ZZ Top Show

Got to see a good show by ZZ Top last night. The vocals got lost in the mix, but does that really matter when you know all the words by heart? Of course, that's pretty much old school rock and roll show. I don't think I heard ANY vocals at a show until PA systems started really improving in the 90s.
I don't currently have any ZZ Top stuff, but I burned through my "Eliminator" tape back in the day. Plus, it being the hayday of MTV, I must have seen the videos for "Legs" and "Sharp-Dressed Man" thousands of times.
The band itself was just too cool. They come out with those huge beards and shades and you know you are going to have some fun. You also get the bonuses that take you back (in my case) to your teen years--yep, they played fuzzy guitars for Legs. If you are ZZ Top, could play Legs on anything else? (Note to performers out there -- if you aren't ZZ Top, don't attempt the fuzzy guitars, you'll look stupid. Unless of course, that's what you are going for).
What the mixing lacked in vocals was made up for by the great guitar work. I'm still amazed at how good all those riffs sound live. I've heard them a thousand times over, but hearing them performed live at volume...nothing beats it. It's also very inspirational. I'm going to try and go out and see more live music over the next year as part of my New Year's goals. I eventually need to get to monthly or weekly. I'm ramping up pretty good this year though. I've seen 4 shows this year...I'm pretty sure that's a record for me. I'll have to keep up the pace in 2008. I'll need to start checking out more of local scene though. The locals need support, and it's probably the only affordable away to enjoy live music.

Taco Hell

I must remember:

The idea of Taco Bell is much better than the reality of Taco Bell.

If I can remember that, me and my stomach will be much better off!

Getting Ready for the New Year

Well, Christmas has past. It was a good one. Had fun hanging out with friends and family. Got some nice gifts. My gifts seemed to be appreciated. So, now it's back to business and trying to figure out how to work Cakewalk. I'm doing the tutorials to try and get an idea of how stuff is working. It reminds me of how much a mystery a new and complex application can be. I haven't had this much struggle since I learned Photoshop back in the Stone Age. Still, it's not as bad as 3D graphics software, so I'm not really worried. I'm hoping to finish up the tutorials over my winter break and maybe even get some tracks laid down. Just some simple blues patterns just to get the hang of working the software...and getting it to make a halfway decent recording.

I'm also working on goals for next year. I have the usuals...I want to lose weight and exercise more, just like everybody else. I want to get more practice in on making music. Those are kind of "givens" that I always look to do more. I also want to pay attention to some of my other interests as well. I'd like to get in some more cartooning, maybe look at writing for different media (animation, video games, etc.). I have so much I want to do, I really have no time to waste.

Yet I have wasted lots of time. Most of my time waste is worrying about nothing while doing nothing. I'm really hoping to turn that habit around this year. I'm hoping that most days I can have a day like I did today. I went and caught a good movie created from one of my favorite books (Golden Compass). I had lunch, came home practiced guitar AND bass. Then I copied some cartoon figures for practice. A perfect day for me. I had lots of fun with all of that...all day. I need to do that more and web-surf less.

Of course, I'm on a break for the holidays. That helps. I'm hoping to make days like that more of an everyday occurence next year. Of course, I have to actual go to work, so that tends to put a damper on things. Most of my goals will hopefully help alleviate the energy drain of the work week so I can do more of the stuff I love. I want to be composing more, but not just composing. I would love to get a cartoon, graphic novel or animation going. Or maybe start writing and designing a video game. Sometimes I look at that and think, when am I going to have time to do all that and go to work? Other times I think, I have to do this...life is short and I need to make the best of it. I've spent so many years being miserable for one reason or another. Time to stop. There is more than enough misery in the world. Why add to it?

My 5 Most Influential Songs

Krista challenged me to come up with the 5 songs that have had the most influence in my life. How can you limit that to just 5. The 5 song limitation does make you really think about songs and music that have made an impact on your life. The funny thing is, I realized that couple of the influential songs don't necessarily translate to favorites. In fact there are a couple that made my influential list that I don't even listen to any more. It seems they served their purpose, made the impact they needed to and then drifted off. Of course some remain favorite songs to this day. So, here's my top 5 influential songs:

1984/Jump – Van Halen
Kind of snuck one in here…1984 is actually the keyboard introduction to “Jump”. Much like “Eruption” is the intro for “You Really Got Me” on an earlier album. Or like We Will Rock You/We are the Champions from Queen. One just doesn’t sound right without the other. However, if we are being super-picky I’ll go with Jump. The significance of this song is it’s the first time I Iiked a song that didn’t come from my parents record collection. This song inspired me to get the album (well, tape actually). This was the first time I got my very own music with no parental influence.

