#inspiration | MidiMike

Posts Tagged ‘#inspiration’

Nothing Comes For Free!

Posted: November 30, 2016 in My Tunes
Tags: # mixer, #audio, #creative, #guitar, #inspiration, #keyboard, #life, #music, #musician, #personal, #political, #politics, #recording, #recordingstudio, #song, #songwriter, #studio, #studioengineer, #truth, #vocalist, #vocals, #writer, #writing

I’ve admitted in earlier posts that I observe people a lot, and that I get a number of ideas for songs from watching other people; friends, family, co-workers, I steal from them all! I can empathize with people as they face challenges and triumphs in life. I try to understand what it feels like to be in those situations even though I myself might not be directly affected by them.

I also have some rather obvious political points of view. I can understand why there are those that do not always agree with my positions but in many cases I can still understand theirs. In this song I basically insult every group I can think of! As you are more than likely in at least one of these groups I apologize in advance. In a lot of ways, this song summarizes the items on my Love – Hate list. I hate things that should work but do not, and I really hate personal and corporate greed. The song uses a lot of references to things we would hear on the news, although it was written a long time ago. Unfortunately most of the issues are the same today!

Recording this song took a LONG time. We did rough mixes here and there changing this or that, but it did not feel right from beginning to end. Eventually, I think we rearranged some of the chorus/verse structure and it just fell into place. For some songs this is the agonizing part; all the components are there and sound good, but the piece as a whole just does not grab you. I might have even tried changing tempo on this one to get it right.

If this is not the first song I did using my new Alesis ADAT recorder it was one of the first. I was also transitioning from the Atari computer to a Windows machine, so not everything went smoothly! I played electric guitar on this one (I have a few guitars and do not know which one was used for each song but my guess this is either my Ibanez or a Yamaha 6 string) and did all the sequencing and drum tracks as described earlier. My wife does the vocal main lines. Using the limiter/compressor chain I described from other songs the vocals are recorded so they stay soft and spooky and a little eerie as the lyrics become more and more cynical. A bunch of family and friends came in and did the voice add-ons. You can hear both our daughters, my co-writing brother and a few neighbors help out with the spoken parts. I ‘sing’ the chorus.

The bass line in this one is particularly cool because it is my Oberheim Matrix 6 synth and it has this patch or sound that continues to play an arpeggio (sequence of predetermined notes) as long as you hold a key down. So the bass lines are done by holding one note for a while but hearing many notes played. We even got to play with one of the audio samplers from the music store and used it to trigger the ‘broken word’ parts. Once we got the arrangement right it was just fun to ‘decorate’ the basic tracks and add a little movement to the mix. Have fun with this one.

“UNCHANGING MOON”

Posted: October 27, 2016 in My Tunes
Tags: #creative, #inspiration, #lyrics, #music, #musician, #personal, #photography, #poem, #poetry, #song, #songwriter, #story, #writer, #writing

MSK Moon 1

Another song of mine from the year 1988. This was a time of emotion and passion. Learning and truly seeing things for the first time. Life still ahead but so much of it spinning past me out of control. In many ways the perspective is what makes our feelings push us the way they do. The moon to some can be magical and inspiring – to others it can be bitter and unyielding. Often the battles of the day do not end once the new morning arrives. We often wake up to face the same struggles and disappointments that devoured the day before. Reflective, introspective, in many ways bewilderment and confusion, yet we still need to continue and choices must be made. All too often the choices have already been made and we are forced to face the consequences; alone.

That was pretty easy,

Rings of fire spinning ‘round.

What is it that you see,

Watching the candle burn down?

Never start to finish,

Rather try to succeed.

Don’t try to understand,

But consider what you need.

Smiling, empty faces,

A swelling darkness of fear.

What is it that you see

Trapped behind each falling tear?

CHORUS: Power, Passion,

Colors in tune.

Freezing, Bitter:

Unchanging Moon.

Today’s the beginning

When morning takes to flight.

Tomorrow’s the ending,

Without rescue from the fight.

CHORUS: Power, Passion,

Colors in tune.

Freezing, Bitter:

Unchanging Moon.

Power, Passion,

Colors in tune.

Freezing, Bitter:

Unchanging Moon.

First To Fall

Posted: October 19, 2016 in Photography, Poetry
Tags: #inspiration, #life, #nature, #personal, #photo, #photography, #poem, #poetry, #writer, #writing

msk-2016-0840

First To Fall (C) MSK 9-24-2016

We are the first to fall

Silent signal to you all.

