WELCOME...

This blog is the outgrowth of a songwriting workshop I conducted at the 2006 "Moograss" Bluegrass Festival in Tillamook, Oregon. It presumes that after 30-odd years of writing and playing music, I might have something to contribute that others might take advantage of. If not, it may be at least a record of an entertaining journey, and a list of mistakes others may be able to avoid repeating. This blog is intended to be updated weekly. In addition to discussions about WRITING, it will discuss PROMOTION--perhaps the biggest challenge for a writer today--as well as provide UPDATES on continuing PROJECTS, dates and venues for CONCERTS as they happen, how and where to get THE LATEST CD, the LINKS to sites where LATEST SONGS are posted, and a way to E-MAIL ME if you've a mind to. Not all these features will show up right away. Like songwriting itself, this is a work in progress. What isn't here now will be here eventually. Thank you for your interest and your support.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

SELLING OFF BODY PARTS (&C.)...

The “Southern Hospitality” play is going well (opening night is April 1); I took cast photos, and they did come out fairly well—chalk that up as something else I can do (or that people now know I can do). The little camera is living up to the reviews I saw of it a while back: “These things are really old, but they’re really good.” Mine is seven years old now.

A news story (one of two) to cover for the paper Thursday night, instead of playing music. I don’t mind a bit if paying work gets in the way of a jam session dominated by rock musicians (which I am not one of). I will still get to play music, I think, Saturday afternoon at the library and Sunday night with “the impromptus.” And at at least one of those, I’ll get to try out the New Song.

Hight “Selling Off My Body Parts,” it’s one of those “say wha’…?” commentaries on the economy that just demanded to be wrote. I try to figure out whom I’m channeling each time I write something, and this time, I think it was Buck Owens. Buck’s songs—at least, the ones he performed himself (he wrote some that were cut by others)—were upbeat, even a little manic, and very focused on structure. His choruses had the same chord progressions as the verses, too, something considered a big no-no by all the experts. (Buck’s songs were hits nonetheless.) A little Avril Lavigne in there, too (I do like those internal rhymes). If the live audiences like the song, it might make a good inclusion in the next Failed Economy Show benefit concert for the Food Pantry. I’m sure we’ll be doing more of those, because the failed economy is just not going away.

I was asked to help screen bands for the 2011 Rocktoberfest (being held once again in September, when the weather is supposedly nicer), and I’ve tentatively agreed, warning them (as I do everybody who wants long-term commitments out of me) that I could disappear quickly if someone offers me a job out of town. Pacific Railway & Navigation (the “save the train” folks) approached me about a “battle of the bands” event maybe in August, and I might help them with that, too, provided they listen to me. I think I know what’s possible to ask bands to do, and what kind of infrastructure the organizers need to have on hand, and I’m pretty sure PR&N don’t know.

And the entertainment chairman for Garibaldi Days now has a burned copy of the Deathgrass CD. We are lining up Concert Season, slowly but surely.

I have the vendor for duplicating the CDs now—and it’s DiskFaktory, the outfit I’ve used in the past for bulk duplication of “I’ll put my own labels on later” CDs. DiskFaktory will allow me to upload my own designs for the label and covers, and appear to be able to get it right—something the other vendors couldn’t. (The other vendors all had their own “design templates” they preferred to have you use—which I didn’t want to do. Our CD is going to look like I want it to look, not how they want it to look.) It is ready to send; I haven’t yet, because I want a few days to assuage my paranoia about Taking The Plunge. Got barcode; got shrink-wrapping; got radio stations lined up to play it. I should have the product in hand by mid-to-late April. And then we’ll schedule the CD release event.

Joe

Sunday, March 27, 2011

"POLE DANCIN' FOR JESUS" (&C.)...

I now know what I’m doing almost every day and night next week (I am developing the kind of rigid schedule I had as an employed person). Sunday is “beta” rehearsal for the play (I think that’s one step below dress rehearsal), practice in the evening with “the impromptus” (we don’t have a name yet), and I need to do the press release for the music publisher; Monday, I have a Garibaldi Days meeting (one more pitch to have Deathgrass play) and I’ll do my first shooting for the video class’s documentary; Tuesday is dress rehearsal for the play (and taking promotional photos of the actors—second time I’ve done that); Wednesday and Thursday I have my “office hours” for the Arts Center, and Thursday night is a tsunami post-mortem meeting in South County I should cover for the paper. Friday is the job interview. And Friday night, the “Southern Hospitality” play starts its 3-weekend run.

