Tuesday, May 18, 2010

"Wilderness Of Mirrors"

This is my CIA/spy song. All these seasons of "24", we have been watching, have inspired me to work it out for this Cd. I still have to finish vocals for 2 more songs, "Won't Be Home Again" and "Where's The Sun" (and possibly a couple of redo's). Once they are completed I am going to start working on the drum track for this song. "Simple Minded" is definitely still on my hit list too. This would give me a total of 14 songs for my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd. Counting the 18 tunes from my previous 2 releases, I would have a grand total of 32 songs !!! Not a bad showing for an underground independent songwriter. My BR 1600 is holding up very well. I would highly recommend this recorder to the other independent songwriters out there. It is an amazing product ! Hats off to the people at Boss.

5-20-10, While watching episodes of "24" season 6, I have been working out the guitar progression for this song. It is turning out real well. I think by next week I will be ready to start putting the drum track together.

5-22-10, I think I finished up the vocals for "Where's The Sun" last night. This means that I will start putting together the drum track for this song sometime early next week. I decided to hold off on the vocals for the 2 songs that I am thinking about redoing, until I get around to recording the vocals for this song and "Simple Minded". I am almost positive that 10 of the 12 songs are good to go. And it is also possible the other 2 are also alright. I think it will be a wise move to step away from all the vocals for about 2-3 weeks, and then re approach them again with fresh ears. Time is on my side, and I am way ahead of schedule.

5-23-10, Now that everything is completed with "Where's The Sun", it's time to start work on this song. I am watching the end of "24" season 7 today. Tomorrow I have to attend a funeral, and mass, for my grandfather. It's not entirely a sad occasion, because he was fortunate enough to live a long healthy life (92 years). Still, funerals are a bit depressing. I am glad that my brothers and I will have the chance to be there for my dad, because he has always been there for us. I will probably begin working on the drum track for this song on Tuesday. The season finale of "24" season 8 is on Monday night, and I definitely don't want to miss it. Get Jacked !!!

5-24-10, The mass and funeral went well. My dad did an excellent job with the eulogy. His father was then laid to rest at the veterans memorial cemetery in honor of his naval service during World War II. We all have one lifetime to work with and it is up to each one of us to respect this gift and make the most out of it. (10:25 p.m.) We just watched the season finale of "24". Just last night mom and I finished up watching season 7. It was an absolutely awesome series. In the end Jack realized that he had one good friend in Chloe, who was always there for him throughout everything. This may be what gave him the strength to want to keep living. I do believe in peace, and I believe that one day the world will embrace it too. Unfortunately, there are many lunatics in this world, of all races and religions, who will do everything in their power to destroy it. We need people like Jack Bauer to protect us. The revelation of armed drones, at the end of the finale, was a bit scary. Right now, I am watching "Dancing With The Stars". Once that is over I am going to hit the gym and put in a good workout. Tomorrow it's back to work ! I pretty much have a bass arrangement worked out for the entire song. It will just be a matter of taking a few days to get the drums together. Then ... I am back in recording mode.

5-25-10, I'm starting to get the drum track together (about 2/3 finished). In about 2 more days, or so, I should have it recorded. By the weekend I will be working on laying down the bass track. It's kind of developing into a bit of a punk rock CIA/spy song ... I wonder if that's ever been done before ?

5-27-10 (3:15 a.m.) And we're off !!! The drum track is completed and recorded. I have also found the right effect for the bass track, which should be recorded within a day or two. Everything, so far, sounds really good. I have no idea, whatsoever, what I am going to play on guitar ? For the most part, the majority of the song is in A Minor and E Minor. The bass uses chromatic runs in the chorus, which may alter the key a bit. I'll have to work that out before I start working on the guitar parts. (7:30 p.m.) Still grinding out the bass track. My ears are a bit tired, at the moment, so I will resume my efforts later.

5-28-10 (2:00 a.m.) Success ! I finally got the bass track recorded. I used a Stadium Bass effect and kept the tone on the low end. I still don't have a clue what to do with the guitar and keyboard tracks. I really need to come up with a signature riff that will give the song a unique CIA/spy effect. If only I could get the Austin Powers theme song out of my head ... it's driving me crazy ! I am trying to write a serious song, not a comedic one. When I get around to the vocals, I might just use an effect for the verses that sounds like I'm talking through a cell phone (or headset). First things first, guitar and keyboard tracks. (8:00 p.m.) I spent part of the afternoon hanging out at the beach. When I got home I started working out the guitar track. Things went very well and I almost have it worked out. The Pedal Vibrato effect seems to be the soup of the day. I'll have to fine tune things a bit, then I will lay it down. If all goes well it should be recorded within 2 days.

5-29-10 (2:00 a.m.) I just got back from a good workout and hydro massage. (3:30 p.m.) Dang, it seems I have pinched a nerve in my neck, which is very uncomfortable. I rubbed some Icy Hot on it and took an Ibuprofen. I'll have to wait until later to tackle the guitar track. (6:30 p.m.) It seems to be a bit overcast outside. As a result, I've decided to put off the guitar track until tomorrow. I don't want to have the power knocked out while I am recording. I have decided to spend some time sending out friend invites through My Space. Maybe I can get my band equity rating up to a new high.

5-30-10 (2:45 a.m.) Well, the storm never did develop, so, I ended up going to my studio/storage facility to record some guitar. Every time I go there something positive happens. I wanted to lay down the lead guitar track, but it wasn't happening, so I nailed the rhythm track. I ended up using a Fat Strat effect, and it rocks ! This tune is turning out to be very heavy. In fact, it may even be the heaviest tune on the Cd. The lead guitar track is pretty much worked out (except for the solo), I just need to catch the right moment to lay it down. Once I get the lead guitar recorded, I will move on to the keyboards. All I really need from the keys is some catchy accent work, or sound effects. I am very happy right now ! This song seems to be falling into place rather quickly. (10:00 p.m.) I decided to take the rest of the day off from recording. I spent a lot of time on my computer sending out fan invites for my My Space site. I am determined to get my band equity rating to a new all time high.

