Thanks, as always for listening and for the kind feedback, Steve! It's kind of scary to strip everything away and really expose one's voice and playing. So it's kind of a relief that what I did here still turned out sounding okay.
Thanks, Steve! I tried to go real lo fi on this one -- no overdubs. I figured I was due for some optimism in my song choices after recording all of Beck's Sea Change.
I felt downright awful as I was recording this song, "Already Dead," and "Side of the Road," so maybe my state of mind and body at the time added an additional charge to these songs? Either way, I'm glad you enjoyed them and I appreciate your ongoing encouragement, Steve!
I'm glad that my recent run of Beck songs resonates with you, Steve! There's a therapeutic quality to them and I think that aspect manifests in the way I translate Beck's vocals. It's a nice bonus that it's somehow enjoyable for others, such as you, to listen to.
As my old Algebra teacher used to say: Keep It Simple, Stupid! I've found that some of the best songs are the most simple. Glad to hear that this approach has translated well to your ears, Steve. Thanks, as always, for listening.
Indeed, the chord changes were sometimes a bit tricky, but I think I managed to practice them well enough to get a finished product out there without too much trouble. Thanks, as always, for the kind feedback, Steve!
Spot on insights, Steve! I think the author of the song was drawing on Thomas Mann's "Magic Mountain," particularly its meditation on the subjective nature of time. For example, time sometimes can seem to stand still when spending time with those we hold most dear.
I had a fun time recording it, so I’m glad you enjoyed it, Steve! And you should def try a Chili Peppers-esque song when you get the time. I’d be very interested to hear your take on a song in that style.
Indeed this song was surprisingly challenging to sing and play because that famous riff requires a bit of a stretch and on top of that I tended to play it too fast (a common problem I have). But I'm glad it turned out okay even though it was something I probably recorded a little too hastily. All that said, many thanks for listening to my stuff, Steve!
@TheProods Even though I sometimes like experimenting with different sounds, I inevitably come back to the stripped down sound. Thanks for encouragement!
Love it! You're getting better and better with every song. The charging riff you have here reminds me a bit of the last few minutes of the song "Buckethead's TV Show" by Buckethead. (The downside to listening to as much music as I do is that everything reminds me of something else, haha).
You quite skillfully merge different kinds of styles in this song. If I might offer a suggestion: it would have been nice if your vocals were a little higher in the mix near the beginning of the song -- I was trying to catch the lyrics but they were obscured by the music. Other than that one very minor critique, this is one of your strongest songs, Steve!
One of my originals :-) Everything that you can hear is just me, apart from the drums. I did quite a few layers of guitar work. I used my electric 6 string Fender guitar for creating a bass type of sound. I also used that one for the solo ( I…
Thanks for unearthing and commenting on this older song, Steve! I don't think anyone had listened to it until you so it's nice that it finally got an audience.
Thanks, Anna! As you might guess, I'm also a big fan of the minimalism of solo acoustic music. That kind of music is what inspired me to pick up a guitar in the first place.
Thanks, Steve! It's a song I covered from the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack and I thought its vibe worked well for the new mic/guitar setup I'm trying out.
This song is a nice reprieve from all the "doom and gloom" this month has visited upon many of us. I definitely found myself tapping along with the beat and doing some air guitar (when no one was looking)! Fun stuff, Steve!
High praise comparing this song to John Lennon - he's a huge influence on me and so I'm quite honored...and I think this song turned out pretty well under the circumstances (I sang it following the US election). Glad you enjoyed it and, as always, thanks for stopping by to listen!
I'm not sure if you purposely did this (the title of your song suggests it was purposeful), but it sounds like used the first 30 seconds of Aerosmith's "Walking the Dog" to cook up something new and interesting. Cool stuff!
Thanks, Dok! While I didn't write this song, I appreciate the sentiments of this song too. It works on (at least) two levels: one level is the obvious Ram Dass reference while the other is about loving another.
Btw, I'm looking forward to hearing more of your stuff!
Thanks, Dok! I know my style isn’t for everyone, so I do appreciate that some of what I post here resonates with you and that you keep coming back to listen.
I kinda figured the "Empire Builder" comment was yours, Dok, but didn't want to assume anything!
And thank you for the warm words for "Lemon Grove Ave." Cool to have folks like you listening and appreciating what I'm playing!
@Guest: Thanks for the kind words! I always try to go with songs that I can imagine a live audience listening to, so it's cool this song was received that way.
Comments on Tom's stuff
Nice song, Natural and stripped back, it's very well performed Tom.
Thanks, as always for listening and for the kind feedback, Steve! It's kind of scary to strip everything away and really expose one's voice and playing. So it's kind of a relief that what I did here still turned out sounding okay.
Cool. You can perform very well without a bag of tricks Tom, and I think that's proper talent. Excellent!
Very sweet and good tempo Tom.
Live and natural sounds. Great singing with some very high notes in there. Well done!