In between all that, I have stuff to write for the paper, and the album to send off for replication. The latter has been more problematic than I expected, because DiscMakers can’t seem to get my artwork positioned right. (In defense of DiscMakers, it could always be my fault, of course.) But I’m not approving my order until (and unless) it’s perfect. I have approached a different company, that does it a little differently, and I’ll see if they can get it right. Failing that, I may have to order unlabeled CDs in bulk, like I have in the past, and package them myself, like I have in the past. I’ll need to find a company that can shrink-wrap them if I do that. With uber-professionalism in mind, I want the product shrink-wrapped and bar-coded, just like the Big Boys.

Satisfying to have a new song done, and done quickly. “Pole Dancin’ for Jesus” may not be anything particularly special, but it is topical—prompted by a bona fide news story, in fact, that apparently a lot of people have seen—and from inspiration to writing to production was a matter of only a couple of days. One advantage independents have over the Big Boys is we can do this. It is a matter of having the tools, knowing how to use them—and knowing people. (The song, by the way, is at http://www.soundclick.com/share?songid=10441842. And I might have even a better recording up soon, because Polly Hager wants to sing it.)

The recording setup I’ve got is by no means perfect—but with a few add-ons, one might be able to produce a very acceptable product. One thing I can’t do with the Tascam is record drums—that requires multiple mikes. I do have two mikes, but the Tascam has only one mike input. A little mixer could take care of that, and I’ve seen John record drums with just two mikes. I’d need a second mixer—or a splitter—so the drummer and I could both have headphones at the same time. At that point, I’d have all the pieces, I think. I know rather a lot of musicians now, and could assemble an ensemble to record almost anything—I even know a cello player—and can do a recording in pieces, because the Tascam is portable (one of its biggest advantages). That allows things to happen faster. People don’t have to come to one place—I can go to them.

With some practice, I think I could add video; that may entail simply having one of the cameras on hand while I’m recording somebody. (I need experience putting this stuff together, too. That’s where the video class comes in.) Combine footage of the individual musicians as they’re recording with appropriate background film (“B-roll,” instructor Wil Duncan calls it), and one has a quick music video.

There isn’t much one can do with video except post it on YouTube, and put on a flash-drive album (and we haven’t tried a flash drive album yet to see if that works)—but it could be a good “teaser” to promote a live concert. (Same for the audio recording—and I do know a few radio-station DJs, one of them local, who have control of their playlists.) Maybe this is something to try for the Manzanita Farmer’s Market performance by “the impromptus.” I’ll ask. We practice Sunday night.

Joe

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

PODCAST?

(Yes, I really should be working. I do have things to do.)

I watched garbage being picked up this morning by a “pup.” A “pup” is a miniature garbage truck, that retrieves trash from mostly residential neighborhoods, and rendezvouses periodically with the big garbage truck, which has only to compact the trash and haul it to the dump. In our town, the “pup” is mostly used where there are steep hills. When I was city manager in Vale (not the rich place in Colorado), we considered buying a “pup” for the city-owned garbage “company.” It saves a bundle on fuel costs. With gas headed for $5 a gallon (and diesel probably higher), I expect to see the “pup” used even more.

Is there a lesson in this? For music, specifically? Of course. I wouldn’t have mentioned it otherwise.

Rising fuel prices—especially in an already-collapsed economy—are going to put a damper on people attending concerts, especially ones that are far away. It already costs 25% to 100% more, depending on your vehicle, to drive to Portland (90 miles) than it does to take our little tax-supported bus service (which, be it noted, does not go to Portland at night). So people will still go to Portland for shopping, et al.—but nighttime concerts? Probably not. (Tickets cost too much, anyway.)

That’s an opportunity—mentioned before—for independent musicians. We can play concerts locally, and people can and will come; I’ve seen it. So, more concerts. Definitely. (I don’t have much lined up for Concert Season yet.)

