the "Best Days .." tune. If all goes well, I plan on working on this song afterwords.
5-9-10, (4:30 a.m.) Well I never did make it to editing "Best Days Of Your Life", because I starting working on this song ! I had an excellent recording night ! I thought this tune was going to be a laid back poetic venture with a big chorus. Well it ended up being a kick ass rocker with an explosive chorus. I kept grinding it out until I finally got everything to where I wanted it. The AC at the storage unit was running which caused some over-boosting of the electricity (which had somewhat of an affect on the mic/background noise). There was also a loud party going on at one of the nearby apartments, and that's cool (at least I know that the neighborhood doesn't have a problem with loud noise). Despite these two distractions everything should be fine. I thwarted A huge disaster at the end of the night when I was loading up the BR 1600. I set it on a folding chair and it fell on the ground. I hurried up and and plugged it back in to make sure everything was alright. At first, neither headphone jack was working. After a few seconds headphone jack one was back ... whew ! Headphone jack two is still inoperable. It could have been a major disaster, thankfully it wasn't. I'll have to be even more careful in the future. Anyway, this song should be finished. I will clean up the tracks tomorrow and do a final inspection. I am a very happy, and tired, man tonight. Good luck seems to be on my side, hopefully it continues (fingers crossed). Oh, by the way, I ended up using the C3000 mic with a Slapback Delay effect. I also did a backup chorus track using the same mic, and settings, with no effect. The effect really adds a freaky element to the tune. It is also the same effect I used in "Sweet Adelaide".
* It's perfect !!! This may be one of my best vocal tracks ever. I cleaned up the track, protected the song and backed up the data. Everything is fine with the recorder, no more negatives from last nights mishap. The hum from the AC at the storage/studio ended up being a non issue. I could hear it clearly with the headphones, when just the vocal track was playing. Once the instruments were brought in, it's not even noticeable. It rocked through the monitors !
UPDATE (2-16-14): All songs from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd can be heard in their entirety through the tune player below. Please make sure to also check out my home website at www.foxmanmusic.com Thank You :)
Friday, January 15, 2010
ReverbNation
I am very happy with ReverbNation. The only negative is that sales reports run 2 months behind. I became a member in August, 2009. One month later my 2nd Cd "Like The Freak You Are" was made available for downloads worldwide (iTunes, Cd Baby, Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody and others). Around the last week of December my 1st Cd "Songs From The Gallery" was also made available for downloads. The cool thing about ReverbNation is that they also act as your bank for all the download transactions. They operate like a social networking service, where the artist has direct contacts with fans, labels and other artists. Numbers are then collected, and calculated, and the artist is able to observe their current rankings through various charts. As of this date I am ranked #5 on the local alternative artist chart. I have 496 fans, 1,062 widget hits, 394 visits and 141 plays. My current band equity rating is 124 (5 days ago my rating was 40 and I was ranked #11). Thank you to all my new friends and fans for taking the time to notice me !!!
On 1-23-10, I climbed to #2 on the local alternative chart. 603 fans, 1,183 widget hits, 534 visits, 179 plays, 26 video views and a 234 equity rating (#1 has a 2545 rating). I am #922 on the global alternative chart and #10,998 on the global all genres chart. To assist me in my long climb to the local #1 spot, I have activated my Street Team (7 members). I launched Operation Foxman, which means the members will compete to see who can generate the most music plays for me by placing my tune widgets. The numbers for each will be kept by ReverbNation so I can see who is trying and who isn't. My reward to the top promoter is one autographed Cd. This is the first time I've launched a Street Team mission, so we'll see how it goes.
On 1-29-10, I got my bebo site organized and ready to roll. I linked into bebo with the ReverbNation "My Band" application. I have a tune widget set up there, and my "Shake For Me Now" video is set to autoplay when people visit the site. Just like My Space, all activity on the tune widget will register with ReverbNation. I am excited that I have a another platform for reaching fans !!!
As of 2-4-10 I am still currently #2 on the local alternative chart. I have been steadily climbing the last couple of weeks (12 days). 880 fans (+277), 1493 widget hits (+310), 1138 visits (+604), 320 plays (+141), 50 video views (+24) and a 607 equity rating (+373). I am #395 on the global alternative chart (+527), and #4391 on the global all genres chart (+6,607). I now have 18 people in my Street Team (+11), so I launched my 2nd mission "Operation Foxman 2". Once again, the goal is to spread my tune widgets, the reward to the winner is one autographed Freak Cd.
2-8-10, I opened my ReverbNation Store. How cool is this ? They allow you to design and sell your own clothes (t-shirts, hats, etc.). ReverbNation takes care of everything(creating the item (placing your decals), shipping and all of money transactions). They have a fee for all this that is listed when you design your item. After you have created the item, then you decide what the markup will be. This is the amount you make when that item is sold. They will also make and sell your Cd's. I had to send both of my Cd's in when I joined, so I'm hopeful they will be able to use them to transpose my Cd artwork onto the ones sold through the store. I currently have 12 items for sale which includes men's and women's t-shirts (short sleeve and long sleeve), hats and even a cup ! All the items have "Foxman" and my website written on them. Awesome !!!
2-14-10, Happy Valentine's Day to me !! I just registered my 1,000th fan. My other numbers are 780 band equity, 1633 visits, 1725 widget hits, 394 song plays, 52 video plays. My global rank for all genres is 3428, global alternative is 300 and I'm still #2 locally. My first Street Team mission was a failure and didn't generate any song plays ... Oh well. My 2nd mission is still active until 3-1-10, and it isn't doing well either. In the future instead of offering an autographed Cd, I think I am going to try offering 3-5 downloads of the winners music as a reward. It should give more incentive to the members to try harder.
