Posts Tagged ‘#recording’

I seem to be continuing wiht my sparse instrumentation arrangements. I do like the sound open sometimes without a lot of backing instruments or vocals.

This is nothing more than my usual ramblings at people that keep turning on lights every time they come into the room and I am sitting in the dark. Then to add insult to injury, they leave the bright lights on when they go out of the room! AARRRGGGhh. Keep your big bright ideas to yourself.

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?

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

I have witnessed a lot of beautiful relationships that seemed as solid as anything I will ever know crumble into bitterness and hate. A couple that I knew for example, infatuated with each other. Over the years each flaw and glance became unbearable and cruel. What was once cute is disgusting. From my point of view nothing had changed. They were both the same people as always. How they are seeing has changed, not what.

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.

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.

My cynical look at the ‘job’ of being a drug dealer or loan shark, but not just the obvious snakes are included in this song. How far will any of us go just to make a buck?

These lyrics were made into a song in about 15 minutes. I was working on a simple piece that my wife Ellen could sing along with to get her confident when she sings. She likes ZZ Top, so I ripped off some of their ideas and came up with a similar beat and rhythm. The lyrics took no time but were from other lyrics. So when she sang about a girl we just kept it! The lyrics are short and sweet.