Wednesday, March 11, 2009

podcasts

working on a solution that would allow for getting audio up here... or up somewhere... in something closer to the original quality of the recording. all signs point to blogspot as being a short-lived solution. stay tuned!

this podcast idea might be fun.. more to come (audio-style)

since when does everything have to follow format, right? i think we're past the point where i have to release records with artwork and tshirts in order to have a musically fulfilling life. there's too many other options. I like the idea of combining my love of music with my love of recording. throw in my exposure to the best gear in the business, and we've got a winner. i'm thinking about a more open, discussion-based thing. i really like a lot of what happens on CBC 1. cmon in, play a few tunes, talk about the writing process, what the songs mean, etc. it's so much more interesting to hear it from the artists than it is to read it on the cover of the record. and who doesn't like well produced live music right?

failsafe.


JB

Monday, March 9, 2009

Audio Blog #1

Hey guys.

Welcome to audio blog #1!! I was thinking it'd be fun to start using the media options at hand to make this a bit more interesting. Check out the vid for some thoughts and a new song. I apologize... it isn't really a vid. Just a pic, and some audio. Should still do the job.

For the audio geeks, the track was recorded as follows. A Neumann D01 and a Neumann KM185D made up a Mid-Side stereo pair at about the 12th fret. The vocal mic is a new Neumann KMS104D, a prototype handheld we've been test driving. All 3 mics are solution-D digitals. Check'em out!!

Engineering credit: Michael Nunan.

Credit for horrible fidelity on converted media: Blogger.com

I'll Show You Battle Studies

Alright, so I'm not sure if any of you are following John Mayer these days. He's doing this thing called 'Battle Studies'. If you go to www.johnmayer.com, he's got a blog going that he's regularly updating with pics and vids and everything that's going into making his new record. It's a totally cool experiment designed to make the whole process transparent. The whole idea being that a clearly commercial endeavor becomes more of a 'together' experience, where we all get to have a bit of a part in it as it goes along.

So, I'm not yet working on a new record, per se. Just new songs. New ideas that will someday become something, I'm sure. But I like the idea. So stick around. Tonight, I'm going in to record a new track. It's called 'I've Got This Road'. It's going down straight to tape. Well.. straight to binary. The point being, we're gonna do it in a one take run. 3 mics, one guitar, one voice. Time to figure out where I stand as a player.... Incidentally, it's also a good excuse to test drive a new Neumann Digital we just got in. This one's a handheld, with something like a U87 capsule. We were playing with it the other day, and she sounds warm.

The song'll be up here, so check back.

More to come!

JB

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Playlist

Playlist: 'Thought Music'
Created: 'March 5, 2009'

Peter Bradley Adams - Los Angeles
Jimmy Eat World - 12.23.95
Alexi Murdoch - Orange Sky
Goo Goo Dolls - Acoustic #3
Damien Rice - Dogs
Copeland - You Have My Attention
George Strait - I Saw God Today
The Get Up Kids - Hannah Hold On
Glen Hansard/Marketa Irglove - Falling Slowly
Howard Shore/Annie Lennox - Into The West
Jimmy Whitfield - Here's To Closure
Iron & Wine - Naked As We Come
Dave Matthews Band - Grace Is Gone
Jimmy Eat World - My Sundown
Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm
James Taylor - Enough To Be On Your Way
Nickel Creek - Doubting Thomas
Jimmy Eat World - For Me This Is Heaven
Moxy Fruvous - Gulf War Song
The New Amsterdams - Hanging On For Hope
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
John Mayer - Wheel
Norah Jones - Humble Me
The Roosevelts - Your Song
James Taylor - September Grass
Switchfoot - This Is Your Life
U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name (Live)
Jack's Mannequin - Rescued

Hey Bud

I'm starting to think that you're not allowed to work at TSN unless you call everybody 'bud'.

"Thanks for the tapes bud."
"Hey, nice work on that NHL Radio mix bud!"
"How's it going today bud?"

Bud is completely different than Buddy.

"Hey buddy," says, 'hey person who's companionship I enjoy.... hey friend who I think of as my peer and my equal..'

"Hey bud" says, 'hello small child who I consider to be my inferior and who I'm attempting to shepherd through a quaint new phase in this terrifying world of grownups to which I belong and in which I excel due to my superiority when viewed in comparison with you..'

Guys who say "Hey bud.." are a special breed. They play in rec sports leagues every Thursday night and drive cars like Jeeps, with the doors off in the summer.

JB

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Band

Hey guys,

Had a first rehearsal today with a buddy in Waterloo in the hopes of getting a band together to play live. Man, it was a great thing to be playing with other guys again. Well.. other guy in this case. Which is the point of this note:

I'm in need of a second guitar player, and a bass guitar player. Holler if you, or somebody you know, might be interested. Gigs would be in the Toronto/Waterloo area.

Talk soon,

JB