Summer is over; winter comes

Beauty of spring is now undone.

We are the first to fall

Those who listened for the call.

The song continues; season strums

Cycles end as they’ve begun.

We are the first to fall

Summon our young and let’s withdrawl

Leaves change colors; turn to crumbs

Stories told for years to come.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Influenced By All Of You!

Posted: August 1, 2016 in Opinions and Observations, Uncategorized
Tags: #audio, #inspiration, #inspire, #love, #lyrics, #motivation, #music, #musician, #personal, #poetry, #recording, #singer, #song, #songwriter, #sound, #story, #writer

There is a joke, not much of a joke really, but a saying that describes a point of view we too often have in the United States:

Question:

What do you call it when you speak two languages?

Answer:

Bi-lingual.

Question:

What do you call it when you speak several languages?

Answer:

Multi-lingual.

Question:

What do you call it if you speak one language?

Answer:

American.

As you can see it is not really funny and not really a joke, but I use this often to remind myself how different our decisions and thoughts can be depending on perspective or point of view. I was delighted with the response to my recent poem entitled “Hearts of Stone“. (…..Actually, I initially titled it “Where You Live”. As mentioned before I am not good at naming my own songs. My daughter Alisa – and partner in the success of this blog – correctly suggested I change the title). I wanted to give you a bit of history to this poem as it was actually inspired by follower comments. All of which I read and respond to – not as quickly as I like but I try to get to them all as I truly appreciate the time and thoughts from so many people.

I have often mentioned that I am thankful for access and exposure to thoughts and feedback around the globe. It helps open my eyes to things I would not normally consider. Creative people all over the world are represented here and it is amazing what an impact you have had on me and my writings. A while back I posted a question about what was your first concert. While many responses were very cool, some responded they were not allowed to have huge concerts in their country. This struck me deeply. First; as a callous question from an arrogant blogger who takes life for granted. We often complain about politics or taxes and a million other things in the US and other countries but we have a choice. We may not get our way but we can voice our opinion and discuss our thoughts openly. This is not true everywhere. Secondly: it drove this arrogant blogger to think about how many things we take for granted every day. So I tried to look around my little piece of the world from another point of view.

The first line is kind of an inside joke and would easily be understood by people that live in places line my town. We often have cloudy – hazy skies most of the time and it gets so bad that the traffic reports have to remind us what that big bright thing in the sky is on sunny days! Often at night we do not see stars and frequently miss the experiences of full moons or eclipses. The rest of the poem tries to reflect the things humans might notice looking at their world. Some are glorious and beautiful and worth celebrating while other things are tragic and unimaginable to ‘outsiders’.

I have read the words in this poem many times since posting the poem on MIDIMike and a melody keeps creeping into my subconscious when I repeat them. In the same line as the global inspiration for the lyrics, the melody and arrangement is not my ‘normal’ style. I may be the only one that likes it, but I cannot get rid of it. I will be finished putting this poem to music soon, but to be forewarned it is not a replica of my past works and musical pieces. It is my thanks to all of you. It is a sharing. It is an apology for not keeping my mind open to others. It is a simple reflection from deep inside. It is an invitation to continuing communications that will bring different cultures and peoples together. If we cannot communicate we are doomed.

I will post as a song as soon as I have a decent recording of what has been spiraling inside my head.

Click Here to read the original poem.

Simple Minds and Double Standards

Posted: September 25, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
Tags: #creative, #inspiration, #life, #logical, #motivation, #observation, #personal, #story, #truth, #work, #writer, #writing

In another time long ago, I made my living in injected molded plastics. Long history but the memory I told a co-worker the other day was worth posting. As you probably guess, I am not a conformist. I have a hard time understanding why simple things are done wrong and I have a nasty habit of pointing it out sometimes.

As a supervisor of a night shift crew, we manufactured large panels of plastic for assembly in auto plants. The machine operators were opening huge metal doors, pulling out heavy molded plastic panels and would trim excess plastic with blades and pack the parts in boxes, to be taken away by other busy bees.

When I started working there, I watched what they were doing for a long time. I had time and motion training from the old days and I was really curious. One night, I went to the machine operator with a tall stool. I suggested he do a few changes in the layout and process and suggested he sit on the stool to be more comfortable. He responded well to my suggestions but told me he could not sit down. I stopped for a second and asked why. He was told the could not sit down at his station. When I asked the long of it – the owner/manager did not think you could work hard if you were sitting down. I pondered this for a few days.

