This was just a fun song in so many ways. National news has always been a good source for ideas and material and Cut the Fat takes it all and smashes it into a kaleidoscope of political slogans to irrational fears. In the recording I got everyone including neighbors, my kids and other relatives to sing and read news sections. My wife Ellen did a quick run on the vocals to get a feel of the timing. We never recorded another take.
Posts Tagged ‘#guitar’
Cut the Fat MSK 1995
Posted: June 6, 2023 in PoetryTags: #alesisadat, #artists, #audio, #guitar, #lyrics, #michaelskennedy, #midicontroller, #midimike, #midimike.com, #music, #musician, #personal, #poem, #poet, #poetry, #poetrypod, #politicaldivision, #politics, #recording, #singersongwriter, #songwriter, #sound, #vocalist
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Bookin’ MSK 1984
Posted: March 28, 2023 in #poetry, PoetryTags: #arpodyssey, #atari, #audio, #bass, #guitar, #lyrics, #michaelskennedy, #Midi, #midicontroller, #mididrums, #midimike, #midimike.com, #music, #musician, #personal, #poetry, #recording, #songwriter, #sound, #synthesizer, #vocalist
This song was originally a vocal jam to a new synth bass line I came up with using a sound I created on my Arp Odyssey. It just had a good tempo and a nice feel, so I called it the big ‘D’ jam. (yep, it is in the key of D). The vocal scat became repeated lyrics and the song became one of my first original contributions to the duo and later a trio I formed with my brother in law Ric Ahlers called ‘The Personal Touch’. Later I would use that section of the lyrics for an updated piece I called “Bookin’”, cause the is the main feeling when I drive and listen to the song. Not sure anymore what the lyrics are about. I know something about observations of beautiful women pretending to be unapproachable. What do you expect from 1984, George?
Music for “Reflections”
Posted: March 25, 2023 in My TunesTags: #cdbaby, #enemiesinyourhead, #guitar, #keyboard, #keyboardplayers, #lyrics, #michaelskennedy, #Midi, #midicontroller, #midimike, #midimike.com, #music, #musician, #perigee, #personal, #poetry, #recording, #recordingstudio, #singer, #singersongwriter, #songwriter
A little while ago I posted a poem called “Reflections”. I recently turned the poem into lyrics.
This might be a good time to detail my recording process a bit. As I write and record my own songs, I am trying (in my mind) to create a working demo of the song. Something you can listen to and get a good idea of the song and it’s potential if performed and/or recorded by an established band or artist. Because I play most of the instruments on my recordings and I do most of the singing, I know there is a lot of room for improvement. I am not the best guitarist, pianist, or vocalist around, but I write really good songs. I get them ‘good enough’ and then I move on to the next song I am writing or to the next project I am working on.
When I post my songs they are fresh from the mixing board and have not been edited and cleaned up like a formal studio version. As with my new release on CDBaby called, “The Enemies in Your Head”, the versions available on-line through Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Youtube Music, Pandora and the rest have been mixed but also mastered to make them sound a bit more professional.
“Reflections” will be on my next release, but if you use any of the services above and dozens more, you can listen to my music by searching for my name or CD names.
Hint: If you search for Michael Kennedy you will probably not find me. There are a lot of us!
If you do an artist search for Michael S ——- or —– Michael S. Kennedy you will see my releases. They are available for download and the entire CD sounds better streaming after the mastering process.
Any way, here is “Reflections”, hot off the press.
MIDIMike
The Definition of Insanity
Posted: February 18, 2023 in Opinions and ObservationsTags: #artists, #drummer, #foodforthought, #guitar, #insanity, #michaelskennedy, #midimike, #midimike.com, #music, #musician, #painters, #performers, #personal, #practice, #sculptors, #songwriter, #vocalist
It is true.
The definition of insanity IS doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Doing something over and over while improving and perfecting is the definition of musicianship (or artistry in general).
Give your local artist a hug. They are the sane ones.
Practice does not make perfect: Perfect practice makes perfect.
Barely Perceptible MSK 2004
Posted: February 14, 2023 in #poetry, PoetryTags: #audio, #bass, #guitar, #lyrics, #michaelskennedy, #Midi, #midicontroller, #mididrums, #midimike, #midimike.com, #music, #musician, #personal, #poem, #poet, #poetry, #poetrypod, #recording, #songwriter, #sound
A hard and simple look at the chances most people never have, even though choices are everywhere. Even still, thinking no chance will ever really come, we continue on. Friends would ask me to do some audio gig or help them get their gear set up. More than a few were acting as if they were in debt to me and owed me a big favor. That is where I came up with the first two lines. Then it was clear that for many chances would be rare, but sadistically many are available to others. The best chances you will ever get are Barely Perceptible.
Music for Pet the Cat
Posted: January 20, 2023 in My TunesTags: #cats, #guitar, #lyrics, #Martinguitars, #michaelskennedy, #Midi, #mididrums, #midimike, #midimike.com, #music, #musician, #pets, #poem, #poetry, #poetrypod, #poetrytolyrics, #recording, #songwriter
I mentioned in my first Poetry Pod that I turned the lyrics of my Pet the Cat poem into a song. I had a good time recording this one and tried to make it fun for kids to listen to. Maybe on a rainy day you will sing this song as you pet your cat, or dog, or frog.
