probably one of the most incredible movie scenes i've ever seen...
in finding neverland (great movie!) johnny depp is a writer, and his wife is a typical socialite. his concerns centre on creativity, living life expressively, enjoying people's company. he is truly trying to wring each day for everything inside of it. his wife is focused on status. she works to maintain her contacts and relationships with the wealthy and important, and she wouldn't waste a second doing something that wouldn't serve to further her social standing in the community. they fight a lot, and simply do not understand each other. she thinks he's a joke, and can't grasp why he would ever want to spend an entire day walking in the park writing down his thoughts. and he cannot help her to understand his mind, because she isn't willing to get outside of herself to see it.
so one night, they head upstairs to bed (they sleep in separate rooms... ya they aren't very tight) and the camera is facing them from behind as they head into their rooms.. she opens her door into a black, normal, quiet, cold bedroom... steps inside, shuts the door. he opens his door to a green field with a big tree in the distance, birds chirping, and a sun peaking over the distant hill...
i can't aptly describe it, but if you have a chance to see that movie....
also, i was asked the other day to join a facebook group of people boycotting 'golden compass..' though.. in my mind i remembered hearing somebody jokingly call it 'godless compass' ... which made me smile. needless to say, i joined that group, and immediately went out and bought 536 tickets to the opening night showing. and then i burned them all.
seriously, though, is there anybody better than james taylor at anything???
J
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
sing it again, sir, sing it again...
after about 2 weeks of fairly constant work at vocals and guitars for three songs, i'm forced to admit that it's all garbage, and will all need replacing.
in a way, there's nothing more frustrating, but in a way, it's a huge relief as well. i managed to do vocals for 3 songs at work the other night. i spent the week working on them, cleaning them up, comping, tuning, editing, and mixing to see how everything fit. the problem is that i get into a zone and i'll work for an entire night...but when i come back the next morning and listen again, i realize that the original source was just plain sub-par, and any amount of work just makes everything sound second-rate. something about the environment at work just gave me a hard time with pitch on the vocals... i was always scooping into everything or not even hitting my notes at all. as a result, i have to compensate by over-tuning, and the whole thing ends up sounding robotic and unnatural. anyway, when i'm in a situation like that where i'm having trouble with pitch, performance goes out the window and i just start singing for the pitch, waiting for the next note... which leaves the vocals sounding lifeless and unconvincing, no matter how in tune.
then on the weekend, i did guitars with the world's last true gentleman. matt had me down to track with his american tele. in the end, i was able to discover that my songs will, indeed, do well with some electric guitar, and that the energy boost is very welcome. similarily, however, upon arriving home and listening to everything we'd done the next morning, i was forced to conclude that i can't tune my way out of a wet paper bag, and all but one of our tracks was unusable (sorry matt!).
as i said, though, i'm taking this as a blessing. i came into this process intent on taking the time to get it right. when i'm in the heat of it, though, it becomes increasingly harder to not settle... i have such a desire to hear the end product that my mind is able to trick me into believing that something is 'good enough' in spite of the fact that, being honest with myself, i know i have better in me.
and so, i'll tear it all down. the vocals will all be redone, as will the electric guitars. i'll give these songs some time, though. i need a new perspective on them, because i'm starting to just listen to them as notes and chords, frequencies and time signatures, as opposed to thoughts and ideas.
i was back to writing last night. i'll work to have one more on its way by the time the holidays arrive. if time permits (and i'm hoping it does) i'll have the holidays to do drums, bass, and electrics to the 4 tunes throughout that week-or-so.
warmly, and with a carrot muffin in hand...
J
in a way, there's nothing more frustrating, but in a way, it's a huge relief as well. i managed to do vocals for 3 songs at work the other night. i spent the week working on them, cleaning them up, comping, tuning, editing, and mixing to see how everything fit. the problem is that i get into a zone and i'll work for an entire night...but when i come back the next morning and listen again, i realize that the original source was just plain sub-par, and any amount of work just makes everything sound second-rate. something about the environment at work just gave me a hard time with pitch on the vocals... i was always scooping into everything or not even hitting my notes at all. as a result, i have to compensate by over-tuning, and the whole thing ends up sounding robotic and unnatural. anyway, when i'm in a situation like that where i'm having trouble with pitch, performance goes out the window and i just start singing for the pitch, waiting for the next note... which leaves the vocals sounding lifeless and unconvincing, no matter how in tune.
then on the weekend, i did guitars with the world's last true gentleman. matt had me down to track with his american tele. in the end, i was able to discover that my songs will, indeed, do well with some electric guitar, and that the energy boost is very welcome. similarily, however, upon arriving home and listening to everything we'd done the next morning, i was forced to conclude that i can't tune my way out of a wet paper bag, and all but one of our tracks was unusable (sorry matt!).
as i said, though, i'm taking this as a blessing. i came into this process intent on taking the time to get it right. when i'm in the heat of it, though, it becomes increasingly harder to not settle... i have such a desire to hear the end product that my mind is able to trick me into believing that something is 'good enough' in spite of the fact that, being honest with myself, i know i have better in me.
and so, i'll tear it all down. the vocals will all be redone, as will the electric guitars. i'll give these songs some time, though. i need a new perspective on them, because i'm starting to just listen to them as notes and chords, frequencies and time signatures, as opposed to thoughts and ideas.
i was back to writing last night. i'll work to have one more on its way by the time the holidays arrive. if time permits (and i'm hoping it does) i'll have the holidays to do drums, bass, and electrics to the 4 tunes throughout that week-or-so.
warmly, and with a carrot muffin in hand...