The dark side, of course, is your band can’t afford to travel much, either. 30-plus years ago, the Dodson Drifters would pack up the band, instruments, and PA system in my big old gas-guzzling Travelall, and travel two hours to do a concert. But gas was 25 cents a gallon. Today, it’s 15 times that (and headed for 20)—but working bands are being paid the same as they were 30 years ago. “Deathgrass” aren’t being paid even that much, because we’re not well enough known (yet). And I’ve commented before that the band doesn’t travel well, because most of them have real jobs. (Of course, they would travel if they were offered enough money—but how does one get to that point?)

PODCAST, maybe? Being a technological dinosaur, I don’t know much about how it works. I do have an idea what I’d like to use it for.

What if we did a concert and “streamed it live”? I think I know a DJ who could do that; I don’t know if we’d have to do it at his place (small studio), or whether it could be beamed or streamed from a larger hall. And could one do video as well as audio? Of course, you’re not making any money from all those people listening (and maybe watching) on computer screens out there “on the Interwebs”—at least not yet—but you are reaching a much wider audience, one you could maybe never reach in person. (Hey, I even know some folks in Europe, Asia and Australia. And I bet they have friends.) One might be able to sell ‘em a record or two. And whoever did the streaming would be reaching a wider audience, too. (I wonder what they could sell?)

And if one could do it on a consistent basis, one could showcase a lot of new talent. “Live from the Bay City Arts Center! It’s…” The lesson? (Always there are lessons.) I think it’s that there are wider consequences for everything you do. Take advantage of them instead of doing something that’ll close them off.

I’ve been asked to do a contest promotional piece for a music publisher I know—for pay, even (yay). And I’m told if play practice goes well Wednesday night, the cast will be given Thursday off. I could go play music…

Joe

Sunday, March 20, 2011

PREPARING FOR THE CD...

Accomplished something, for a change. I figured out the reason why “Ben,” our 1999-vintage PC at the Arts Center, wasn’t playing music any more was the onboard sound thingie had died (it’s one of the first things to go on older computers). Installed a soundcard from my Endless Stash of Computer Parts, and Ben has sound again. I miss being the IT Guy…

Got the master for the Deathgrass album. Yes, it is good. Very good. These guys (band and sound engineer both) do impressive work. I need to stop listening to the thing over and over and get busy with promotion. There is a lot to do.

I’ve alerted the radio station people I know personally (two in Tillamook, two in Ashland, one in California, and one in Georgia), and thus far all but one of them have said they’re potentially interested. Thought of a couple more I know (one in Astoria, one in Canada) to contact, too, while I’m at it.

Label’s done, now that I have times for all the songs; so is the cover. I insisted on keeping the cover to three panels—front (with the famous skull-with-dreadlocks icon), inside front (with the songs info), and back (photos of the band, and the dedication to the late Dick Ackerman). Last two are backwards from how it seems to be usually done (I have a bunch of commercial CDs for models), but I did want Dick’s picture where everybody could see it.

Yes, it’d be great to include more—but I expect I have way more to say than anyone would want to listen to. (That may be true of most writers.) I’ve seen commercial CDs with five or even eight panels—but most of them don’t come across as professional as the simple ones. I’ll go simple. I want our product to be equal to or better than anything out on the commercial market, and I think as it sits, it is. (I am not expecting anybody to hire me to design their CD covers, though. It’d be nice—but I am not holding my breath. It is sufficient to be able to compete with the Big Boys on their own turf—at a fraction of the cost.)

One of the radio stations I’ve contacted is doing a Request Day Saturday, April 2, and I would like them to have the CD in hand for that, so people can call in and request songs; I can prime people in the area to do that—and I can get the station a CD if I have to make it myself. Sounds like April 2 ought to be Splash Day. Means I need to get the CDs replicated right away.

I’ve been assembling the list of news media; I do know rather a lot of reporters (and even a few editors), but very few are in a position to write anything about the CD. At best, maybe a few can pass it to someone they know who can write a review. Personal contact is essential, just like it was 30 years ago when I was distributing Dodson Drifters singles; like Nashville songwriter Bobbie Gallup put it, “It’s not who you know—it’s who knows you.”