Then the following week on the evening shift I went into the offices and took out all the chairs and put them in the warehouse. When asked about the incident I replied that I thought I was doing as instructed and making the company more efficient since I was informed that you cannot work hard sitting down.

In retrospect, I should have been fired and should have thought of that possibility, I did not. But the next day there were tall stools by each of the molding machines.

Port Hole

Posted: September 8, 2015 in Poetry
Tags: #create, #creative, #creativity, #inspiration, #inspire, #life, #love, #lyrics, #observation, #personal, #poem, #poetry, #story, #writer

Sitting on the edge of a rainbow

Waiting for the storm to appear.

Thunder rolls toward vast blue skies

The rain follows soon: it is here.

Thick dark clouds swallowing the sun

Icy winds twist your thoughts each day.

Boundless distance: forgotten time

Watch as the stars begin to play.

I got hit by lightning

Just the other day.

The Port Hole opened,

And I couldn’t look away.

It called my name.

Every now and then

We see eye to eye.

The Port Hole opens

With no chance to say goodbye.

You called my name.

100th Post – Reflection

Posted: August 31, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
Tags: #creativity, #inspiration, #inspire, #journey, #life, #love, #lyrics, #motivation, #musician, #observation, #opportunity, #personal, #poetry, #songwriter, #story, #thanks, #truth, #writer

Here is the thing; IT happens. LIFE happens. Doors open. Doors lock. Time is too short. Reinforcements too late. People are nice. People are mean. Nature Is beautiful. Nature is deadly. You can look at this post as poetry or preaching. A waste of time or a gold mine. These events WILL happen. They will happen to you. They will happen to someone you know. Each will occur during good times and terrible ones. The optimist and the others have their answers and their advice. Here is mine; These events will happen – prepare for them. That means back up plans for the back up plans in some situations but also taking advantage of the opportunity. I am an opportunist.

To follow our past conversation, we all want those that have succeeded to reach out and help struggling artists. I am suggesting here that we are helped all the time, but too often we are not prepared to actually hear or understand the message. We need to be prepared and look for the opening door, because it will happen. It happens all the time. As I read great articles and poems, learn of projects and accomplishments and all the comments from this blogging community I KNOW people are encouraging others all the time. We share struggles and that helps others prepare, because it will happen. I just wanted to give you some idea of how impressed I am with so many intelligent and caring people I hear from every day in comments and your posts. I count my blessings. Cheers!

A Small Token…

Posted: August 25, 2015 in My Tunes
Tags: #12string, #acoustic, #appreciation, #audio, #create, #creative, #creativity, #guitar, #inspiration, #inspire, #life, #love, #lyrics, #motivation, #music, #musician, #performer, #personal, #poetry, #recording, #retro, #singer, #song, #songwriter, #sound, #story, #thank you, #thanks, #vocalist, #vocals, #writer

Thank you, thank you, thank you! For the next few days I’ll be offering all of my blog friends a free download of my song “Miracles In Your Hand“ off of my upcoming EP, “Before The Chase.” I have been struggling to find a proper way to thank you all for your support and encouragement over the past year. I was very close to throwing in the towel, but I started this blog and thanks to all of you and your kind words, I’ve been motivated to keep pushing forward. As I watch this year’s calendar fill with major events and milestones, there are usually small celebrations here and there. At each one I am not only surprised at the positive response and friendships created, but also by the amazing amount of talent and creativity this community produces. Please stop by and add this original song (Click here – Miracles in Your Hand) to your personal libraries as part of my continued appreciation for all you have done to support and spread my works.

After a break-up some of these lyrics just poured out. Seeing the same thing and coming to opposite conclusions. Having an early exposure to poetry first, I try to keep those ideas reflected in many of the songs I write. The chorus was an idea I had been playing with lyrically for a while and it seemed to immediately fit with the loss described in the verses. What would you do if you held a miracle in YOUR hand? What if that couldn’t save you?

“Miracles In Your Hand” (c) MSK

A reason is such a small thing,

Can’t you give me one?

Seems to me you were holding out,

Were you really just holding on?

The things we did won’t mean a thing,

The memories drift away.

The things you said hang in the air,

Like a light that will not fade.

CH: You’re alive one day with miracles in your hand,

Then you’re heading for a wall, drivin’ fast as you can.

I settled down uneasy, I’m just waiting for tomorrow to come.

When the answers seem so distant,

Questions lose their fun.

You thought that I was shutting up,

I was really just shutting down.

It’s time we found the meaning,

In the games we have made.

And a reason makes the difference,

When the last trick must be played.