Across the Universe – The Beatles
This was just a mind expander. I heard this song and it made me think. It still does. It reached me on a different level than most songs would…and I think that is one of the great things about a lot of other Beatles songs. I guess this song is the quintessential Beatles song to me. It’s catchy and heartfelt, but at the same time it makes you think. It’s unique but accessible, exactly like most of the Beatles catalog after Rubber Soul.

Centrifigal Forze – Frank Zappa
This track off the Apostrophe album (one of my favorite Zappa albums) has one of the wildest guitar solos. Although hard, heavy and rock, it was like nothing I’d ever heard. It started me delving deeper into Zappa’s catalog. The fact that he always seemed to come at the guitar from a different, unique angle just floored me. This selection barely won out over other unique musicians I listen to. Tom Waits and Sufjan Stevens are two examples of very unique musicians. Zappa was just the first to open up my listening past the limits of “everyday” rock music. It just opened up whole new perceptions on music for me.

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
The song that restored my faith in Rock N’ Roll. This I went to the nearest record store and found the album right after I heard it. I even picked up a copy for my sister I liked it so much. I just had to share the find. The intensity in the song was unmatched back when it came out. The blend of rock and punk would soon become the standard in mainstream rock music for the next 10 years at least. It was the opening round in a complete reinvention of hard, heavy music. Lots of bands during this period ratcheted up the volume and intensity. Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Faith No More are a few more of the bands that stood up as a rebuke to the excess and mediocre talent that heavy metal had become in the eighties. It also turned me on to punk music as I explored the bands influence. This lead to the discovery of some of my favorite punk bands. This song wrought a huge change in the music I listened to.

Sounds of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel
As dark as it is, this is one of my first “favorite songs”. It told a story and presented a vision, but it also conveyed the emotions behind the song. I’ve never ever heard a better expression of emptiness and loneliness. It also perfectly captured my emotions at the time (about 6th grade) of being an outcast and outsider. This song shook my world to the core. This one narrowly edged out “The Boxer”. Also tells a story and generates huge emotion, but I could relate more to SOS. I felt a personal connection to that song. It was the first time I realized I could relate music to my own life.

Thunder

My mood is shifting a bit now that I've got the studio somewhat running. I'm going to start doing some recording with it and hopefully dust off my bass. I love playing bass, but it sucks as a solo instrument. Now I can just laydown a track of rhythm guitar and I'm off to the races. I'm also looking forward to getting some drum patterns on there. One of the most fun for me is to get a drum pattern going and just start playing bass...not worried about anything. Just playing. Oddly enough, I feel that way when I'm messing around with drums as well. It feels good to just let it flow, to just make some noise. With both bass and drums, the sound is so deep and primal. Something about those low frequencies that just feels...mighty. When you are actually making some noise, you do get a whiff of the feeling of creation. You are on your mountain, thunder pouring from your hands and your fingers. One of my favorite things about going to a live rock concert is hearing that bass drum come to life. You feel very alive as that wall of sound hits you.
It's more than raw power though. There is also the groove. It's harder for me to experience on guitar and keyboard. Even drums I have a hard time feeling the groove. But a bass...the bass guitar is the essence of grove. Even someone as rhythm-addled as myself can feel that pulse. And a pulse, whether in music, or body, is life. It's the thump that ticks and lets you and everybody know that you are there, you exist. Love it...nothing like it in the world!

Modern Inconvenience

Well, I thought I was doing good. Got a sound card to "solve" my latency problems with the MIDI controller. That shut down Sonar. Yipes...since I've about had it with goofing around with this thing, I hooked up the Toneport again. I'm going to stick with that. I hope switching to the ASIO drivers will solve the latency problems I've been having. This whole adventure has opened my eyes to the possiblities I have for making music. It's also opened my eyes to how painful this technology can really be. It's taken me about one-two weeks to get this stuff up and running...two weeks I could have been practicing or writing music. I might be limited to only four tracks, but at least my four-track tape recorder is ready to go when I fire it up.
OK, need to quit whining. The computer studio will be good once I get things settled. I'm going to try using it with the Toneport interface. I'll get another one for my guitar practice setup eventually...or just use my headphone amp (sucks down batteries like no other though).