Thanks, Steve! I tried to go real lo fi on this one -- no overdubs. I figured I was due for some optimism in my song choices after recording all of Beck's Sea Change.
Like it. Nice and clear sound and a charming view of the future!
Another good choice.
I felt downright awful as I was recording this song, "Already Dead," and "Side of the Road," so maybe my state of mind and body at the time added an additional charge to these songs? Either way, I'm glad you enjoyed them and I appreciate your ongoing encouragement, Steve!
Simple but effective lyrics. Good song that you express very well Tom.
This is cool. Chords are nice and I wish I could sing this high!
I'm glad that my recent run of Beck songs resonates with you, Steve! There's a therapeutic quality to them and I think that aspect manifests in the way I translate Beck's vocals. It's a nice bonus that it's somehow enjoyable for others, such as you, to listen to.
Another new one on me. Your voice suits the Beck songs very well. Good job!
Nice song Tom!
As my old Algebra teacher used to say: Keep It Simple, Stupid! I've found that some of the best songs are the most simple. Glad to hear that this approach has translated well to your ears, Steve. Thanks, as always, for listening.
Simple but beautiful song. Nice version Tom!
Indeed, the chord changes were sometimes a bit tricky, but I think I managed to practice them well enough to get a finished product out there without too much trouble. Thanks, as always, for the kind feedback, Steve!
Nice tune. Chord changes sound tricky. Good sound Tom. I think you made a great job here.
Soulful performance, and good use of your vocal range Tom.
Spot on insights, Steve! I think the author of the song was drawing on Thomas Mann's "Magic Mountain," particularly its meditation on the subjective nature of time. For example, time sometimes can seem to stand still when spending time with those we hold most dear.
Comments made by Tom
Thanks, Steve! And I'm looking forward to hearing more of your stuff -- long or short, it's always fun and interesting.
I had a fun time recording it, so I’m glad you enjoyed it, Steve! And you should def try a Chili Peppers-esque song when you get the time. I’d be very interested to hear your take on a song in that style.
Cool stuff, Steve! I really like how you have an interplay between playful and profound moods.
Indeed this song was surprisingly challenging to sing and play because that famous riff requires a bit of a stretch and on top of that I tended to play it too fast (a common problem I have). But I'm glad it turned out okay even though it was something I probably recorded a little too hastily. All that said, many thanks for listening to my stuff, Steve!
@TheProods Even though I sometimes like experimenting with different sounds, I inevitably come back to the stripped down sound. Thanks for encouragement!
Love it! You're getting better and better with every song. The charging riff you have here reminds me a bit of the last few minutes of the song "Buckethead's TV Show" by Buckethead. (The downside to listening to as much music as I do is that everything reminds me of something else, haha).
You quite skillfully merge different kinds of styles in this song. If I might offer a suggestion: it would have been nice if your vocals were a little higher in the mix near the beginning of the song -- I was trying to catch the lyrics but they were obscured by the music. Other than that one very minor critique, this is one of your strongest songs, Steve!
I like everything about this song. Well done, Anna!
Thanks for unearthing and commenting on this older song, Steve! I don't think anyone had listened to it until you so it's nice that it finally got an audience.
This was a fun one to sing. I'm glad you liked it, Steve!
Thanks, Anna! As you might guess, I'm also a big fan of the minimalism of solo acoustic music. That kind of music is what inspired me to pick up a guitar in the first place.
Thanks, Steve! It's a song I covered from the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack and I thought its vibe worked well for the new mic/guitar setup I'm trying out.
This song is a nice reprieve from all the "doom and gloom" this month has visited upon many of us. I definitely found myself tapping along with the beat and doing some air guitar (when no one was looking)! Fun stuff, Steve!
High praise comparing this song to John Lennon - he's a huge influence on me and so I'm quite honored...and I think this song turned out pretty well under the circumstances (I sang it following the US election). Glad you enjoyed it and, as always, thanks for stopping by to listen!
I'm not sure if you purposely did this (the title of your song suggests it was purposeful), but it sounds like used the first 30 seconds of Aerosmith's "Walking the Dog" to cook up something new and interesting. Cool stuff!
Thanks, Dok! While I didn't write this song, I appreciate the sentiments of this song too. It works on (at least) two levels: one level is the obvious Ram Dass reference while the other is about loving another. Btw, I'm looking forward to hearing more of your stuff!
Thanks, Dok! I know my style isn’t for everyone, so I do appreciate that some of what I post here resonates with you and that you keep coming back to listen.
@TheProods: As always, thank you for stopping by to listen and to give encouragement; I really appreciate it!
I kinda figured the "Empire Builder" comment was yours, Dok, but didn't want to assume anything! And thank you for the warm words for "Lemon Grove Ave." Cool to have folks like you listening and appreciating what I'm playing!
@Guest: Thanks for the kind words! I always try to go with songs that I can imagine a live audience listening to, so it's cool this song was received that way.