Here is Pet the Cat for your family entertainment.
Trance
Posted: November 3, 2022 in My Tunes, PoetryTags: #guitar, #lyrics, #Martinguitars, #meditation, #michaelskennedy, #midimike, #midimike.com, #music, #musician, #poetry, #recording, #singersongwriter, #songwriter, #StudioOne5, #vocalist, MIDI
I want to share with you my latest 24 hour song. Written, recorded and mixed in one day. This is “Trance”.
It seems to me
This is the place to be.
Outside everything
Inside nothing
In a
Trance
In a
Trance
It seems to me
This is the place to be.
Outside everything
Inside nothing
Internal Glance
Brain Dance
Another Chance
In a Trance
Outside everything
Inside nothing
UnPredictable
Posted: August 29, 2022 in MUSIC, Opinions and Observations, PoetryTags: #guitar, #jayaronoff, #localbands, #lyrics, #Mara, #michaelskennedy, #midimike, #midimike.com, #music, #musician, #personal, #poetry, #recording, #songwriter, #sound, #stanaronoff, #UnPredictable
A common topic shared on this platform as I reach 70 years old.
Another friend of mine has died unexpectedly. He was ten years younger than me. My posts have bragged about the people I have met over the years, and he is one of the special ones. Jay Aronoff truly loved music…. in all it’s forms, but he made it his own. Life had it’s struggles but he always had time for good friends.
Son of former Ohio Senator Stan Aronoff but he chose his own path. I met him when I worked at a local music store chain. I managed the store and he was a guitar instructor. Even when he was not in a lesson, the guitar was strapped around his shoulder and he encouraged impromptu renditions of our favorite prog-rock songs. He was easy to love.
Jay was stunned I had never had a cup of coffee. He persisted until I had my first and only cup of coffee with him. It wasn’t that bad but not as good as the smell of fresh ground coffee in the old grocery stores so I decided to stick with tea!
I did a video of Jay’s band Mara performing live. My wife Ellen and I did all the camera work on two separate nights, and I did the post production video and timing by ear. In memory of Jay Aronoff, here are links to that video filmed in 1988:
I also have some lyrics to share with all who knew Jay, and those who know me:
This is all Unpredictable
The end to a terrible day.
A phone call from another friend;
This would be the last day with Jay.
He was a very special soul
Who bound so many together.
I thought he’d be the one
To remember us forever.
Jay had his demons to face
I’m sure he faced many alone.
None of that matters today
Because from now on, Jay is gone.
This is all UnPredictable
The cruelty cannot be more clear
This would be the last day with Jay.
So I raised another glass of beer.
This is all UnPredictable
The cruelty cannot be more clear
This would be the last day with Jay.
So I raised a glass of beer.
Michael K
The Chase looking for a vocalist
Posted: August 17, 2021 in Live Sound Reinforcement Series, MUSIC, projectsTags: #bass, #creed, #guitar, #jamesfidelli, #jimihendrix, #keyboardplayers, #Liveband, #livesoundreinforement, #localbands, #metallica, #michaelskennedy, #midimike, #midimike.com, #petergabriel, #queen, #redhouse, #stonecoldcrazy, #thechase, #vintage recordings
Continuing on in this series, the cover band I performed with is trying out new vocalists. Fortunately I record often and want to share with you some of the live performances during this time with The Chase. The songs were performed by James Fidelli and he also played a bit of electric rhythm guitar.
What You Want
Posted: October 30, 2020 in Midi Series, MUSICTags: #guitar, #Ibanez, #michaelskennedy, #Midi, #midicontroller, #midimike, #midimike.com, #original songs, #Presonus, #singersongwriter, #studio, #studioengineer, #StudioOne5, #vocalist, #Yamaha
I have a rough version of a new song called “What You Want”. Well, it is called that now because I put lyrics to it from an earlier Lyric Post.
This is a tune using an old Yamaha drum machine I recently became caretaker of. I set up a nice but simple drum pattern using my Alesis MIDI drum pad and recording again in Studio One 5 by Presonus. I am using the internal sounds in Studio One 5 to play the bass guitar parts, triggered by an M-Audio MIDI keyboard I got with the drum machine and some other cool toys.
After the beat was down and feeling a bit more fun to play with, I added the two guitar parts using my Ibanez electric guitar. I recorded two tracks but instead of hooking up my amplifier and all my pedals, I plugged straight into the mixingboard so it would go direct-out to my computer input.
I used one of the many plug-ins included with Studio One 5 to add effects to the guitar. The built in guitar tuner plug-in is also really handy and I like the way it operates. So no need to connect to a tuner after each practice take. Each guitar track used the same plug-in but set to different guitar effects.
I am working on adding vocals but for now here is “What You Want”.
MidiMike 