Loving it all

I've been having a blast with music again. I came (once again) to the realization that I love music. Not only that, I love everything about it. I used to have endless debates with myself about just focusing on one instrument.
"What instrument should I play?" I always wondered that...to the point of obsession. So much obsession that I lost sight of the main goal, making music.
When I picked out one instrument (granted I mostly stick to instruments with frets), inevitably I would want to fool with the another one. Then I would feel guilty for not sticking with my decision. This cycle has played out over and over and over again.
The easiest solution would seem to be just do it all. Or rather, just do what you feel like. I don't know how many times my sister and Krista have given me this advice. Unfortunately, I would fall prey to the "Jack of All Trades, Master of None" problem. I would think to myself, "I'm having enough trouble learning to play guitar, playing won't work."
Things have been changing lately though. I've really been wanting to compose and get the music bouncing around in my head out into the air. As I've started to take steps to set up a little studio/music lab based around my computer, I've solidified some of my feelings about making music.
Personally, I don't think any musician hears hears just one part...even if they are composing for a single instrument. However, that was the position I kept placing myself in...use one voice, forsaking all others until perfection was acheived. Or so I thought.
Of course, there are other problems inherent in placing arbitrary limits on yourself, whether due to societal expectations or self-imposed boundries. I don't want to dwell on them anymore. I've shot myself in the foot with limits for far too long. All I know is I'm starting to feel freer in my approach. This freedom is allowing me to explore different musical territory. I am enjoying this immensly. I'm back to enjoying music because I'm not limiting myself. Now I just need to remember this when doubts and constraints cloud my judgement and obsure my path.

Finally

Well, it took me long enough, but I finally got my junk to work. Now an even harder project...actually making music! The possiblities are endless. Even my tenative explorations with Cakewalk have been inspirational. It's almost too much. I now have thousands of sounds at my fingertips. That just automated MIDI stuff. Add to that my beloved guitars...it's going to be a lot of fun putting some pieces together. This is the fun part of music I so often forget...the exploring...the searching. Not that I'm going to be randomly throwing out notes or beats. I really want to learn about composition and crafting musical pieces. I want to learn more about songwriting. Basically, I want to learn everything I can. The trick will be keeping my perfectionism from trying to step in and ruin my good time. That will be a hard effort, but well worth it. It will be worth it just to keep feeling this good.

Sigh

My inability to get my studio software and hardware to work together is feeding the inner Luddite. After hours of troubleshooting I've so far been able to only get a tinkly, barely usable piano sound to play.
It will work out eventually, as all computer stuff usually does. But it was nice to go back and plunk on the Strat and my acoustic for awhile. Ran through "What Child is This?" (it being the season and all) a couple times and I remembered why I love music in the first place. Still, I finally get this stuff working and hopefully I'll be able do some songwriting/composing with a decent setup to play and record. Until then, I'll be banging my head on the desk trying to get this junk to work. I'm going to reinstall Sonar AGAIN and hope for the best. If doesn't work, think I'll stop for the rest of the day and play a video game or something.

If an instrument makes no sound, does it exist?

Still haven't got the studio gear to work. I'm getting there...maybe tomorrow. It's super-frustration. I'm regaining an appreciation for acoustic instruments. I can pick up my acoustic guitar and it's ready to go. Once I get the music studio set up, it will be great. I don't know why I think these things will go easy. I guess I get a little more impressed with my computer skills than I should. For tonight, I guess I'll just look up some of my installation problems.
While I'm looking stuff up, I'll keep listening to Sufjan Steven's Christmas box set. Really a fresh take on Christmas songs and music. This isn't a collection of the same stuff you've heard in mall every Christmas. I can't even really describe it...it's hard to describe Sufjan's music at all really.I was already impressed by Steven's "Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State". He is definitely one-of-a-kind and has his own sound...something I really need to remember and appreciate in my own efforts. I always worried so much about not playing "correctly". I was always worried I wasn't "doing it right". This obsession with "doing it right" certainly choked off a lot of creativity. What is doing it right in music (or any art for that matter)? As I get further along in my music studies, I have come to realize that all that matters is getting the sound from your mind to everyone else's ears. In a deeper sense, you are converting the thoughts in your mind into vibrations in the air. In that case, why would you want to repeat everything everybody else has said, the exact same way they said it?

