© MSK 6-13-11 from notes on 3-7-93
From the middle, each end is far away
Somewhere in-between, we learn how to pray.
In every story there is a hint of truth
Behind every lie is a mountain of proof.
It’s always during the cold lonely nights
That you find out what you’re missing.
I am missing you.
If you think of leaving or sticking around
It’s better to know what lives underground.
© MSK 8/31/2018
How many faces can you see every day
Before you start forgetting their names?
When do the streets you drive all look the same?
Who can remember all the great people you’ve met
And still function throughout the day?
Do the songs you keep writing all sound the same?
It’s not that things aren’t fun
But it gets a little old.
Looking for a rainbow won’t help you find gold
No matter what you were told.
How many repetitions can one person perform
Without their thoughts wandering everywhere else?
When do we notice we’re not even there?
It’s not that things aren’t fun
But it gets a little old.
There is no rainbow and no pot of gold
No matter what you were told.
Letter 307
On-street-parking. I know I will get a lot of kick-back for this one but I think we should end on-street-parking. Even in residential and business districts. Safety issues, snow clearance, traffic flow, and maintenance costs come to mind immediately. I know many areas do not have much parking space for residents and there are more multiple car families than in the past. Businesses also benefit if customers can park right in front of their stores. But I am not sure this is worth blocking local traffic including emergency vehicles, utility companies, snow plows and the like in areas easily affected by weather, accidents, building fires and a host of other challenges.
Still, if we are planning a city or community, let’s plan on eliminating this practice entirely. Just think how much this would ease congestion, improve safety, reduce city road maintenance costs, allow for emergency vehicles and unexpected weather or unusual events and improve the look and health of our streets and neighborhoods.
Let me know what you think. What would you suggest to your city planners?
Just thought I would share a glimpse at the last week or so. These are a few of the pictures my grand daughter MJ took at the Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park.
A cute smile and humming birds to lighten your day!
The songs in this session are simple two-channel recordings. These are not multi-tracks of isolated instruments to be mixed down later. This is down and dirty history. I enjoyed recording and listening to each of the gigs. The rest of the band were ok with it, but they were really into the performance and live audience vibe. As a result, I did not get much assistance or cooperation with my projects. We never did a sound check for recording levels. We did not set up differently or use additional gear. I usually taped separate mixes from their sound board or by using a combination of mono mix and single hi-quality microphone up on stage. See my LSR series for recording configurations.
Unlike the other players I have jammed with, I had not been playing in bands since I was a teenager. I did not start playing in front of a ‘real’ audience until I was probably 31 or older. I started playing keyboards (technically different than playing a piano or organ) when I was 30. Before that I wrote songs and played my 12 string guitar for parties and such but that was about it.
Lacking confidence and years to sharpen my skills, I tried to make up for it in other ways. I practiced a lot compared to the other players.
I helped in tech – light – sound – marketing. The recordings were for me, LOL!
This is a live recording of a medley we came up with. None of us really liked disco, but no rocket science to keeping guys in the club is to keep the girls on the dance floor! We smashed together popular dance songs and other select songs toward the end of the 2nd set. Enjoy.
Here is another live recording from my band, The Chase. Those were good times. This is a cover tune from The Beatles – “She’s So Heavy”. I remember when I first heard this song on the radio. It absolutely blew me away. What fun to play this one out live.
Here is another song my brother David recorded at a studio years ago as part of his Studio Way project. My brother wrote the lyrics and is the vocalist on these tracks. Terry Boehm played keyboards. Tom Collier wrote the music and played guitar. This one is called, “Focus On Your Feet”. A fun toe-tapping song that sticks in your head!
The songs were being finalized in the studio as each came up to record. The rhythm tracks were recorded first, with lead instruments and vocals added later that day. A lot of people ‘freeze up’ their first time in a studio with the tape rolling (yes, this was back in the days when they used tape!) so recording can be very stressful – but with a bit of focus you can come out with great memories.
I have live recordings of almost every band I have in. I record a lot of practice sessions but mostly live performances in front of audiences. Many recordings are less than ideal situations and often I experiment with unusual techniques searching for a method that will get great results in almost any stage setting. I threatened to share some of these with you and this is a good a time as any to start! Some will sound better than others, and some performances will be better, but all should give you a little blast from my past! Please check out my Live Sound Reinforcement series for the big picture, or if you are interested in learning about LSR.
This one is “Run Like Hell” From Pink Floyd.
MSK Studio
Part of the challenge in writing songs is how difficult it might be to convey a particular feeling or message to studio musicians. All players should be heading in the same direction, playing the same tune, moving at the same tempo and so on. Creating soundscapes must be a lot like painting. Drawing the lines and forms are one thing, but which color is best? There are so many available yet each one conveys a unique mood or feeling. Sounds can be like that. We asked a guitar player/friend of ours to come up with guitar tracks for a project I was working on. This was for a cable TV project looking for sound tracks for an automotive enthusiast series. We wanted to give the guitar parts a bit of mood setting so we asked him to create tracks that would generate the feeling of …
an engine or racing car, crunchy, powerful
drive – movement – acceleration, fast, fluid
Using basically no more than the above “instructions” he gathered toys and used the word imagery to shape the sound and the playing style for these tracks. We used the same list to come up with the basic tracks for the song. This song is an adaptation of a song I wrote a long time ago and we called it The Big D Jam. I originally composed this song using the Arp Odyssey synthesizer. I programmed a pretty cool sounding bass patch and came up with the bass line and skeleton of the song. This song in its original version was performed when I was with The Personal Touch years ago. If it was a rockin’ crowd we would let Ric Ahlers jam a bit on the solo parts. I put some simple lyrics to it and it was a really fun song to play out. Recently I pulled it out of the song closet and re-wrote the chorus. I also used new software plug-ins from my computer for all the sounds. This was amazing for me because I have all this fancy gear with cool sounds and I am not using them at all. In this post, I wanted to give you an idea how the song progressed. The new sounds are just amazingly clear and natural. I will post in the near future the complete mix with vocals and effects. When the sounds and the performance match the request or target, the song seems like it was made to order.
I have been urging my wife Ellen to open a shop and sell some of her art and craft creations. Learning valuable secrets about craftsmanship and trade skills from her father, Ellen absorbed everything she could get her hands on. From upholstery to gardening and straight through caning and painting, she just got better and better. Finally, after all these years she opens her first on-line store! This Etsy link will offer her necklaces and jewelry. In the future she will have outlets for her other creations.
I will include a few pictures here. She has already sold a few items and will be adding more all the time. If you are looking for gifts for yourself or others and want to find something truly beautiful and one-of-a-kind, please bookmark her site and check in from time to time so you do not miss the necklace perfect for you!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/JewelryByTree
MidiMike 