3-23-10 ... my numbers for March are 1,390 fans, 911 band equity, 2,452 visits, 3,073 widget hits, 539 song plays and 80 video plays. My global rank for all genres is 3,102, global alternative is 273 and I am still #2 locally. The street team missions just don't work very well because all the members are fellow musicians, who quite honestly, would rather promote their own music. I am happy with my numbers ! I did finally add Facebook and Fair Share, so my profile is now 100% finished. I have also sold my first Freak Cd MP3 and a t-shirt, so my bank now shows a $10.95 balance. Fair Share means that I split royalties for adds that are played on my site, with ReverbNation.
4-21-10 ... my numbers for April are 1,528 fans (+138), 1007 band equity (+96), 2,885 visits (+433), 3,946 widget hits (+873), 683 song plays (+144) and 83 video plays (+3). My global rank for all genres is 3,185 (-83), global alternative is 271 (-2) and I am still #2 locally. With a busy month of recording, I am happy that my numbers have maintained. The new band equity rating system at RN is quite challenging.
4-22-10, ReverbNation made an addition to there site. I can now add all the songs lyrics to my profile page. There is a link that says "lyrics" next to the songs, while listeners are checking out the tunes, all they have to do is click there and the lyrics will show up. This will also show up on my tune widgets. Nice job RN !
5-26-10 ... my numbers for May are 1,664 fans (+136), 966 band equity (-41), 3,262 visits (+377), 6,218 widget hits (+2,272), 1,025 song plays (+342) and 83 video plays (even). My global rank for all genres is 3,923 (-738), global alternative is 323 (-52) and I am currently #1 locally. My number of widget hits has risen dramatically, as well as my song plays. I have been placing tune widgets on my friends pages in My Space (set to autoplay). My band equity has fallen because my widget hits and song plays are climbing at a quicker rate than my fans/listeners numbers. This doesn't bother me because the fans will come ! ReverbNation also changed something with the local ranking. The person who was holding the #1 spot was located on the other side of the state. They must have redone the local boundaries, leaving me to be #1 for the area. The difference between a widget hit and a song play has to do with how long the widget is allowed to play. This is something I can't worry about. I am a unique songwriter, and my style is very contagious. Sooner or later, the listeners will find their way back to hear the songs all the way through. It's all good !
5-31-10, Happy Memorial Day !!! I have been working real hard the last few days to get my ReverbNation numbers up to new highs. Here is where I stand today. 1,734 fans (+70), 1007 band equity (+41), 3,297 visits (+35), 7,057 widget hits (+939), 1,198 song plays (+73)and 83 video plays. My global rank for all genres is 3,777 (+146), global alternative is 305 (+18) and #1 locally. Now that's more like it. The numbers should keep going up over the next few days. It is a lot of time consuming work inviting fans, but it is also a lot of fun. It gives me a chance to see what other people are up to. I will check back in about one week with some more numbers. They should all be new highs.
6-2-10, Okay, things are still going up ! 1,760 fans (+26), 1058 band equity (+51), 3,340 visits (+43), 8,287 widget hits (+1,230), 1,501 song plays (+303) and 85 video plays (+2). These numbers are all new highs for me. Check out those widget hits and song play numbers ! I am going to plan on spending at least 2 days per week working on these numbers. I have about 5-6 months until my Cd is released ... the more fans, and notoriety, the better !
6-5-10, I am still climbing to new highs ... 1,765 fans (+5), 1118 band equity (+60), 3,363 visits (+23), 8,543 widget hits (+250), 1,565 song plays (+64) and 85 video plays.
6-12-10, Been a bit busy with recording "Simple Minded" and visits from my birth dad and friends. But here are my numbers: 1,797 fans (+32), 1131 band equity (+13), 3,442 visits (+79), 9,602 widget hits (+1,059), 1,790 song plays (+225) and 85 video plays. Things are still going up. I had an odd occurrence, where despite all my numbers going up, my global ranks (alternative and all genres) dropped dramatically. No idea why this would happen ? Maybe the problem will be corrected and the numbers will be adjusted.
6-19-10, 1,903 fans (+106), 1138 band equity (+7), 3,486 visits (+44), 11,969 widget hits (+2,367), 2,388 song plays (+598) and 85 video plays. My global alternative rank is 319, my global rank for all genres is 4,046. I am still #1 on the local alternative chart. The band equity rating system is really frustrating ! I have been working very hard to add new fans, so hopefully that will balance the numbers out a bit with the widget hits and song plays. We'll see what happens. Pasting tune widgets on friends sites seems to working very well. I haven't received any negative feedback at all. Occasionally, someone will drop me ... but that's alright. You can win them all !!
6-20-10, Boom !!! All my hard work is paying off. Check out this 1 day jump in #'s. 1,903 fans (+0), 1300 band equity (+162), 3,492 visits (+6), 13,331 widget hits (+1,362), 2,582 song plays (+196) and 85 video plays. My global alternative rank is 265 (+54, my highest ever) and my global rank for all genres is 3,400 (+646, also my highest ever). Absolutely awesome !
6-21-10, Still climbing ! 1,960 fans (+57), 1415 band equity (+115), 3,504 visits (+12), 14,635 widget hits (+1,304) and 2,969 song plays (+387). My global alternative rank is 240 (+25) and my global rank for all genres is 3,021 (+379).
6-22-10, Oh Yeah ! 1,990 fans (+30), 1510 band equity (+95), 3,524 visits (+20), 15,868 widget hits (+1,233) and 3,145 song plays (+176). My global alternative rank is 218 (+22). My global rank for all genres is 2,765 (+256).
6-23-10, 1,991 fans (+1), 1618 band equity (+108), 3,528 visits (+24), 17,039 widget hits (+2,171) and 3,330 song plays (+185). My global alternative rank is 205 (+13). My global rank for all genres is 2,536 (+229).