Rehearsals Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday for TAPA’s play Southern Hospitality, and Saturday’s an all-day editing session for the video class; that trumps music for every day except Sunday (when the music’s in the evening, and rehearsal’s during the day). Two films to master—the “Sleeping Piggy” puppet show and the middle school’s production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe—and my own filming to do, for my part of the documentary in Wil Duncan’s video class. Wait—wasn’t I supposed to be offered a job when I got too busy? I’m ready…

Joe

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

VIDEO WORK...

I finish one blog and start another one almost immediately. It’s because it’s early, video class is over for the evening, and I don’t plan on doing anything productive until tomorrow. I have been assembling the list of media people and DJs to get advance copies of the Deathgrass CD, and contacting them one by one; that’s about it for work tonight.

There will be plenty to do tomorrow. “Alice” the computer’s part that will let her DVD-recordable drive finally work has apparently arrived at the post office; I have the lead guitar part for Scott Garriott’s “Clown in Paradise” to record, once I can dump the “base” track to CD; I have, I think, four news stories to do for the paper; and I have the puppet show video to work on.

Learned in video class how to mix footage from two cameras—it’s not supposed to be possible in the software we’re using, but instructor Wil Duncan showed me how—and I have an assignment: the junior high school’s after-hours “Y-Stars” troupe is putting on a play tomorrow at the Arts Center, and I’ve been directed to film it. They’re doing C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (pretty ambitious for a bunch of middle-schoolers). I’ll be filming it with two cameras, both operated by me: one will be set up “static,” just to record from a fixed vantage point, and the other will be center stage (actually, center audience), with me able to zoom, &c. Basically what Charlie did with the puppet show.

The center-stage camera will also be handling the sound. No soundboard—I’ll be depending on the natural acoustics of the 1925-vintage dance floor at the Arts Center, which is one of those purposefully-designed pre-electricity acoustic shells. I’ll use Audacity to tweak the sound afterward as needed.

The Y-Stars have a sound track, so I can add that along with titles and credits at the beginning and end, and still photos of the cast in costume, and make it look as professional as possible. (Those add-on features in Final Cut are very similar to the ones I’ve used in Windows Movie Maker, so it shouldn’t be too hard.) I warned the director it may not “go viral” on YouTube, but we probably can make it “go head cold.”

The editing tricks are the same ones I need to use on the puppet show video, so the two will be learning experiences for each other. And as I’m doing all this work on the Arts Center’s Macs, I can be figuring out how to do it on a PC, because PCs are what I’ve got at home.

I don’t need a “firewire” card for “Alice” to run a video camera (that’s good—I really didn’t want to be investing in any more computer parts). The Arts Center’s new HD camcorder uses a USB cable instead—and hey, I’ve got USB. And my little $40 Chinese video camera uses USB, too. I don’t know if my big old Fisher camcorder can “port” to the Chinese camera (I don’t even know if the Fisher one works yet), but maybe it does. If so, I’ve got two cameras to work with at home, too.

I’ve decided “StuartLittle” the “portable” computer (everything except the monitor fits in a plastic storage crate) is definitely going to be the Studio Machine as soon as the weather warms up enough to work in the garage studio. “Stuart” has a big, high-resolution monitor, wireless Internet, and a second hard drive that’s just barely used—and since the new case for the DVD-recordable drive is external (USB, again), both “Stuart” and “Alice” can use it. We are in the video business, I think. “Stuart” could use additional RAM—a pair of really high-capacity chips; I’ll have to wait for the stuff to go on sale. Or for me to have a real job again.

Joe

FINISHING THE ALBUM...

Back in the studio Sunday afternoon just past to finish up the album. Recorded vocals for “The Dog’s Song,” “Tillamook Railroad Blues” and the Southern Pigfish anthem, “For Their Own Ends”—everywhere else, we’re actually using the “scratch” vocal, which came out just fine. Touched up the vocals in a couple of places on “Free-Range Person” and “Crosses by the Roadside,” recorded the Raps (about half the songs will have Raps), and recorded a simple lead guitar part on the Strat for “No Good Songs About the War.”

“The Dog’s Song” is probably the hardest of my songs to sing—it pushes both the low end and the high end of my voice range, and the words are really rapid-fire, so breathing requires strategic planning—but we managed it in one take, because I’d practiced it a lot. (Lesson: Practice a lot.) After that, singing “For Their Own Ends,” usually a strain on the voice, actually felt easy.