J
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Jon and Jon
Vocals happened, and i think all is well... though, my body's natural reaction to listening back to my own voice is often something indescribable in which i partially close my right eye, draw my chin back into my neck, force my adam's apple forward and squint my eyes... to me, it seems that putting headphones on is the equivalent of detuning two out of three guitar tracks by 1/3 and 1/2 of a semitone respectively, and then playing them all together and telling me to sing on pitch.
i'll have a better idea where we stand after some chop-shop and comp work tonight.
it's worth heading over to www.jonmayer.com and reading through his blog section. that is a man who's understanding of music is something i pursue. equally exciting is the aggressiveness with which he pursues those aspects of music which he has yet to understand. just read it. it will forever change your opinion of him as a songwriter and musician. i also love how he shamelessly admits to adoring pop music, and making an honest effort to write the perfect 'pop' song. he's in no state of suspended reality... he knows it's a cash grab and a marketing miracle, so it's something he confronts with enthusiasm. he's found a way to push himself to unbelievable heights musically, and develop his craft beyond all of his peers, and then still turn around and put his own spin on a 3 minute single.
J
i'll have a better idea where we stand after some chop-shop and comp work tonight.
it's worth heading over to www.jonmayer.com and reading through his blog section. that is a man who's understanding of music is something i pursue. equally exciting is the aggressiveness with which he pursues those aspects of music which he has yet to understand. just read it. it will forever change your opinion of him as a songwriter and musician. i also love how he shamelessly admits to adoring pop music, and making an honest effort to write the perfect 'pop' song. he's in no state of suspended reality... he knows it's a cash grab and a marketing miracle, so it's something he confronts with enthusiasm. he's found a way to push himself to unbelievable heights musically, and develop his craft beyond all of his peers, and then still turn around and put his own spin on a 3 minute single.
J
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
..I still love you NY
Vocals and other intricacies are on the schedule for tonight. My boss has been kind enough to offer me the use of his rooms here at CTV to do what i need to do, and since CTV generally has a larger operating budget than i do, they tend to have better mics!! so it'll be vocals for 3 songs with a U87, and hopefully some type of backing/additional material for 2 or 3 songs using an edirol MIDI controller in conjunction with whatever we have here on tap as far as samplers go.
it's altogether possible that electric guitars will go down this weekend for the same three songs, which will bring everything around to a much closer version of what it will actually be.
by the by, kar and i are going to new york! (the city)
we decided we needed a vacation!!! kar will be just finished exams, and it'll be great to hop in the scoot and burn it to the coast for a few days in the apple. we'll take pics!
J
it's altogether possible that electric guitars will go down this weekend for the same three songs, which will bring everything around to a much closer version of what it will actually be.
by the by, kar and i are going to new york! (the city)
we decided we needed a vacation!!! kar will be just finished exams, and it'll be great to hop in the scoot and burn it to the coast for a few days in the apple. we'll take pics!
J
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
'demos' t beautiful sounds can be heard at...
for those interested, you can pop on over to www.myspace.com/jonbartelmusic. i'll use that space to post new snippets, demos, and finished songs every now and then as i put the pieces of this record together.
if, however, you're the type who prefers to experience the joy and surprise of hearing a new batch of songs for the first time on the release date, immediately after spending 20 minutes attempting to, and finally succeeding at, removing the plastic shrink wrap from the case, then by all means, avoid that page like the plague, and we'll talk in a few months!
J
if, however, you're the type who prefers to experience the joy and surprise of hearing a new batch of songs for the first time on the release date, immediately after spending 20 minutes attempting to, and finally succeeding at, removing the plastic shrink wrap from the case, then by all means, avoid that page like the plague, and we'll talk in a few months!
J
Monday, December 3, 2007
I've started work on a new record. It's been an exciting process thus far. It's been such a long time since i've really written and worked on my own music. Sometime shortly after moving to waterloo, i came to realize that i hadn't done much 'creating' in the past few years, and my last attempt at musical creation was during the Bethany days, long before i officially joined the audio workforce or even went to school to study in this type of thing.
