Tag: Jesse Stern

  • Drum Fill Love

    Drum Fill Love

    drum fill loveIt’s not often where you’re in a studio talking about a drum fill. At least not often where you’re proclaiming you love it. This is precisely what happened during a moment in the recording process of Till We Meet Again, a song written by myself and the awesome Jesse Stern. We’re in the studio doing vocals with George Leger III when George blurts out something entirely unusual for an engineer / co-producer.

    Talk about getting caught off guard, especially when drumming is like ESL. I remember wanting to be a drummer when I first wanted to learn an instrument. However that got nixed by my mom due to saying it would be too noisy. Instead I got a guitar and an amp. How much noise did that make? A whole lot more.

    Imagine my surprise when a drum fill part I created elicits a response like what I get in the video. Of course the most polite response is what I gave, but seriously, in my head I was like – hey! I did that. Maybe I should have been a drummer first. What a different world I’d be in if that had been the case. I might not be the songwriter I turned out to be. Who knows, I could have become an on call studio or touring drummer. Ah, who am I kidding – I love the musician I am, but there are times. Times when I do wish I were a better drummer.

    Drum Fill Love

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    Transcript:

    I said I love that drum fill!

    Thank you.

    Fuckin’ love it.

    It’s a cool drum fill.

    It’s totally cool.

    I done did that.

    Totally fuckin’ cool.

    yeah.

    I have to make that a Phil Collins thing somehow.

    Get it to sound like it’s in a fuckin’ glass room or something bizarre.

    Oh lord.

    Aw, c’mon man.

    Have you subscribed to my YouTube Channel yet?

  • Singing A Breakdown

    Singing A Breakdown

    singing-a-breakdown-jody-whitesidesOne of the things an artist will discuss during the recording is how they will go about singing a breakdown. Which is exactly where I’m about to take you in the following video. George Leger III (co-producer), Jesse Stern (co-writer) and I take a moment to figure out the correct way for me to be singing the breakdown in Till We Meet Again. Jesse takes charge to give a mental picture of an example that should give the right vibe.

    What would you do?

    Watch and enjoy!

    Singing A Breakdown

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    Transcript:

    Carry on.

    This is the breakdown where you go out onto the key, that like goes out into the middle of the crowd. And you like, hold the mic stand.

    And the band.

    You hold the mic stand in your left hand and you get down on your knees.

    Exactly.

    And you’re just like…

    Well then I should the carry on… Right?

    Don’t. Do, do, what you would do in that situation.

    I’m thinking, carry. Well I, I think it. A softer version of what the original was.

    Don’t tell us. Just do it.

    Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

    Fuck it.

  • White Men Discussing Rap

    White Men Discussing Rap

    SPM-south-park-mexicanWhat could be more out of wack than three white men discussing rap music? That’s right. Jesse Stern starts us off with an off the cuff remark about rap music and George Leger III takes over discussing the state of modern rap in Southern California. Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of rap I like for it’s originality, it’s beat, it’s wild-blue-yonder approach. Yet listening to George talk about the artists he’s hearing about from the youth group he works with, is definitely an eye opening and mind expanding situation for myself and Mr. Jesse Stern.

    Find out my expression and how I react to a group that I’ve never heard of. Actually all the groups that George mentions are groups I hadn’t heard of until he mentioned them. Jesse takes it all in stride. What ended up happening afterwards is that I’m now more aware of some of the new modern rap coming out of Southern California. Not necessarily a bad thing.

    What say you? Who is rapping stuff so awesome that you can’t believe they’re not uber famous yet? Give me some names so I can flesh out my measly commercial rap collection.

    White Men Discussing Rap

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    There’s a lot of really cool rap out.

    Productionwise it’s so minimalistic.

    Uh Hmmm.

    That I… it’s like driving on ice.

    Do you do a lot of rap?

    I do where I work ’cause the kids, that’s what they want to do.

    That’s what the kids are doing these days…

    They’re not producing music. They don’t even know what music is. Well, that’s not true. I can’t really say that, ’cause… You know. They. It’s been really intriguing with them to try and turn them on to other kinds of music.

    Uh Hmmm.

    And other stuff because they’re so into this ridged little clique of music. ASAP Rocky, fuckin’ ah, SPM, South Park Mexicans. Yeah.

    Is that a band or a style.

    That’s a band.

    Ok.

    I was about to say if that’s a style, it’s way off my radar.

    There’s a band down in Orange called FUNK.

    They’re just called FUNK?

    They’re just called FUNK. And like all the gangsta kids love ’em. They’re all like, I want FUNK man. I hear it. Like who the fuck is FUNK? FUNK is the they’re a band man.

    Funk is that guy right there. He got the funk.

    Well, they’re, you know. Eh, South Park Mexicans, SPM, there’s like four or five guys, that’s all they talk about when they talk. ASAP Rocky is one of them.

    Give me some more rap to check out in the comments.

    Enjoy your day!

    – Jody