CH: You’re alive one day with miracles in your hand,

Then you’re heading for a wall, drivin’ fast as you can.

I settled down uneasy, I’m just waiting for tomorrow to come.

Caught My Ear

Posted: August 24, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
Tags: #audio, #band, #creative, #creativity, #dreams, #friendship, #genres, #influence, #inspiration, #inspire, #love, #lyrics, #music, #musician, #performance, #performer, #performers, #personal, #retro, #singer, #song, #Song review, #sound, #story, #video, #vocalist, #vocals, #writer

Thank you so much to everyone who participated so far in my “Who Do You Love” post. There were some very interesting lessons as I collected and listened to the recommended songs that have influenced us over the years. I say us intentionally. You are the best group of people I have never worked with!! LOL. I mean that in a kind way. It is easier for some people to develop good relationships with some one they work with or “serve” with. The bonds can last a life time. We do not have that work platform, but the friendships made here are also very strong.

I was equally surprised by two things: 1) I knew a lot of these songs and bands and 2) I didn’t know a lot of these bands and songs!! It took me a long time to go through them all. But there are some gems in here. Many are the best of their category – NOT necessarily the most popular or the one with the most airplay. I encourage you to look deeper into comments as I will not list them all here again, but I want to point out a number of them that caught my ear. A lot of your suggestions were passionate and you can tell there is a lot of history and emotional connections in the lists. Here are just a few – but again not a complete list of the gems you suggested. Please continue to post your musical influences. I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from your suggestions. I hope others get a kick out of these too! IN NO ORDER WHATSOEVER

Active Child – what a range the vocalist has. Unusual set of musical toys, and lyrical themes and vocal textures blend into a unique soundscape. They create a house and invite you in. Well worth the visit.

Switchfoot – “Hello Hurricane”, This is a clean sounding song. Well recorded and mixed. Driving beats and vocal power that can be smooth and open. Good blends in harmonies. Good energy and I like the ay the song builds at a slow pace.

Jon Foreman – The Wonderlands. Here is another great blending artist. Nice harmonies and the background music surprises with different arrangements and instrumentation. Very good dynamics. Addictive style that is pleasant and easy to relate to.

Bat for Lashes – Laura is a great example of this artist’s prowess. She quickly sets up the mood and the tone and then lays the lyrics on you with vocals that seem to have more control than humanly possible and enough emotion to cause global warming.

For raw power with a message it is hard to beat La Dispute. Combining a number of styles into a passionate assortment of lyric driven songs. A speaking style not trying to be rap that works very well for this group. Great driving music for a long trip.

I have to mention this because it was cool from an historical point:

https://ahigherrevelation.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/triple-js-20-years-of-hottest-100-countdown-what-did-i-vote-for/

I was really fascinated to check out Barclay James Harvest. These guys are right up my ancient alley and I have never heard of them. I know this might not be the most popular suggestion the community has suggested, but they cover all the progressive territory of other bands I am familiar with. Some of the video clips from around 1979 are out there and worth an evening or two.

I had heard Ed Sheeran before, but wasn’t that familiar with his works. Nice variety, works on a good image – that is a good guy image and it comes of very well for him. He tries to add variety and the songs are great. It was definitely worth my time digging more into his songs and videos. Great voice. Solid music and production.

Kate Nash – Nicest Thing. I can see why this is a favorite. The style is intentionally out there and it has the sneaky ability to pull you in instead. When you can make comfortable and eerie blend perfectly you have a great emotional landscape play in. She calls this her territory and of course the lyrics pull you right into the main theme. Good call.

City & Color – As Much As I Ever Could is another great example of a band that has it all. The vocals are outstanding and his control is impressive. Lyrics are fine and fit the ballad style of this song. Band dynamics are worked out by what seems to be magic. Harmonies kick in and punch it for added tension and for me the keyboards are a great touch.

Dave Koz’s tunes are cool jams and the performers are all top notch. You don’t have to be a genius to get into their grooves as well. Slick mix production. If it is time to sit back and enjoy, take in a few of these live performances and watch the players do some cool stuff.

Ian Carr’s Nucleus – Roots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Cu5TJm0GI This is a great progressive jazz. Maybe an acquired taste for some but worth checking out for the chops and creative jamming.
Frankie Beverly’s Raw Soul – I Need You: https://youtu.be/U7uJ_zddoSs This is another great jam band with solid grooves and guys that know their axe. Percussion to die for and the organ player is pretty top notch. Great live musical fun.