6-24-10, I have 2,030 fans (+39), 1707 band equity (1707 (+89), 3,535 visits (+7), 18,075 widget hits (+1,036) and 3,612 song plays (+467). My global alternative rank is 184 (+21). My global rank for all genres is 2,319 (+225). I think it is safe to say that I have found the formula ! I am going to keep doing what I have been doing and see how far it takes me.
6-25-10, I have 2,054 fans (+24), 1802 band equity (+95), 3,541 visits (+6), 18,952 widget hits (+877) and 3,921 song plays (+309). My global alternative rank is 173 (+11). My global rank for all genres is 2,147 (+172).
6-26-10, I have 2,082 fans (+28), 1944 band equity (+142), 3,552 visits (+11), 20,247 widget hits (+1,295) and 4,307 song plays (+386). My global alternative rank is 160 (+13). My global rank for all genres is 1,930 (+217). In one week, from 6-19 to 6-26, this how much my numbers have climbed. Fans +129, band equity +806, visits +66, widget hits +8,278, song plays +1,919. My global alternative rank climbed 159, and global rank for all genres climbed 2,116. I found a system that is working and I am going to keep it up. If I work this right, my numbers will continue to peak right up until my Cd release. In the music industry this is what would be referred to as a buzz. Maybe I will get lucky and a major distributor will notice me.
6-27-10, I have 2,089 fans (+7), 2022 band equity (+78), 3,555 visits (+3), 21,159 widget hits (+912) and 4,596 song plays (+289). My global alternative rank is 154 (+6). My global rank for all genres is 1,808 (+122).
6-28-10, I have 2,121 fans (+32), 2143 band equity (+221), 3,572 visits (+17), 22,237 widget hits (+1,078) and 5,002 song plays (+404). My global alternative rank is 133 (+21). My global rank for all genres 1,660 (+148).
6-29-10, I have 2,121 fans (even), 2284 band equity (+141), 3,575 visits (+3), 23,549 widget hits (+1,312), and 5,354 song plays (+352). My global alternative rank is 121 (+12). My global rank for all genres is 1,515 (+145). Awesome !!!
6-30-10, I have 2,152 fans (+31), 2434 band equity (+150), 3,589 visits (+11), 24,986 widget hits (+1,437) and 6,050 song plays (+696). My global alternative rank is 102 (+19). My global rank for all genres is 1,366 (+149).
7-1-10, I am officially halfway through the year !!! I have 2,159 fans (+7), 2567 band equity (+133), 3,594 visits (+5), 26,352 widget hits (+1,366) and 6,198 song plays (+148). My global alternative rank is 93 (+9). My global rank for all genres is 1,258 (+108). Hey, hey ! I broke into the top 100 on the global alternative chart. When I was first getting started, I was #2 on the local charts for a very long time. The band I was behind was from Florida's east coast (I am on the west). ReverbNation must have reorganized the local borders, because one day I logged in and found out I was #1 on my local chart. From what I remember , that band had a band equity of around 2,220. Mine at the time was around 300-400. I remember thinking that they were so far ahead of me that I would never catch them. Well, that band is ranked #83 on the global alternative chart, and I am at #93. I am not the competing type, so the matter is insignificant, but it is still kind of cool.
7-2-10, I have 2,161 fans (+2), 2672 band equity (+1050), 3,602 visits (+8), 27,420 widget hits (+1,068) and 6,449 song plays (+251). My global alternative rank is 87 (+6). My global rank for all genres is 1,184 (+74).
7-4-10, Happy 4th of July !!! (2 day totals) Well I went up yesterday, and down today. I had to have a lull at some point. I have 2,214 fans (+53), 2681 band equity (+9), 3,620 visits (+18), 28,939 widget hits (+1,519) and 6,940 song plays (+491). My global alternative rank is 86 (+1). My global rank for all genres is 1,174 (+10).
7-7-10 (3:30 a.m.) Well, I had everything going in the right direction. Then ... ReverbNation shuts down for site maintenance for one night. Next thing I know, my numbers start falling ? I tried on multiple occasions today, to paste my tune widgets onto fans pages and this "error" message kept popping up. I have never had troubles like this before. I sent a message to ReverbNation explaining the problem. We'll see what their response is. It basically saws me off at the knees if I can't paste my widgets into MySpace. It's always something .....
7-9-10, I have sent out some emails to ReverbNation and MySpace to get some answers. What I have learned from RN is that MySpace has changed its format so that we can't post our tune widgets in our fans comments section. This is a totally arrogant thing for MySpace to do, and it figures that Rupert Murdoch (News Corp.) is the owner. If the fans don't want the widgets on their site, all they have to do is delete them, not accept them or change their settings to block them. People like me rely on this service to promote our small business. Why would MySpace make such a radical change without even notifying their customers ? This is just another small example of how these greedy billionaires operate. They use their power to buy out businesses, like MySpace, then they attack their customers ... just like Countrywide, the banks, etc. We'll see what MySpace's response is to my recent email. If I have to, I will climb the complaint ladder all the way up to Mr. Murdoch.
7-14-10, Yes my dear friends at MySpace really screwed me over. I have 2,327 fans (+113), 2425 band equity (-256), 3,690 visits (+70), 33,391 widget hits (4,452), 8,204 song plays (+1,264) and 88 video plays (+3). My global alternative rank is 101 (-15). My global rank for all genres is 1,360 (-186). It's the loss of unique listeners that has affected my numbers the most. Being able to post the widgets gave random people the opportunity to check out my music. The band equity is just a novelty # that the mathematical geniuses at ReverbNation concoct. Oh well, as long as I keep the other numbers going up, everything else will work out.
7-18-10, Yes !!! I'm back in the game. MySpace is no longer blocking 3rd party widgets. I must not have been the only one complaining. All in all, my equity rating didn't drop that much. It won't take me very long at all to get things turned around again.