It's been a fantastic experience, and i've enjoyed the complete lack of pressure surrounding the whole thing. I've been able to do things at my own pace and in my own way, quirks and all. i've taken to putting songs together as they come, and i've put an effort towards being very aware of myself... which is to say... in the past, i would sit down with a pen and paper in one hand, a guitar in the other, and 'decide' to bang out a song. these days, i'm spending a lot of time listening to my own mind, jotting down thoughts and ideas, forming strings of lyrics throughout the day, and putting them together when the timing fits. to be honest, the concept of writing lyrics first, and adding music second is completely new to me, but i love the way it works. melding lyrics to music allows me to put undiluted thought into what i'm saying, and how i present my ideas. adding music allows me to come up with sounds on guitar that suit my thoughts, that 'make sense' with the direction i'm going. As well, it puts an inherent focus on melody, because indefinitly, i have to spend time making the lyrics fit into some sort of timing structure, and as such, the melodies are always being challenged.
soooo... the sound will be a (hopefully) more grown-up version of my previous self. i remain primarily acoustic, as it's my primary writing tool, but i'm sure i'll find the odd opportunity to sneek in a friend's tele (electric). one might say that i actually learned how to play guitar since my last record (chuckle chuckle).. which is to say that stacked against my former self, i would pick my current self 10 times out of 10 (though stacked against the plethora of players i might call influences, i'd find my current self stairing at my shoes like the chubby kid in gym class). there will be drums, or samples, or neither, or both, but most likely both. i have 3 songs well on the go already, and i'm pleasantly surprised to find that there are heaps of vocal tracks filling out each track.. i've spent a lot of time listening to music critically over the past few years, trying to figure out exactly what makes me like certain bands.. the answers vary, but the usual suspects tend to be lots of overlapping and layered vocal lines with great harmonies, energy shifts from section to section, and destination.. meaning that the songs go somewhere. here's hoping we'll get there with this record! :)
if i were to jot down the records that have found their way into my player the most over the past 2 years, the list would likely be graced with names like James Taylor, John Mayer and Jimmy Eat World. So if you picture James Taylors 'down-home-ishness', and John Mayer's 'everything-but-blues-ishness' and Jimmy Eat World's 'structure and layered melodic goodness-ishness' all getting together for an evening coffee on a clear winter night, you'd be headed in the right direction.
i presume production will last for several months yet, as the process is, as i said, unrushed and 'by inspiration'. recording will happen at my place, partially at home in Leamington (drums, bass) and at work (CTV). mixing to follow at CTV, mastering location TBD, manufacturing TBD, distribution TBD.
i'll keep you posted!!! I'm excited... hope you guys are too!!
J
It's been a fantastic experience, and i've enjoyed the complete lack of pressure surrounding the whole thing. I've been able to do things at my own pace and in my own way, quirks and all. i've taken to putting songs together as they come, and i've put an effort towards being very aware of myself... which is to say... in the past, i would sit down with a pen and paper in one hand, a guitar in the other, and 'decide' to bang out a song. these days, i'm spending a lot of time listening to my own mind, jotting down thoughts and ideas, forming strings of lyrics throughout the day, and putting them together when the timing fits. to be honest, the concept of writing lyrics first, and adding music second is completely new to me, but i love the way it works. melding lyrics to music allows me to put undiluted thought into what i'm saying, and how i present my ideas. adding music allows me to come up with sounds on guitar that suit my thoughts, that 'make sense' with the direction i'm going. As well, it puts an inherent focus on melody, because indefinitly, i have to spend time making the lyrics fit into some sort of timing structure, and as such, the melodies are always being challenged.
soooo... the sound will be a (hopefully) more grown-up version of my previous self. i remain primarily acoustic, as it's my primary writing tool, but i'm sure i'll find the odd opportunity to sneek in a friend's tele (electric). one might say that i actually learned how to play guitar since my last record (chuckle chuckle).. which is to say that stacked against my former self, i would pick my current self 10 times out of 10 (though stacked against the plethora of players i might call influences, i'd find my current self stairing at my shoes like the chubby kid in gym class). there will be drums, or samples, or neither, or both, but most likely both. i have 3 songs well on the go already, and i'm pleasantly surprised to find that there are heaps of vocal tracks filling out each track.. i've spent a lot of time listening to music critically over the past few years, trying to figure out exactly what makes me like certain bands.. the answers vary, but the usual suspects tend to be lots of overlapping and layered vocal lines with great harmonies, energy shifts from section to section, and destination.. meaning that the songs go somewhere. here's hoping we'll get there with this record! :)
if i were to jot down the records that have found their way into my player the most over the past 2 years, the list would likely be graced with names like James Taylor, John Mayer and Jimmy Eat World. So if you picture James Taylors 'down-home-ishness', and John Mayer's 'everything-but-blues-ishness' and Jimmy Eat World's 'structure and layered melodic goodness-ishness' all getting together for an evening coffee on a clear winter night, you'd be headed in the right direction.
i presume production will last for several months yet, as the process is, as i said, unrushed and 'by inspiration'. recording will happen at my place, partially at home in Leamington (drums, bass) and at work (CTV). mixing to follow at CTV, mastering location TBD, manufacturing TBD, distribution TBD.
i'll keep you posted!!! I'm excited... hope you guys are too!!
J
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