"Doppelganger Blues"

Doppelganger - (German word for double doer) - A ghostly double, or look-alike, of a living person. They are regarded as harbingers of bad luck. Seeing one's own doppelganger is considered to be an omen of death. The term may also apply to an evil twin, body double or alter ego. They are similar to a vardoger (Norse Mythology), which is a ghostly double who precedes a living person and is seen performing their actions in advance. The word also describes the sensation of seeing oneself in peripheral vision, where there is no chance of it being a reflection.

4-4-10, I came up with the idea for this song about 2 years ago. It's pretty much going to be an alternative folk song. I will probably need to capture a bit of the Gypsy vibe to make it work. I already have a pretty good idea how the guitar is going to go for the verses and chorus. The drums are going to be a bit tricky, and will probably take about a week to work out. I'm still elated about my success with "Same Old Troubles" ... and a bit burned out too ! I will probably take it easy for a couple days so my senses can recover.

4-5-10, I had a cool laid back day today. I went to the park and jogged (mostly walked), then hung out at the beach. It was a beautiful Florida day ! While at the beach, I also fine tuned the lyrics for this song. I am very happy with how they turned out. I am also proud to announce that this song will have a lyrical bridge section. As an added bonus, I started fine tuning lyrics for the next song "Where's The Sun". This month is definitely my folklore month: "Same Old Troubles" (voodoo), "Doppelganger Blues" (evil twin/double) and "Where's The Sun" (vampire) ... fun stuff ! When these 3 are finished, I have my Catholic song "Simple Minded" (which would be song #11). And that's it ! I'm just starting the 4th month of the year and I am already able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I still have 2 more songs to write. My goal for this Cd was to have at least 13 tunes on it. Both of my previous releases only had 9 each. What has made all the difference, with this Cd, is that I already had most of the ideas (lyrics, chords and riffs) worked out before I began recording. The other blessing in disguise, is that I don't have to wake up early to go work at some stressful job everyday. I am very fortunate that the economy, and my home/job woes, led to my moving back home. My parents rock ! I am very proud that they are also my best friends ! See ... this is how one takes an extreme negative and turns it into an extreme positive. I'm sure that many of my former employers would prefer to see me broken down and miserable. Well, that's just not going to happen ... I'm the Foxman !!

4-6-10, I'm thinking about joining my bothers softball team (Tuesday night league). The cardio, and fresh air, will do me good. I joined Anytime Fitness about a week ago, so I also have a 24 hour gym to workout at. The cool part about Anytime, other than their night owl hours, is that they have a Hydro Massage machine. Nothing beats a 20 minute massage after a good workout (that's how the athletes do it). I'm not a fitness freak, but I do like to do what I can to stay in respectable shape. It's all relevant !

4-7-10, I'm easing my way into this tune. It is going to be a bit tricky to work out. I did manage to spend some time today getting the song keys together. This song is going to bounce around between 5 different keys (B Blues, C# Minor, F# Minor, F# Blues and G# Minor).

4-8-10, I'm starting to put the drums together. Just the solo section, bridge and outro are left to ail me. For this song, I'm doing the tracks in real time. Usually I quantize the drum machine so the notes never fall off beat. In real time it is a bit more wide open. With this approach, not every beat will be dead on perfect. I think this will add a bit to the gypsy caravan vibe I'm shooting for. We'll see ...

4-10-10, Here we go ... the drums are recorded ! I think this may end up being the shortest song I've ever written (approx. 2:50). I had a fun night hanging out in Dunedin. Brick oven pizza, wine, cheesecake, a cigar and a chocolate martini ... what more could you want ? Dunedin is a real classy artist friendly community. I'm definitely going to go back.

4-12-10 (5:30 a.m.), Yes I pulled an all-nighter and got the bass recorded ! I ended up using a slap approach. This is the first tune on the Cd where I didn't use a pick on the bass. It turned out very well. Off to bed I go ... before the sun comes up !

4-13-10 (4:30 a.m.), I'm at it again ! The guitar is now finished. It turned out to be a very fun track. The song is really taking form. Now the real fun begins ... keyboards ! I don't have a clue what I'm going to do yet (just like with "Same Old Troubles"), but I'm sure I'll make it happen. I'm shooting for the gypsy vibe, so I am positive there will be a panflute track. Beyond that .... who knows ? (7:00 p.m.) I am working on the panflute track. It definitely adds the gypsy element I was looking for.

4-14-10 (5:00 a.m.) ... Success !!! I did it ... unleash the doppelgangers ! I finished it in less than a week. I recorded 2 tracks tonight, panflute and cimbalom (large piano-like hammered dulcimer). Everything turned out excellent ! I did a great job of capturing the folksy gypsy vibe I was aiming for. Tomorrow I will do some mixing, track clean up and backup the song data.

5-15-10 (5:00 a.m.), I had another excellent night at the studio. Originally my plan was just to redo the vocals for "Best Days Of Your Life". Things went so well with that song that I just couldn't stop. I ended up laying down the vocals for this tune also. All in all, this song wasn't difficult at all. I am very happy with the results. I think I did a good job of capturing the gypsy/folk vibe I was aiming for. It is definitely a novelty song. I doubt this tune will be a hit like some of the others, but I do think it will gain me a lot of credibility as an open minded songwriter ... and that's cool. How many other artists can say they have written a song about doppelgangers ? I will listen back through everything tomorrow (today) before I give my final stamp of approval.

5-16-10, I listened back today and I am happy with the vocal track. It's good to go ! Of all the vocal tracks I have recorded, this one was the smoothest. It didn't take very many takes at all to get it right. Of course, I am not gloating because it was also one of the simplest. Still, I am happy it turned out the way it did. It is a very, very unique song. This is probably a very good example of how I like to work. I take pride in being a bit unpredictable and I like to keep my listeners guessing. Well, this song will accomplish just that ! Unleash the doppelgangers !!

6-25-10, I like everything about the vocals for this song ... except, for one single line in the bridge section. It drives me nuts every time I hear it. I have decided that I am going to redo the line. I had the original vocal settings written down, so it won't be any trouble recapturing the moment. I have listened to all my songs and this is the last vocal correction that I need to make. I may also need to add some more sound effects to the bridge section. There is an open track, so this won't be a problem at all. I guess it's that perfectionist in me taking over again. It's a fun folkish novelty song and I want to get it right.

6-27-10 (5:00 a.m.), The vocals in this song are alright ! It's the keyboard effect in the background that make it feel awkward. During mastering I will probably edit them out, and everything will be fine.

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

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