7-20-10, Still waiting for the #'s from some of the widgets I posted, over the last couple days, to start registering. At the moment, I have 2,378 fans (+51), 2283 band equity (-142), 3,743 visits ((+53), 35,015 widget hits (+1,624), 8,698 song plays (+494) and 90 video plays (+2). My global alternative rank is 112 (-11). My global rank for all genres is 1,499 (-139).
8-31-10, I have 2,469 fans (+91), 1513 band equity (-770), 3,919 visits (+176), 39,215 widget hits (+4,200), 10,240 song plays (+1,542), and 91 video plays(+1). Everything continues to climb, except for my band equity rating. I am not going to complain because my widget hits and song plays are doing very well !!! All I need is one little break and the fans will come.
UPDATE (2-16-14): ReverbNation has become one of my most important and successful music websites. I am currently in the top 10 on the USA Folk Charts and in the top 500 out of 2.5 million bands from all genres and all around the whole entire planet. If you would like to help me continue to climb the charts, then all you have to do is play some songs in the tune widget below. Make sure to spread the word to others. Thanks :)
On 1-23-10, I climbed to #2 on the local alternative chart. 603 fans, 1,183 widget hits, 534 visits, 179 plays, 26 video views and a 234 equity rating (#1 has a 2545 rating). I am #922 on the global alternative chart and #10,998 on the global all genres chart. To assist me in my long climb to the local #1 spot, I have activated my Street Team (7 members). I launched Operation Foxman, which means the members will compete to see who can generate the most music plays for me by placing my tune widgets. The numbers for each will be kept by ReverbNation so I can see who is trying and who isn't. My reward to the top promoter is one autographed Cd. This is the first time I've launched a Street Team mission, so we'll see how it goes.
On 1-29-10, I got my bebo site organized and ready to roll. I linked into bebo with the ReverbNation "My Band" application. I have a tune widget set up there, and my "Shake For Me Now" video is set to autoplay when people visit the site. Just like My Space, all activity on the tune widget will register with ReverbNation. I am excited that I have a another platform for reaching fans !!!
As of 2-4-10 I am still currently #2 on the local alternative chart. I have been steadily climbing the last couple of weeks (12 days). 880 fans (+277), 1493 widget hits (+310), 1138 visits (+604), 320 plays (+141), 50 video views (+24) and a 607 equity rating (+373). I am #395 on the global alternative chart (+527), and #4391 on the global all genres chart (+6,607). I now have 18 people in my Street Team (+11), so I launched my 2nd mission "Operation Foxman 2". Once again, the goal is to spread my tune widgets, the reward to the winner is one autographed Freak Cd.
2-8-10, I opened my ReverbNation Store. How cool is this ? They allow you to design and sell your own clothes (t-shirts, hats, etc.). ReverbNation takes care of everything(creating the item (placing your decals), shipping and all of money transactions). They have a fee for all this that is listed when you design your item. After you have created the item, then you decide what the markup will be. This is the amount you make when that item is sold. They will also make and sell your Cd's. I had to send both of my Cd's in when I joined, so I'm hopeful they will be able to use them to transpose my Cd artwork onto the ones sold through the store. I currently have 12 items for sale which includes men's and women's t-shirts (short sleeve and long sleeve), hats and even a cup ! All the items have "Foxman" and my website written on them. Awesome !!!
2-14-10, Happy Valentine's Day to me !! I just registered my 1,000th fan. My other numbers are 780 band equity, 1633 visits, 1725 widget hits, 394 song plays, 52 video plays. My global rank for all genres is 3428, global alternative is 300 and I'm still #2 locally. My first Street Team mission was a failure and didn't generate any song plays ... Oh well. My 2nd mission is still active until 3-1-10, and it isn't doing well either. In the future instead of offering an autographed Cd, I think I am going to try offering 3-5 downloads of the winners music as a reward. It should give more incentive to the members to try harder.
3-23-10 ... my numbers for March are 1,390 fans, 911 band equity, 2,452 visits, 3,073 widget hits, 539 song plays and 80 video plays. My global rank for all genres is 3,102, global alternative is 273 and I am still #2 locally. The street team missions just don't work very well because all the members are fellow musicians, who quite honestly, would rather promote their own music. I am happy with my numbers ! I did finally add Facebook and Fair Share, so my profile is now 100% finished. I have also sold my first Freak Cd MP3 and a t-shirt, so my bank now shows a $10.95 balance. Fair Share means that I split royalties for adds that are played on my site, with ReverbNation.
4-21-10 ... my numbers for April are 1,528 fans (+138), 1007 band equity (+96), 2,885 visits (+433), 3,946 widget hits (+873), 683 song plays (+144) and 83 video plays (+3). My global rank for all genres is 3,185 (-83), global alternative is 271 (-2) and I am still #2 locally. With a busy month of recording, I am happy that my numbers have maintained. The new band equity rating system at RN is quite challenging.
4-22-10, ReverbNation made an addition to there site. I can now add all the songs lyrics to my profile page. There is a link that says "lyrics" next to the songs, while listeners are checking out the tunes, all they have to do is click there and the lyrics will show up. This will also show up on my tune widgets. Nice job RN !
5-26-10 ... my numbers for May are 1,664 fans (+136), 966 band equity (-41), 3,262 visits (+377), 6,218 widget hits (+2,272), 1,025 song plays (+342) and 83 video plays (even). My global rank for all genres is 3,923 (-738), global alternative is 323 (-52) and I am currently #1 locally. My number of widget hits has risen dramatically, as well as my song plays. I have been placing tune widgets on my friends pages in My Space (set to autoplay). My band equity has fallen because my widget hits and song plays are climbing at a quicker rate than my fans/listeners numbers. This doesn't bother me because the fans will come ! ReverbNation also changed something with the local ranking. The person who was holding the #1 spot was located on the other side of the state. They must have redone the local boundaries, leaving me to be #1 for the area. The difference between a widget hit and a song play has to do with how long the widget is allowed to play. This is something I can't worry about. I am a unique songwriter, and my style is very contagious. Sooner or later, the listeners will find their way back to hear the songs all the way through. It's all good !