The album has a mix of styles—a few two-steps (one fast, one slow, and one in between), a couple of blues tunes (one fast, one slow), a march (the protest song), two rock ‘n’ roll, one Gospel, one bluegrass, and one that’s describable only as “slow and sleazy.” A couple of deliberately serious songs, maybe a couple more that just sound that way, and a few whose connection to “serious” is plumb nonexistent. About what you’d hear in concert, in other words—which was also deliberate.

I have listened to everything now, and it’s all good. Better, I think, than most stuff you’re likely to find on records these days (though I’m not an expert—I don’t buy records much), and it does beg the question, “Why aren’t these guys famous?” The answer, as one Nashville publisher put it to me, is: “Connections. The people who are famous are famous because they have connections. You don’t.”

Sad commentary on the state of the music business, to be sure—but there’s absolutely nothing I can do from this vantage point to fix it. I can—and will—simply ignore the Establishment as irrelevant, and pursue promotion as best I can. The trick is we have to create our own market because nobody’s going to do it for us.

So what do I do with this little gem once it’s finished and reproduced? Well, we schedule the CD Release Party, I guess, and send advance copies to the media and DJs (both the ones I know personally and the ones I don’t) inviting them to the Event. I contact local businesses about carrying a small stack of the CDs, offering them a poster and a commission on sales. I set up the CDBaby account and the Website to link to it. I’m not sure what else.

It’d be nice if the phone started ringing off the hook with concert offers, but I don’t see any way that’s going to happen. I still have to arrange bookings myself; all the CD does is maybe enhance publicity, and maybe bring more people in. There are a few concerts I could arrange in this area (and it’s got to be in this area, because the band doesn’t travel well): one at the Arts Center (besides the CD Release Event), one at the Garibaldi Museum; there’s the Rocktoberfest, too (if they ever have another one). I may have made enough noise to get the band scheduled to play Garibaldi Days, but not enough to get paid (one of the organizers maintains he can get a bunch of bands from Portland to come out on their own nickel and play for free, and he probably can—but are they any good?). And there’s the Neskowin Harvest Festival down south, which is a benefit for the little school there. They used to pay, but they didn’t the last time I performed there.

Rehearsals for the TAPA play take up most free time through the end of the month, but I’ll get to play music Saturday afternoon in Tillamook and Sunday evening in Nehalem the next two weeks. (And playing in Nehalem needs to incorporate practice for our impromptu band’s gig at the Manzanita Farmer’s Market Aug. 12.) News stories to cover for the paper, too.

Joe

Friday, March 11, 2011

ALBUM (&C.) UPDATE...

Listening—repeatedly, which is a good sign—to the two “final” (thus far) tracks from the Deathgrass album, “Armadillo on the Interstate” and “She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself.” It strikes one partway through the latter that “OMG, this was recorded LIVE?” Yes, and in one take, too. Good musicians, good sound engineer—what can I say?

I know a number of other writers who will have an album out this year. I’ve suggested that the Southern Oregon Songwriters Assn. do a seminar at which the album-putter-outers could describe what they did, and how, and why. I could use the pointers myself. I don’t know what’s “right”—I only know what I did. And some of what I’ve done I did because it made sense, or because it saved money, or both.

First off, it’s not me, it’s me and the band, so no studio musicians. Our band are not only good, they’re tight—and we’ve practiced and played together a lot. Local studio and engineer, too. What’s important for us is them being local (the band does not travel well—everyone’s too busy), and the engineer having a good ear for arrangements and knowing what he’s doing. Got all three. Mike Simpson (Calden West Studios in Rockaway) is great.

The recording was done “Patsy Cline style”—live and in (mostly) one take. It’s simply necessary for the band to be practiced—and we are. The “live feel” comes across on the recording, too, even if what you’re doing is perfect (which it mostly was). And I want the live feel because we do perform, and I want folks to know this is what we sound like. That’s why some of the songs will have Raps—that’s how we do them live.

And there are some things I think I do better than anybody else can, and I will do those things myself. So I’ve done, or am doing, the CD label, cover, and liner notes (ex-graphic designer, after all), and I’ll print my own if I can’t find somebody who’ll do it as good and as cheap as I can.