Best Laid Plans

I've been working on getting a MIDI controller working for the last two hours! It's not the controller's fault. I think Vista might be the problem. I think I've got it figured out, but I'm too tired to do a whole bunch of reloading. I just did a system restore and I'll try and get going with a clean slate tomorrow at some point. Hope the install on the DAW software isn't this hard!

Sore Fingers pt. II

Well, I didn't get to record for two reasons. First, I had a hard time getting the TonePort working with my Cakewalk Music Creator. I think the combo was too much for my laptop's processor. That's fine, I'm going to move my recording setup to my desktop machine. The other problem is my fingers are still raw from this morning's session.
While these two developments may seem negative, for me both are good outcomes (even though I didn't get to record). First, I got some experience trying to use DAW software and an interface created by different companies. It's not fun...of course I'm using some really cheap software right now. I'll have to see if my new DAW plays nicely with the audio interface. More importantly, I tried instead of just blowing off recording totally. Secondly, I've played my guitar enough to make my fingertips sore! That means I actually got off my butt and played...for an extended period. I actually did something instead of thinking about doing something. So for me musically, it's been a good day. It's been good eye opener for goal setting too. I set the goal. I didn't make it, but that's ok. I got something out of it. That fact that I'm still excited about what I'm doing and not feeling like a failure is huge for me. I really hope I can keep this approach to music creation going.

Sore Fingers

I've played my guitar more this morning than I have the past several weeks. IMy fingertips are killing me...that's how long it's been I've been practicing, but I am also auditioning presets on my guitar software. I got a Line 6 TonePort GX several weeks ago. It's one of those amp/stomp box modelers. I have to say I'm pretty impressed. As inexpensive as it is, it gives a really good sound...much better than the multi-effects pedal I was using before. I went through all of the "clean" presets this morning. Jazz, surf and country guitar stuff mostly. I'm taking a break now. I'm going to actually try and do some multitrack recording this evening/afternoon, so I don't think I'll get to the "crunch" presets until tomorrow. Always fun...nothing like a little distortion to make the worst guitar player sound good (actually, it works for vocals too). I'll have to remember to revisit the performance of the TonePort later in this blog, it will be interesting to see how well it will work when it actually gets used for recording.

Feeling G.A.S.sy

Well, I'm taking the big plunge. I bought some equipment to complete my home studio. Now I have to really buckle down and start composing. I think I'm going to try and do some composition tomorrow, since I'll have all day.
This is a good time to address a malady I've suffered known as G.A.S, or gear acquistition syndrome. The best example of this (as with many things music-related) comes from Spinal Tap. Nigel Tufnel's room full of guitars is a perfect example of G.A.S gone unchecked. I've never collected to that extent, I've certainly been guilty of not enjoying what I have and wanting some prestigious brand name. I've also been very guilty of buying a piece of musical equipment thinking it will unlock the hidden musician within. I know now that this is crap. Practice is the only thing that will free your musicality. On other problem is I would use the lack of flashy gear as an excuse for not putting in the practice I needed. I can't practice until I get a .
However, you still need decent instruments. Nothing is more miserable than playing a non-responsive piece of crap. The combination of bad sound and horrible action has probably done in many a musical aspiration.
This conflict within (using and enjoying what I have vs. getting something new to try something else) has really come to a head for me. I've really wanted to give music composition a more serious go. I would also like to use my computer for recording. So, I looked at what I have and what I need and came up with some additional equipment needs. It was almost painful deciding to make the purchase. I had to debate myself constantly. Was I doing this just to get another "gadget" or because it was something I required to get the tunes created?
I honestly think I'm just getting what is required to get the job done, but time will tell. Hopefully, I'm not full of G.A.S.

The Road from Here

Here it is my first blog post. I've got lots of stuff on my mind right now. I got some stinging criticism today from Krista. Stinging but very true. I have a yearning to express myself, yet I do nothing. I have to actually just start doing things...and stop being afraid of expressing myself. So, I hope to be posting more on my musical journey here shortly. I have plenty to get started. I've got a mini-studio on my laptop and guitar, and bass. I'm going to start writing something tomorrow, just to get moving. Probably just something. It doesn't have to be the most exciting thing in the world, but I have to do something, even if I think it sucks. The road ahead starts from here.