5-31-10, Happy Memorial Day !!! I have been working real hard the last few days to get my ReverbNation numbers up to new highs. Here is where I stand today. 1,734 fans (+70), 1007 band equity (+41), 3,297 visits (+35), 7,057 widget hits (+939), 1,198 song plays (+73)and 83 video plays. My global rank for all genres is 3,777 (+146), global alternative is 305 (+18) and #1 locally. Now that's more like it. The numbers should keep going up over the next few days. It is a lot of time consuming work inviting fans, but it is also a lot of fun. It gives me a chance to see what other people are up to. I will check back in about one week with some more numbers. They should all be new highs.
6-2-10, Okay, things are still going up ! 1,760 fans (+26), 1058 band equity (+51), 3,340 visits (+43), 8,287 widget hits (+1,230), 1,501 song plays (+303) and 85 video plays (+2). These numbers are all new highs for me. Check out those widget hits and song play numbers ! I am going to plan on spending at least 2 days per week working on these numbers. I have about 5-6 months until my Cd is released ... the more fans, and notoriety, the better !
6-5-10, I am still climbing to new highs ... 1,765 fans (+5), 1118 band equity (+60), 3,363 visits (+23), 8,543 widget hits (+250), 1,565 song plays (+64) and 85 video plays.
6-12-10, Been a bit busy with recording "Simple Minded" and visits from my birth dad and friends. But here are my numbers: 1,797 fans (+32), 1131 band equity (+13), 3,442 visits (+79), 9,602 widget hits (+1,059), 1,790 song plays (+225) and 85 video plays. Things are still going up. I had an odd occurrence, where despite all my numbers going up, my global ranks (alternative and all genres) dropped dramatically. No idea why this would happen ? Maybe the problem will be corrected and the numbers will be adjusted.
6-19-10, 1,903 fans (+106), 1138 band equity (+7), 3,486 visits (+44), 11,969 widget hits (+2,367), 2,388 song plays (+598) and 85 video plays. My global alternative rank is 319, my global rank for all genres is 4,046. I am still #1 on the local alternative chart. The band equity rating system is really frustrating ! I have been working very hard to add new fans, so hopefully that will balance the numbers out a bit with the widget hits and song plays. We'll see what happens. Pasting tune widgets on friends sites seems to working very well. I haven't received any negative feedback at all. Occasionally, someone will drop me ... but that's alright. You can win them all !!
6-20-10, Boom !!! All my hard work is paying off. Check out this 1 day jump in #'s. 1,903 fans (+0), 1300 band equity (+162), 3,492 visits (+6), 13,331 widget hits (+1,362), 2,582 song plays (+196) and 85 video plays. My global alternative rank is 265 (+54, my highest ever) and my global rank for all genres is 3,400 (+646, also my highest ever). Absolutely awesome !
6-21-10, Still climbing ! 1,960 fans (+57), 1415 band equity (+115), 3,504 visits (+12), 14,635 widget hits (+1,304) and 2,969 song plays (+387). My global alternative rank is 240 (+25) and my global rank for all genres is 3,021 (+379).
6-22-10, Oh Yeah ! 1,990 fans (+30), 1510 band equity (+95), 3,524 visits (+20), 15,868 widget hits (+1,233) and 3,145 song plays (+176). My global alternative rank is 218 (+22). My global rank for all genres is 2,765 (+256).
6-23-10, 1,991 fans (+1), 1618 band equity (+108), 3,528 visits (+24), 17,039 widget hits (+2,171) and 3,330 song plays (+185). My global alternative rank is 205 (+13). My global rank for all genres is 2,536 (+229).
6-24-10, I have 2,030 fans (+39), 1707 band equity (1707 (+89), 3,535 visits (+7), 18,075 widget hits (+1,036) and 3,612 song plays (+467). My global alternative rank is 184 (+21). My global rank for all genres is 2,319 (+225). I think it is safe to say that I have found the formula ! I am going to keep doing what I have been doing and see how far it takes me.
6-25-10, I have 2,054 fans (+24), 1802 band equity (+95), 3,541 visits (+6), 18,952 widget hits (+877) and 3,921 song plays (+309). My global alternative rank is 173 (+11). My global rank for all genres is 2,147 (+172).
6-26-10, I have 2,082 fans (+28), 1944 band equity (+142), 3,552 visits (+11), 20,247 widget hits (+1,295) and 4,307 song plays (+386). My global alternative rank is 160 (+13). My global rank for all genres is 1,930 (+217). In one week, from 6-19 to 6-26, this how much my numbers have climbed. Fans +129, band equity +806, visits +66, widget hits +8,278, song plays +1,919. My global alternative rank climbed 159, and global rank for all genres climbed 2,116. I found a system that is working and I am going to keep it up. If I work this right, my numbers will continue to peak right up until my Cd release. In the music industry this is what would be referred to as a buzz. Maybe I will get lucky and a major distributor will notice me.
6-27-10, I have 2,089 fans (+7), 2022 band equity (+78), 3,555 visits (+3), 21,159 widget hits (+912) and 4,596 song plays (+289). My global alternative rank is 154 (+6). My global rank for all genres is 1,808 (+122).
6-28-10, I have 2,121 fans (+32), 2143 band equity (+221), 3,572 visits (+17), 22,237 widget hits (+1,078) and 5,002 song plays (+404). My global alternative rank is 133 (+21). My global rank for all genres 1,660 (+148).
