2016 NAMM
2016 is off to a crazy start.
It began with a quick set in Sebastopol CA just after the holidays. Immediately after that it was a quick stop home, then off to Los Angeles for the NAMM show. My favorite mass event to attend. Its like a Guitar Center on Steroids. For the 2016 NAMM I was only able to attend for a single day – the first day. In hindsight, it was a good thing. I made sure to zip thru the show and make face time with all my endorsements.
I did spot a couple of new things that caught my eye. One is the StageClix wireless system. The first one to operate on the 5.8GHz band. Plus it rechargeable with 100 meter range. Oh and it’s all digital.
The plugin that caught my eye was the E2 DeEsser. It appears to be a hyper intelligent DeEsser that can tell the EQ curve when to turn on and when to be off so that it is not effecting the rest of the track when it’s not needed.
I’m also going to be picking up the Trim Two by Radial. I’ll be sticking it inline after my Apollo Twin for my live performances going forward in 2016. In case you missed it, I’ve gone digital with my guitar sounds (acoustic and electric). But as I’ve already learned, my computer is often way too loud for PA output. Go figure! Thus the need for a highly transparent but durable direct box!
One other item I picked up was the Oasis Humidifier. Previously I’ve been using two humidifiers in my guitar case but they couldn’t keep up with the needs of the guitar. In steps the Oasis Humidifier and for 2016 my guitar will be keeping properly hydrated. Thanks guys!
I will also be adding the Telefunken M-80 to my vocal lineup in 2016. I need a kickin mic to do some of my looping parts and this mic will fit the bill nicely.
2016 Sundance
Right after NAMM closed on Thursday I was back on the road and headed to Park City for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
It started with a very cool dinner put on by White Bear PR and SESAC. I got to hang with some amazing composers like John Swihart and Carla Patullo. We enjoyed some amazing food at Cafe Terigo and discussed all kinds of things from music to life.
Over the course of Sundance I did multiple performances at venues like The Spur and Flanagans. Audience reaction was favorable. To the point that I’ve been asked to score a film that is in the final stages of funding. I’ve also been asked to do some co-writing with some peers that I’d really like to write with. That’s an awesome thing!
One last perk is that a manager has decided to start courting me about managing me.
What’s Next
I’m in the midst of working out the next video for the new single Thump Thump Thump coming soon. Thanks to Sundance I’m seeing about the particulars of making it a VR video as well.
If you haven’t seen Nightwatch on A&E yet, what are you waiting for?
Gandolf the White has struck! Apparently the Weather Channel decided to start naming winter snow storms. The humor is, this one hasn’t been all that insane and yet it has a name, Gandolf. I didn’t even get to see the start of the snowing as I was holed up in the den working so I could write this: the fourteenth song finalized is “Things We Left Unsaid”. That’s right, another song into the fire from the frying pan.
This song is one of those songs that underwent a rather strong amount of changes, comparatively speaking. It got a major facelift on the lyrics so that the words were more focused. Especially the Verses. The tone of it changed from a protagonist and antagonist switch in the Verses to simply a one point of view – that really helped the focus. The Pre Chorus then got a rewrite to make that transition work going into the slightly tweaked Chorus. Mostly because the Chorus had to reflect the change coming from the verse. The other change in the Chorus came from a slight rewrite of the title. Coming from “Things Left Unsaid” going to “Things We Left Unsaid”.
Musically speaking, I decided to down-step the song a full two semitones. What brought this part of the rewrite? Well… The Verses stayed the same melodically. The Pre Chorus stayed nearly the same, there was a slight adjustment to the melody and rhythm based on the new words and wanted a better swing into the Chorus. The Chorus ended up getting an entire facelift melodically. The main reason for it was two fold. One, I wanted a way for it to stand out more from the Verses. The original version had some interesting lines but they didn’t stand too far apart from the Verses rhythmically. Now, the melody is fashioned to have a much much stronger hook. Not only rhythmically but also melodically. This is where the key change had to happen for the song. Where I took the Chorus melodically was becoming a tad to straining to sound powerful in a full voice fashion. Thus stepping the song down two semitones put it back into a range that gives the Chorus full power.
The added bonus of bringing the key down of the song is that now the guitar parts sound beefier! That helps the vibe of the groove too. I can’t explain why, but it feels way better now. Thus the fact that people liked it enough before to vote the song into the final round, now it’s become a real contender to make the final cut and be a bonafide hit.
I’m much happier with the overall state of the song. Arrangement-wise the song a way more traditional in it’s situation. However, I think once in the studio it will get a little extra window dressing. Though that comes down to how it’s reflecting once it’s finally re-recorded.
To close out for this update, I’d like to happily send you on a merry way – hopefully you’ll be one of the people to enjoy the snow, especially if you’re headed to Sundance! Until the next update (coming soon) be in-the-know that the fourteenth song to get finalized is “Things We Left Unsaid”.