5-31-10 (3:30 a.m.), Happy Memorial Day ! I just got home from another good workout and massage. While at the gym I came up with a clever idea. I am considering including 6 songs from my previous 2 Cd releases on this Cd. It would give me a grand total of 20 songs and it would definitely help elevate my "Crazy Like A Fox" Cd to groundbreaking status. There is more on this idea in my "Miscellaneous" post.

6-1-10, OK !! It is now June. I have one month left to finish this song and "Simple Minded" (plus the vocals). I also may have to redo 2 other vocal tracks. That means there is ... 1 entire song to record, I guitar and key track for this song and 4 vocal tracks ... and that's it ! With one month to work with, I am doing very well. This song will definitely be done within a week. "Simple Minded" shouldn't be very complicated. It may take me 1-2 weeks at most. That leaves 2 weeks to complete the 4 vocal tracks. Perfect !!!! As a result I have taken the rest of the day off. In the afternoon, mom and I went out to eat in Safety Harbor (another cool artist community). This was a very unique area. In the matter of one block there was a wiccan store, a freemason hall and a Buddhist building (we enjoyed the wiccan store). There was also a wide variety of restaurants and shops. The highlight of the city was a rather large spa, located at the end of the main street. People who lived in the area seemed to very happy. They have a "live and let live" mentality, which means that everyone doesn't have to be alike to get along. I have friends from Illinois visiting this Friday (3 days away), which should be a lot of fun ! This leaves me 2 days to get the lead guitar track recorded.

6-2-10 (12:00 a.m.), I am just having one heck of a hard time laying down the lead guitar for this tune. I went to the studio for about 3 1/2 hours and got nowhere. This is the first time I went there and walked away with nothing to show. Oh well, can't win them all. I'll try it again tomorrow here at home ... in the air conditioning ! It is not an overly complicated track, it's just that there are no breaks from start to finish, so I have to nail the entire 4 minute track in one take. As far as this Cd release goes, this is probably the last complicated track that I will have to endure. I am going to look at this like a test of patience.

6-3-10 (11:00 p.m.), I did it !! The lead guitar track is completed. It has a bit of a frenzy feel to it, which should go along well with the lyrics. I normalized the track and cleaned it up. I also cleaned up the bass and rhythm track. Now I need to work out a keyboard track. The 3 stringed instruments are all on the lower end, tone wise, so ... the keyboard track is going to have to add a little color and personality to the mix. My friends from Illinois aren't going to be here until Saturday, so I have all day tomorrow to work on this song.

6-5-10 (1:00 a.m.), I have a good idea of some parts for the keyboard track. It's nothing overly complicated, just some padding and sound effects, but I think it is going to make the song happen. To get myself back in the mood, I am watching season 1 of "24". My friends are coming in tomorrow (today), so I might need to hold off on the track for a bit. (9:30 p.m.) I did it !!! I finished both keyboard tracks today. The tracks include a little bit of everything (helicopter, car squealing, cell phone, laugh, footsteps, etc.) This song started out as just a lyrical idea, and ended up growing into another big production. I am a very happy dude right now. I cleaned up the tracks, saved/protected the song and backed up the data. I haven't heard anything from my Illinois friends yet. Hopefully everything is alright. Unfortunately, I don't have a cell phone number for them. They are probably burned out from the drive and taking it easy tonight. I am sure I will hear from them tomorrow. Anyway, it worked out excellent for me because I got this song finished !!

6-14-10, I am going to hit the studio tomorrow to record the acoustic and lead vocals (hopefully) for "Simple Minded". After that, all that will be left with that song will be the lead guitar track. I only have about 2 1/2 weeks left to work with, so I do need to get to this song soon. 2 lead vocal tracks, 1 lead guitar track and 2 lead vocal redo's are all that is left for this Cd. I can do it !!! (11:00 p.m.) We just started watching season 2 of "24". This is the last one, in the series, that we haven't seen yet.

6-16-10, Watching the last 4 episodes of season 2 of "24". Later tonight, weather permitting, I am going to finish up the acoustic and lead vocal track for "Simple Minded". Once those are done, my next visit to the storage unit will be to finish up the lead vocals for this song.

6-17-10 (2:30 a.m.) I had an excellent session at the storage unit. I think that the acoustic track, and lead vocals, are completed for "Simple Minded". That means that this song is now in my sights ! If all goes well, I will probably work on it Friday night (2 days away). Yes !! Season 2 of "24" was excellent. I'm sure the inspiration will carry over into my recording. I am hoping to capture a bit of the wide open spy game frenzy with this song.

6-19-10, I spent some time adding EQ and effects (reverb/doubling) to the song. It's sounds awesome !!! Only one track is unused and that's for the lead vocals. I should make it to the studio either later tonight, or tomorrow.

6-20-10 (4:00 a.m.) Success !!! After 6 grueling hours at the storage unit, I did it ! I am absolutely positive that this is going to be a hit song ! I couldn't find a vocal effect that simulated a cell phone, so I ended up using the Slapback Delay effect ... it worked perfectly ! This tune turned out to be very heavy and theatrical. Once again, I did an excellent job of selling the drama. All those episodes of "24" did wonders as inspiration. I think Jack Bauer would even give me a thumbs up. I have been working on this song, on and off, for about a month now. I am very happy it is finally finished.

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