What I don’t have—what few independent musicians have, I think—is the mass-marketing machine that the big record companies have. Deathgrass does have a local reputation as a good and entertaining band, though, and that should help sell CDs—and the CDs themselves should generate more business for the band. The two feed on each other. I know some media folks—not many—and maybe even a handful of DJs who’d play some of the material on the air. That may be a bit more than a lot of independent musicians have.

I have postponed the CD release party—following the experts’ advice that one should wait until one has the CDs in hand before trying to set a date. Sometime in April, perhaps. I can use the intervening time to set up the Website and suchlike marketing things.

Elsewhere, the music video of “50 Ways to Cure the Depression” is done; it didn’t come out exactly the way I’d planned, but it is okay—and the music turned out excellent. Used Bob Lichner on the baritone saw, me on the Electric Banjo; and tasteful lead guitar work by Charlie. I got a better mix on the Tascam than on the computer (which I think means only that I’m less familiar with the Audacity program than I am with the Tascam). Just a fun (and educational) exercise. Link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5X-zIcwp2Y.

And I’ve seen footage from one of the two cameras that filmed the puppet show. There are a few problems. The sound is not good (so hanging a microphone overhead to reduce crowding behind stage was not a good idea, I guess), and there’s one point at which a couple of latecomers walk directly in front of the camera while the puppet show is going on. Maybe the other camera footage is better. I can fix the song audio by substituting the tracks off the computer, but I’m not sure about the rest. Another opportunity, I guess, to learn new stuff.

Joe

Sunday, March 6, 2011

PUPPET SHOW POST-MORTEM...

The puppet show went well, I think (hard to tell from behind the stage); some folks have said they liked it. And some folks are sorry they missed it (which means they might come to the next one). We did have a packed house, but that was deliberate: we had the parents of the elementary-school kids whose work was in the Art Show, and the parents and friends of the school kids performing in the Open Mike—a captive audience.

Helped, I think, to spend a little time behind the stage earlier in the day, working with “my” puppets, having Hansolo practice holding the miniature Les Paul (so he didn’t drop it), reading through the script, &c. I always try to visit the venue before a musical performance, imagining the place full of people, and figuring out where everything is, and where I am; I guess this works the same way. In the end, we were able to pull off the performance having had only one rehearsal.

There is reportedly an educator who maintained one learns by experiencing the thing-to-be-learned with as many of the senses as possible. You read it (sight), read it aloud (hearing), write it down, and so forth. I guess the playing around behind stage was the “tactile” part. (I didn’t do “taste.” I ain’t licking no socks.)

Not sure what to do for the next one—but I’m pretty sure there will be a next one; this “playwright” stuff is exciting. Shakespeare probably felt the same way after a performance of one of his plays. Like Shakespeare, I deal with a set troupe of actors (six of them—Princess Leah, Luke, Hansolo, Yoda, Darth, and Chewy the Wookie), and must have parts for all of them—and the plot structure has to be a fairy tale. The troupe has done the three little pigs (that was “Pig Wars”), and “The Three Billypigs Gruff” (that’s how Darth got his fancy cape that reads “Trolls Rule!”), and now “Sleeping Piggy” (introducing Chewy the Wookie as one of the Handsome Princes).

So what’s next? How about Cinderella? (We’d have to do gender reversal, because we don’t have enough girls—but we have a habit of twisting these fairy tales into barely recognizable form, anyway.) Darth could play the title role, and Luke and Hansolo could be the evil stepbrothers, and Yoda the Fairy Godmother. (Yoda already has a set of wings, from being the Evil Fairy in “Sleeping Piggy.”) Leah, of course, is the airhead princess desperate for a mate. And Darth could lose his helmet at the ball, and Chewy, as the Royal Vizier, could travel the country making people try it on. Could work.

It’ll need a song, of course—that’s become kind of traditional with these plays—but I’ll wait on that until after I see the video of “Sleeping Piggy” and see how well the song I wrote for that came out. It was different, having the troupe on stage as a band performing the song, and the practice might be worth repeating—but if I do it exactly the same way, that’ll become a tradition, too, and we’ll have to do it every time. I’m not sure I want to lock myself into that.