6-29-10, I have 2,121 fans (even), 2284 band equity (+141), 3,575 visits (+3), 23,549 widget hits (+1,312), and 5,354 song plays (+352). My global alternative rank is 121 (+12). My global rank for all genres is 1,515 (+145). Awesome !!!
6-30-10, I have 2,152 fans (+31), 2434 band equity (+150), 3,589 visits (+11), 24,986 widget hits (+1,437) and 6,050 song plays (+696). My global alternative rank is 102 (+19). My global rank for all genres is 1,366 (+149).
7-1-10, I am officially halfway through the year !!! I have 2,159 fans (+7), 2567 band equity (+133), 3,594 visits (+5), 26,352 widget hits (+1,366) and 6,198 song plays (+148). My global alternative rank is 93 (+9). My global rank for all genres is 1,258 (+108). Hey, hey ! I broke into the top 100 on the global alternative chart. When I was first getting started, I was #2 on the local charts for a very long time. The band I was behind was from Florida's east coast (I am on the west). ReverbNation must have reorganized the local borders, because one day I logged in and found out I was #1 on my local chart. From what I remember , that band had a band equity of around 2,220. Mine at the time was around 300-400. I remember thinking that they were so far ahead of me that I would never catch them. Well, that band is ranked #83 on the global alternative chart, and I am at #93. I am not the competing type, so the matter is insignificant, but it is still kind of cool.
7-2-10, I have 2,161 fans (+2), 2672 band equity (+1050), 3,602 visits (+8), 27,420 widget hits (+1,068) and 6,449 song plays (+251). My global alternative rank is 87 (+6). My global rank for all genres is 1,184 (+74).
7-4-10, Happy 4th of July !!! (2 day totals) Well I went up yesterday, and down today. I had to have a lull at some point. I have 2,214 fans (+53), 2681 band equity (+9), 3,620 visits (+18), 28,939 widget hits (+1,519) and 6,940 song plays (+491). My global alternative rank is 86 (+1). My global rank for all genres is 1,174 (+10).
7-7-10 (3:30 a.m.) Well, I had everything going in the right direction. Then ... ReverbNation shuts down for site maintenance for one night. Next thing I know, my numbers start falling ? I tried on multiple occasions today, to paste my tune widgets onto fans pages and this "error" message kept popping up. I have never had troubles like this before. I sent a message to ReverbNation explaining the problem. We'll see what their response is. It basically saws me off at the knees if I can't paste my widgets into MySpace. It's always something .....
7-9-10, I have sent out some emails to ReverbNation and MySpace to get some answers. What I have learned from RN is that MySpace has changed its format so that we can't post our tune widgets in our fans comments section. This is a totally arrogant thing for MySpace to do, and it figures that Rupert Murdoch (News Corp.) is the owner. If the fans don't want the widgets on their site, all they have to do is delete them, not accept them or change their settings to block them. People like me rely on this service to promote our small business. Why would MySpace make such a radical change without even notifying their customers ? This is just another small example of how these greedy billionaires operate. They use their power to buy out businesses, like MySpace, then they attack their customers ... just like Countrywide, the banks, etc. We'll see what MySpace's response is to my recent email. If I have to, I will climb the complaint ladder all the way up to Mr. Murdoch.
7-14-10, Yes my dear friends at MySpace really screwed me over. I have 2,327 fans (+113), 2425 band equity (-256), 3,690 visits (+70), 33,391 widget hits (4,452), 8,204 song plays (+1,264) and 88 video plays (+3). My global alternative rank is 101 (-15). My global rank for all genres is 1,360 (-186). It's the loss of unique listeners that has affected my numbers the most. Being able to post the widgets gave random people the opportunity to check out my music. The band equity is just a novelty # that the mathematical geniuses at ReverbNation concoct. Oh well, as long as I keep the other numbers going up, everything else will work out.
7-18-10, Yes !!! I'm back in the game. MySpace is no longer blocking 3rd party widgets. I must not have been the only one complaining. All in all, my equity rating didn't drop that much. It won't take me very long at all to get things turned around again.
7-20-10, Still waiting for the #'s from some of the widgets I posted, over the last couple days, to start registering. At the moment, I have 2,378 fans (+51), 2283 band equity (-142), 3,743 visits ((+53), 35,015 widget hits (+1,624), 8,698 song plays (+494) and 90 video plays (+2). My global alternative rank is 112 (-11). My global rank for all genres is 1,499 (-139).
8-31-10, I have 2,469 fans (+91), 1513 band equity (-770), 3,919 visits (+176), 39,215 widget hits (+4,200), 10,240 song plays (+1,542), and 91 video plays(+1). Everything continues to climb, except for my band equity rating. I am not going to complain because my widget hits and song plays are doing very well !!! All I need is one little break and the fans will come.
UPDATE (2-16-14): ReverbNation has become one of my most important and successful music websites. I am currently in the top 10 on the USA Folk Charts and in the top 500 out of 2.5 million bands from all genres and all around the whole entire planet. If you would like to help me continue to climb the charts, then all you have to do is play some songs in the tune widget below. Make sure to spread the word to others. Thanks :)
Saturday, January 9, 2010
"Nothin"
The first song that I'm working on is called "Nothin". It's turning out to be an old school Rock-n-Roll hip shaker. It worked out best for the song to keep the drums real simple, so ... I didn't even use any toms or crash symbols ! I have the bass, and rhythm guitar parts already worked out. The lyrics for the song are excellent ... very unique ! I'm going to be using a capo on the guitars (2nd fret), which is a new approach for me. As a whole, the song is going to be real simple and will contain only vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, lead guitar and drums. As I brought up in my first post, I am not currently living in a place where recording vocals is a possibility. What I have decided to do is to have everything, but the vocals, finished and recorded. My recorder will easily hold about 7-9 songs. Once I get to that point, I'll rent out a place where I can get a bit noisy and lay down all the vocals at once. It will work out, I'm not worried about it. Some things are just meant to be. I will be laying down scratch vocals as I go to ensure that the tunes don't lose their flow. It's kind of cool how "Nothin" carries on from where the last song on my Freak Cd ("City Streets") left off. For this reason I am almost 100% positive that it will be track #1.
