Author Archives: Jeremy

“Snuff” — Weekly Podcast Episode 21

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So this week I opted for the infamous (ambitious?) “Snuff” by Slipknot.  I did so as a request by a friend, but I really like the song, and it’s pretty much right along my style.

Of course, that’s where the simplicity for this week ends.  I broke a string trying various tunings for the guitar, ended up putting on new ones and playing tuned way down in standard tuning.  The temperature is well over 90F, so I was getting hot and aggravated.

Then of course, I practiced and practiced, and regardless of how well I thought I could do it, it never came out very good.  Finally, I just got a good take and stuck with it.  Problem?  Yeeeeees, of course.  The battery on my guitar’s pickup was dying, so the guitar has this fuzz … it almost sounds intentional, but I’ll admit that it’s not.

To cap it all off, listening back, I realized the vocals are pretty hot in the mix (loud compared to the guitar), but in my dumb-ness I didn’t save the session tracks, so there’s no fixing it.  lol

Anyway, it is OK, but not my favorite podcast.

Oh and that little  “whooooaaaa” part toward the end … just pretend I’m Tarzan or something.  😀

Direct link to podcast video on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV0VVjmmJg8

“A Glorious Dawn” — Weekly Podcast Episode 20

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Wow, somehow I’ve hit Episode 20?

Well to celebrate, I’m doing another cover of a [wiki]Symphony of Science[/wiki] song. Although I have wanted to do another for some time (and would eventually like to cover them all), but, the remaining ones were much more difficult to transition to my type of music.

At any rate, the choice this week was between “A Glorious Dawn” and “Our Place In The Cosmos.” Ultimately, I settled on “A Glorious Dawn” (obviously).

Like the last one I grew very impatient during recording, and thought it wasn’t working at all, but after hearing the final recording (which I managed to record in a higher quality — even do some light audio editing!), the biggest problem was, as I imagined, trying to fit all those words in.

But here is my rendition … I hope you enjoy it!!

Oh, I had done a little acoustic picking thing at the end, but I messed it up, and rather than try to splice video or whatever and make it go all wonky, I just cut it. It wasn’t bad as it was, but it was too weird for my tastes.

Please share this if you like it! This project deserves all the attention it can get.

Direct link to podcast video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7WPxcUI98I

“Fire And Rain” – Weekly Podcast Episode 19

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This week I picked the infamous “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor, because, you know, I play it so much better than he does!  lol  Or not.  Anyway, we have the same initials … that works right?

Ok so I learned this song long ago … probably one of the first more complex guitar songs I learned, back in my finger picking phase.  Then I was playing live one night, and someone requested a James Taylor song, and this is the only one I recalled.  I got a lot of compliments on it, so I thought I would try it here.

I think it’s a fair version … there are a few mistakes/weak spots, but I’m not gonna tell you where if they’re not blatantly obvious (which they are!)  And … I think I’m going to stick to my new way of recording, even though it does kind of make the videos seem lip sync’d.

So let me know what you think!

Direct link to podcast video on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elNQjXWlwzw

“Your Decision” – Weekly Podcast Episode 18

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I’ve been really all over the place with my song selections lately, but this week I settled on the new song “Your Decision” by [wiki]Alice In Chains[/wiki].  It just seems to fit well with my style, and I thought it would do well.

I had planned for the first time in a podcast to record multiple track/layers, and do some video effects, but I ran out of time.  Additionally, I forgot to bring my voice recorder (Sony ICD-SX700 that I always use for podcasts) home, so I ended up having to use Audition on my recording machine anyway.

Given that, I decided to go ahead and tweak the audio (EQ, reverb, compressor) and add a lead.  Somehow, whatever I did makes the entire video seem dubbed (the guitar solo and one little vocal part are, of course, dubbed, but the rest is not!!)  And yes, I had to extend the lead a little, because I left too many measures with the rhythm.  lol  I typically like leads anyway, so it gave me a chance to use the old lead and add a little of my own flair.

Anyway, I originally (after recording) wouldn’t have said it is my best performance ever, but the quality overall seemed better the more I listen.  The tweaks on the vocals definitely highlight my voice way more than typical.  This new recording style may be here to stay, given that it’s really no more difficult than the voice recorder, and it lets me add additional layers.  This in turn gives me more time to play around with studio equipment and try out and perfect techniques for future albums.  Let me know what you think!

Direct link to podcast video on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc9YDp4b6j4

“Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On” – Weekly Podcast Episode 17

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This week’s song pulls from way back in my musical history.  I remember going to see Mel McDaniel at the Frederick County (Virginia) Fair sometime in the mid 1980s (I couldn’t have been much older than 6 or 7).  I absolutely LOVED his music, and that was the first concert I remember going to (And I still remember being there!).

Anyway, “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On” is the song I picked for this week because it really was a brand new song about then.  I worried it would be a little outside my style, but it actually worked really well!  I rockified it a little, but I think the original soul of the song still rings out.

Oddly enough, as simple as this song as, and as well as I should know it (after all I’ve known the song for 25+ years), it took me so many takes to get it right.  Even once I finally thought I was finished, I listened back, and it just wasn’t good enough.  So, I went back to my studio, sat down and in one single take, I got this version which is almost perfect.  (Brownie points to anyone who can point out the missed chord that still made it into the recording!  :-D)

Also, I find it very appropriate to mention that I requested earlier in the week for suggestions for this week’s podcast, and it was my mom that reminded me about those good ole days, and her suggestion was perfect.  It brought back a lot of memories for me, and renewed my appreciation for this music.  I think it’s no irony that this all happened only a few days before Mother’s Day, so for that reason, I dedicate this podcast to her.

Happy Mother’s Day!!  🙂

Direct link to podcast video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKkPQ4lJZKg

“Hope (The Nightmare)” – Weekly Podcast Episode 16

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This week’s podcast is the pseudo-countryish-rap ditty from my Two Sides Of The Same Soul album called “Hope (The Nightmare).”  It’s a catchy tune, but overall, quite simple.  The subject matter is sacrificing to get what you want even given that constant, nagging caveat that nothing is for certain.

You will also notice this is my first week back to the acoustic in a while.  It is a Yamaha APX-500 thin profile E/A cutaway, and I really like it.  You’ll also notice the audio quality sucks.  That is because I accidentally deleted the file from my voice recorder, so I had no choice (unless I rerecorded the whole thing).  I think it is still tolerable though.

Direct link to video on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAw_64UPvjQ