Still to do: I need to clip the puppet show from the videotape of the whole evening, and add titles and credits; the Arts Center’s new Macintosh computers and film software are supposed to arrive this coming week, and using that may be easier than converting the video into a form that can be manipulated by “Alice” (who’s a PC)—though I am familiar with Alice’s software and its limitations, and can generate (I think) a decent product with it.

And now I can do the other stuff that’s been hanging fire—the “50 Ways” music video, and the lead guitar part for Scott Garriott’s “Clown in Paradise.” Vocal parts for the album should happen this week (and should be able to be done in one take, as usual). Play practice for TAPA’s “Southern Hospitality” (which opens April 1) has gotten to the sections with my bit part, so I need to be there. Time to schedule the filming of my segments for the film class documentary. And more jobs to apply for—one of which I’m actually qualified for.

Joe

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

PRE-PUPPET SHOW THOUGHTS...

Two days until the “Sleeping Piggy” performance—and word does seem to have gotten around a lot. I suppose we better make sure we’re good. “Puppet perfect,” so to speak.

Still a few things to do: I’ve got to make a new bass guitar for Luke, to match the miniature Gibson Les Paul that Kathryn loaned for Hansolo to play (it’s really a telephone—and it’s the perfect size for a sock puppet); Princess Leah’s pretty yellow helmet (for after she joins the Dark Side) needs its Barbie-flower and “Princess” stickers; and I have to cut silhouettes for the King and Queen (Luke and Leah’s mom and dad), who aren’t socks—they’re offstage voices—but are still pigs, of course. Need to make sure we have camerapeople to do video, too.

And it wouldn’t hurt to rehearse my own lines—not too hard a job, I think, since I wrote the script. Writing things down tends to “freeze” stuff in my memory (that’s why I wait until the last minute to write down any song—I want it to be perfect before it gets “frozen”).

I wasn’t able to connect with the saxophone player—or to find a sockpuppet-sized sax (except by ordering 3,000 of them from China), so we’ll do a lead harmonica on the soundtrack instead of a sax. I tapped “Chippewa Bob” (he of the musical saw) for that; he got a CD today to practice with, and we’ll record his part tomorrow evening. I did find a toy harmonica that’s about Yoda’s size, and bright red so it’ll show up good. (Yoda needs a harmonica holder.) Still waiting on Polly’s vocal. I’ve got two bass tracks from John (and will probably use both of them).

Need to mix everything when I get all the pieces; it’ll be the first time I’ve used Audacity to do that, but I do have a work-around in case it doesn’t work out the way I expected. I can do all the mixing on the Tascam if I have to; I did that with the draft “live” recording of Southern Pigfish’s “For Their Own Ends,” which had bass, rhythm and lead guitars, vocals, drums (muted, because it wasn’t very good), and canned applause—six tracks on a 4-track system. I’ll have six tracks here, too—seven if I add applause. (I probably should add applause—it would be a good way to end the show, and it’s arguable the sock-puppet band might not get applauded any other way.)

It’s not so much that I have less control over the end product when I do the mixing that way, but rather that I have less ability to easily fix mistakes. It becomes very important to be able to do everything right the first time.

I haven’t done anything new on the other projects. The album still needs my vocals, Raps and “plinks,” and Mike’s harmonies, and the “50 Ways” music video is on hold until after the puppet show. While I was out of town for the job interview, I did work up a draft setlist for my part in a 4-person impromptu band for a 3-hour show at the Manzanita Farmer’s Market; need to send it to the rest of the group and see what they think. I do have a lot to choose from—somewhere over 80 songs, maybe a quarter of them co-writes. Related (and still to do): setlist for a half-solo, half-Deathgrass 3-hour slot at the same venue.

Movement is a little restricted this week; the truck had a Close Encounter of the Guardrail Kind en route back from the job interview, and can’t be driven at night until the headlights get replaced (it and I are otherwise fine); that might preclude going to Wheeler to play music Thursday night, but it should be fixed in time to play music Sunday night. Music Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and an open mike Saturday night. Dr. Seuss’ birthday is this week; I ought to find an excuse at one or more of those venues to perform “The Cat with the Strat.”

Joe