On 1-17-10 I completed my work on "Nothin". All that is left is the lead vocals, a little editing and the final mix. In an odd twist of protocol, I opted to use the acoustic for the solo parts. Raunchy Rock-n-Roll electric rhythm guitar, clean acoustic guitar leads and a simple drum kit approach ... sounds like another Foxman song ! To top it all off, the vocals are a bit Beatlesque. It's an excellent song ... you'll see !!!
2-9-10, Things went so well with "Best Days Of Your Life", that I have decided to do some touching up on "Nothin". It is entirely possible that I will redo the guitar and bass tracks. This is an excellent song and I want to make sure the recording does it justice. I guess there is no denying that I am a perfectionist.
2-11-10, I recorded a new lead guitar track. The track turned out real well and added a lot of color, and melody, to the song. I even included the solo, which was originally reserved for the acoustic. Over the weekend I hope to have the bass and acoustic tracks redone. If all goes well this song will be finished .... again !!
2-12-10, Actually it's 5:00 in the morning on 2-13-10. I began working on the bass track around 6:00 last night. It went so well that I decided to lay down the rhythm guitar track and some extra leads. All in all, I spent over 10 hours with headphones on !!! My ears are exhausted. I'm very happy with the bass track ... it's got the rumble going on ! There's one boner note towards the end that I'll have to fix, but everything else is awesome. I found a cool effect for the electric guitar, so I opted against using the acoustic. I'm very happy with how this tune is turning out. Some track clean up and a few edits should be all that is left.
2-13-10, Success !!! Everything, except the vocals, is recorded. The extra lead work, and the rumbling bass, made all the difference. I made sure when I finished that I backed up the song data for "Nothin", "Hard Times", "Horrible End" and "Best Days Of Your Life". Now it's time to redo "Won't Be Home Again" !
3-7-10, I spent the last 5 days watching my brothers house while he and his wife were at Bike Week. Their 5 miniature doberman's are enough to exhaust anyone. Once they start barking it just don't stop. My head is still ringing ! The good news is that their house has excellent reverb ! While the dogs were sleeping I found time to do vocals for "Nothin". Everything went excellent and the vocals rock ! The only negative is that I may have to redo the acoustic guitar. I heard some warbles, and hisses, that are just way to obvious to ignore.
*Before I go any further I need to give my mom (Foxmom) some credit. I was having trouble coming up with lyrics for the 3rd verse. She is the one who came up with the "Don't treat me like a fool" line.
5-8-10, I listened back to the song through the monitors today. I am very happy with the lead vocals, everything worked out well. This tune has a real fun swing vibe. The lead guitar track that I added made everything happen. My visit to Tim's house was a godsend. I ended up completing 2 lead vocal tracks (this one and "Sweet Adelaide"). I am almost positive that this song will be track #1 on the "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd.
UPDATE (2-16-14): All songs from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd release can be heard in their entirety through the tune widget below. Please make sure to also visit my home website at: www.foxmanmusic.com
On 1-17-10 I completed my work on "Nothin". All that is left is the lead vocals, a little editing and the final mix. In an odd twist of protocol, I opted to use the acoustic for the solo parts. Raunchy Rock-n-Roll electric rhythm guitar, clean acoustic guitar leads and a simple drum kit approach ... sounds like another Foxman song ! To top it all off, the vocals are a bit Beatlesque. It's an excellent song ... you'll see !!!
2-9-10, Things went so well with "Best Days Of Your Life", that I have decided to do some touching up on "Nothin". It is entirely possible that I will redo the guitar and bass tracks. This is an excellent song and I want to make sure the recording does it justice. I guess there is no denying that I am a perfectionist.
2-11-10, I recorded a new lead guitar track. The track turned out real well and added a lot of color, and melody, to the song. I even included the solo, which was originally reserved for the acoustic. Over the weekend I hope to have the bass and acoustic tracks redone. If all goes well this song will be finished .... again !!
2-12-10, Actually it's 5:00 in the morning on 2-13-10. I began working on the bass track around 6:00 last night. It went so well that I decided to lay down the rhythm guitar track and some extra leads. All in all, I spent over 10 hours with headphones on !!! My ears are exhausted. I'm very happy with the bass track ... it's got the rumble going on ! There's one boner note towards the end that I'll have to fix, but everything else is awesome. I found a cool effect for the electric guitar, so I opted against using the acoustic. I'm very happy with how this tune is turning out. Some track clean up and a few edits should be all that is left.
2-13-10, Success !!! Everything, except the vocals, is recorded. The extra lead work, and the rumbling bass, made all the difference. I made sure when I finished that I backed up the song data for "Nothin", "Hard Times", "Horrible End" and "Best Days Of Your Life". Now it's time to redo "Won't Be Home Again" !
3-7-10, I spent the last 5 days watching my brothers house while he and his wife were at Bike Week. Their 5 miniature doberman's are enough to exhaust anyone. Once they start barking it just don't stop. My head is still ringing ! The good news is that their house has excellent reverb ! While the dogs were sleeping I found time to do vocals for "Nothin". Everything went excellent and the vocals rock ! The only negative is that I may have to redo the acoustic guitar. I heard some warbles, and hisses, that are just way to obvious to ignore.
*Before I go any further I need to give my mom (Foxmom) some credit. I was having trouble coming up with lyrics for the 3rd verse. She is the one who came up with the "Don't treat me like a fool" line.