The Hep Stars got by me completely somehow. You can hear a lot of influences that were dominant at the time. Good vocal blend and the recordings are actually pretty good. They captured the times and the look and ran with it. For a blast from the past this is a good history lesson.

The Raconteurs are a great groove band with a heavy guitar sound. The vocals and the harmonies are well worth the price of admission. For a lively rocking jam, this is a great place to start soaking up some new tunes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu9hj_kMm48

This video stands on its own, but the vocals have to be heard to be believed from The Temper Trap. Great name too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMuuc_pqx2s is a great song with a vision.

Lana Del Rey is one of those artists you have to sample more than one song to get a feel of the true talent. Maybe listening a few times would help, but once you cross over she has a powerful musical presence. Try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1aF54DO60 for the unfamiliar.

Manic Street Preachers have a great Brit rock/POP sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nusymqINrSc is a fun video to start with. Good clean style, great vocals and they are not afraid of dynamics. They also love a song with a theme or message, so good for a fun musical cruise.

Acoustic Alchemy are worth noting for a band that has chops and a smooth modern jazz style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVtQHpwv9sE is a good example of their live performances. Fun jams and precision licks from a talented group and for a nice addition try a “Shelter Island Drive”.

Notables:

Ashestoangels

Sufjan Stevens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asCLMdrWuA0 for eye candy.

From The National, try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Tod1_tZdU to set the tone for the evening. A vocal and visual treat.

Amaia Montero – Quiero Ser and I have no idea what she is singing, but I can understand why it was recommended’

Thank you again. I really enjoyed this project and thank all that participated and to all the thought put into it, even if you did not post your list!

My Chance to Give Back to YOU

Posted: August 19, 2015 in Reviews
Tags: #audio, #band, #create, #creative, #creativity, #demo, #digital, #dreams, #genres, #inspiration, #inspire, #lyrics, #motivation, #music, #musician, #performance, #performer, #performers, #personal, #piano, #poetry, #singer, #song, #Song review, #songwriter, #sound, #story, #truth, #vocalist, #vocals, #writer

MIDIMike’s Reviews Are Coming Soon!

As a result of requests from fellow bloggers and ReverbNation members, we are just a few weeks away from launching the new MIDIMike’s Reviews Site. This site will be dedicated to reviewing original music and creative writing submissions every week. I assembled an amazing team of reviewers to work with me and they are also excited to help with this new project.

I have been writing and performing for decades, but recently I struggled to get my material professionally reviewed for my on-line presskit. I have seen a number of artists struggle to acquire this simple but necessary stepping stone. Several of you have asked me for opinions on your material and I want to make that advice available to everyone. I want to be able to give back to all of you for the support and encouragement you’ve given me over this last year.

MIDIMike’s Reviews will be free and honest. I will be posting the reviews on my http://www.midimike.com site (which has thousands of views per month) and on the upcoming review site. You are also welcome to use the review for your own website/blog/presskit when referencing MIDIMike’s Reviews as the source. The individual review posts are not guaranteed for all submissions, but every submission will receive feedback from us. I enjoy raw talent, but the submissions should be presented as professionally as possible. Your creative works will be handled with the utmost care and you retain full ownership. HOWEVER: You must guarantee you are the sole author and have full permissions to publish these works.

If you are interested in having your material reviewed, please e-mail: midimikesreviews@gmail.com

Music – You may submit a song or an album for review. Please send a link to the material in full and any additional presskit material or websites (if available).

Poetry – Please e-mail the poem or poems in full to the e-mail address with any websites/social media (if applicable).

All levels of experience accepted. (If you have any questions, you can also e-mail them to us at midimikesreviews@gmail.com)

Please keep in mind; I do what I can, but sometimes life gets in the way. Please be patient with us while we get this up and running. I tried to avoid as much legal jargon as possible but there are exceptions, exclusions and I have the final say on what reviews will be posted and for the content of the reviews.

On a more pleasant note, I get to hear a lot of great music from new bands and artists before they become wildly famous and read great poetry before it’s professionally published! Thank you for making the first half of 2015 a blast, and it is just getting started!

MIDIMike

MidiMike

Available on iTunes and CD Baby

Social Media

MSK original Songs

Posts Tagged ‘#inspiration’

Nothing Comes For Free!

“UNCHANGING MOON”

First To Fall

Influenced By All Of You!

Simple Minds and Double Standards

Port Hole

100th Post – Reflection

A Small Token…

Caught My Ear

My Chance to Give Back to YOU

Archives

Available on iTunes and CD Baby

Social Media

MSK original Songs

Posts Tagged ‘#inspiration’

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