5-8-10, I listened back to the song through the monitors today. I am very happy with the lead vocals, everything worked out well. This tune has a real fun swing vibe. The lead guitar track that I added made everything happen. My visit to Tim's house was a godsend. I ended up completing 2 lead vocal tracks (this one and "Sweet Adelaide"). I am almost positive that this song will be track #1 on the "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd.
UPDATE (2-16-14): All songs from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd release can be heard in their entirety through the tune widget below. Please make sure to also visit my home website at: www.foxmanmusic.com
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Official Foxman Video's
On 1-2-10, after 6 weeks, and 1,100 views, my "Shake For Me Now" video is most popular in Ireland (13%) and Luxembourg (12%). Others are United States (8%), United Kingdom (7%), Italy (6%), Bulgaria and New Zealand (4%), Germany, Latvia and Sweden (3%). The Luck O' Thee Irish is on me side !!!
On 1-18-10 I uploaded a new version of the "Shake For Me Now" video. The new one features a better title page and added effects between the art clips. I also did a much better job at making the photo changes fit the music. The final numbers for the original video were: 1,902 channel views, 1,181 video views, 35 video comments, 3 1/2 star rating, 144 friends and 44 subscribers ... after only 2 months. In a couple more months, I'll pull some more data, and we'll see if the new improved video increased my stats.
On 2-18-10 I uploaded a new video for my "Have Another Cigarette" song. The song features various pictures of cigarette butts, smoke, poison symbols, Skull & Bones symbol, etc. The song, so far, has been my most popular. I'm hopeful that this new video will help me generated some more fan support.
UPDATE (2-16-14): No sense in in stressing over these goofy #'s and stats !!You can check out some of my videos through the widget below. Please make sure to also check out my home website at: www.foxmanmusic.com Thank You :)
On 1-18-10 I uploaded a new version of the "Shake For Me Now" video. The new one features a better title page and added effects between the art clips. I also did a much better job at making the photo changes fit the music. The final numbers for the original video were: 1,902 channel views, 1,181 video views, 35 video comments, 3 1/2 star rating, 144 friends and 44 subscribers ... after only 2 months. In a couple more months, I'll pull some more data, and we'll see if the new improved video increased my stats.
On 2-18-10 I uploaded a new video for my "Have Another Cigarette" song. The song features various pictures of cigarette butts, smoke, poison symbols, Skull & Bones symbol, etc. The song, so far, has been my most popular. I'm hopeful that this new video will help me generated some more fan support.
UPDATE (2-16-14): No sense in in stressing over these goofy #'s and stats !!You can check out some of my videos through the widget below. Please make sure to also check out my home website at: www.foxmanmusic.com Thank You :)
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year !!!
OK I made it to another new year. So far things have been real frustrating with the music. Being an independent artist/songwriter in a devastated economy is a near impossible endeavor, as far as making money goes. Over the last 3 months I have got my Cd's registered through ReverbNation and available as mp3 downloads, opened a You Tube channel, opened a Twitter account, started this blogger site and got My Space running. I also made my first song video "Shake For Me Now" using all my artwork, it currently has 1,100 You Tube views. So far it's all going pretty well. I can't say I'm selling anything, but I am reaching people and becoming a recognized name. My resolution this year is to record my 3rd Cd, tentatively titled "Crazy Like A Fox". Thanks to President Bush and the other scumbags, I lost my house (foreclosure) and nearly everything in it, my job (USPS) and my retirement (had to cash in my Thrift Savings plan). Around early 2004 I was fired from my job (USPS) twice ... while covered by FMLA leave !!! That's how the Postal Service treats whistle blowers. I eventually ended up winning a medical retirement for depression of all things ... how humiliating is that ? At the time we weren't allowed to say the word stress or else the Postal authorities would send us to get a fitness for duty exam ... with their doctors ! For the following 6 years after my retirement I have had to endure many suspicious occurrences, including having the IRS come after me. I would say that I feel I have been stalked, and black listed, but that would only make me sound paranoid. The bad news in all this is that both of my first 2 Cd's were recorded entirely in my home studio, which I no longer own. The good news is that I still have all my recording equipment, my guitars and my pride. At 41 years old the odds are really stacked against me, but I don't care ! Having the opportunity to write and record music is an honor regardless of the surrounding conditions. Well this is were I stand, on New Years Day 2010. Every month or so I will be adding posts to this blog to keep you up to date with my efforts, and progress. Once I finish the Cd and become a legend it will be fun to look back and read through this blog. For those of you who have supported me ... thank you !!! For those of you who haven't ... good riddance !!! 2010 is going to be the year that the Foxman makes the history books and Rock-n-Roll will never be the same. It all starts right here ... just me, my family, my friends and my fans.
7-11-10, Since I don't have the luxury of a distributor, I will be selling my Cd's through my art studio and mailing them out on my own. The irony here is that the better I do the more profit the postal service will generate (I think it will cost about $1.25 per mailing). The problems that I experienced at the USPS were mostly with management and their disregard for their workers. I hold no animosity towards all my union brothers and sisters that are employed there, and I am happy that I will be doing my part to keep them gainfully employed.
UPDATE (2-16-14): Foxman Cd's are available for purchase in my art studio at www.foxman.etsy.com or via my home website at www.foxmanmusic.com All songs from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd can be heard in their entirety through the tune player below.
7-11-10, Since I don't have the luxury of a distributor, I will be selling my Cd's through my art studio and mailing them out on my own. The irony here is that the better I do the more profit the postal service will generate (I think it will cost about $1.25 per mailing). The problems that I experienced at the USPS were mostly with management and their disregard for their workers. I hold no animosity towards all my union brothers and sisters that are employed there, and I am happy that I will be doing my part to keep them gainfully employed.
UPDATE (2-16-14): Foxman Cd's are available for purchase in my art studio at www.foxman.etsy.com or via my home website at www.foxmanmusic.com All songs from my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd can be heard in their entirety through the tune player below.
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