Week 10: Alpenglow – “Mountain Man”

Brian Laidlaw and Ashley Hanson wowed me with their debut concert as Alpenglow a couple months ago. So I was excited to get this talented acoustic duo over to record “Mountain Man”. We even have a music video this week, courtesy of Jeffrey Schwinghammer.

Audio MP3

Mountain Man
By Alpenglow

Right click here to download the mp3.

It isn’t safe for a sailor boy to live far from the ocean
His lungs will start to dry out if he doesn’t get his quotient
He’s in his happiest state
When his fingers are calloused
And he’s ferrying freight
To provide his own ballast

(Oh-oh-oh-oh)

Give him something old to love, give him something new to covet
If he’s seen it before, then I know he’s likely to love it

When it’s worse to live inland than to die on a reef,
When he’s not beside the ocean, he’s beside himself with grief

It isn’t safe for a mountain man to live far from the highland
Whatever voice of god he used to hear will soon fall silent
But when his spirit is battened
To the top of a glacier
He’ll never be flattened
By the force of erasure

(Oh-oh-oh-oh)

Give him something old to love, give him something new to covet
If he’s seen it before, then I know he’s likely to love it

Now walking through the flatlands is a flatline postmortem
When he’s not beside the ocean he’s beside himself with boredom

It isn’t safe for your lover to be miles from where your home is
Wherever he should lay his head he’s sure to feel homeless
Now he’s far from the bedroom
Where your moves are the cleverest
But he’s looking for headroom
From Manhattan to Everest

(Oh-oh-oh-oh)

Give him something old to love, give him something new to covet
If he’s seen it before, then I know he’s likely to love it

Now the cities are empty and the landscape is haunting
When he’s not beside his lover he’s beside himself with wanting

(Oh-oh-oh-oh)

Give him something old to love, give him something new to covet
If he’s seen it before, then I know he’s likely to love it

Behind the Video

Jeff upped the production value by at least 47% with his new slider

We ended up tracking the song AND shooting the music video in one night! We shot it right out on our Halloweeny porch (thanks to Mitchell Johnson). Brian and Ashley stuck out the cold weather for about three hours as Jeff filmed shot after awesome shot. You should probably start subscribing and/or following Jeff on YouTube and Twitter.

It turned out to be a great way to meet our uptown neighbors. A couple guys about our age dug the music and came out and invited us to play pool. An older Native American guy came up to us and wanted to go on camera to say that he’s the “most dangerous Indian you’ll ever meet.” It was hard to tell if he was joking. Another one of our neighbors from across the street came out and said he was having a horrible day until he heard Brian and Ashley playing. You would think playing any sort of music on our porch at midnight would get the police called on us. I think it’s a sign that Alpenglow is destined for fame.

Behind the Mix

Ashley and Brian have so much chemistry in their live performances, we considered recording everything simultaneously (vocals, guitar, ukelele, and drums). But we decided to track it all individually to give me more control over the mix.

When I record acoustic/electric guitars, I generally only mix in a little bit of the direct output, since putting stereo mics in front of the guitar tends to sound much better. But Brian’s guitar sounded really good plugged directly in, so I mixed that in at about the same volume as my mics.

For Ashley’s electric ukelele, I used some tricks I usually use with electric guitars. I plugged it directly into my mixer and also recorded her picking with a mic. Then I played it back through her amp and re-recorded that sound. When you want an electric guitar to have some natural amp distortion but you might still use the clean signal, this is the way to go. I actually didn’t end up using Ashley’s amp sound at all (it sounded slightly muddy in the mix), so I’m glad I recorded the clean, direct in sound.

Brian’s kick drum, as awesomely unique as it sounds in real life, didn’t sound very awesome at all in the recording I got, even though I placed four different mics around it. Since it’s stuffed with a pillow, the recording sounded like a really dead knocking sound. Here’s the original kick:

Audio MP3

So I had to get a little creative with this one. I added four different effects to it to give it more oomph and a little more sustain. It sounds a little strange on its own, but mixed in it works pretty well. In this sample, you’ll hear each of the four effects on their own, then the composite of all of them, then the kick drum mixed into the song:

Audio MP3

Four effects I created for Brian's kick drum in Ableton Live. The right side shows the EQ "tuning" I did to it.

What’s going on here?

  1. The first sound is close to the original kick, but with compression and some EQing to get the tambourine out of this track.
  2. For the second sound, I used EQ to bring out a tone in the drum. Since the song is in E Major the whole time, I essentially “tuned” the kick to the note E.
  3. The third sound uses an Ableton Live grain delay effect. It’s also tuned like the second effect, but it has a little more low end and a little more grunge.
  4. The fourth sound is a noise effect that sounds a little like rushing air. It makes the drum sound more soft and pillow-like. To be honest I happened upon this effect by chance. I put a vocorder effect on it and just toyed with the settings until something cool came out of it.

It was a pleasure working with Ashley and Brian. They have a whole collection of great songs not yet recorded, so if you’re in the twin cities area, you should check out an Alpenglow show – facebook.com/alpenglowmusic. Brian is also having a solo CD release show on November 17th at the Turf Club. Visit facebook.com/brianlaidlawmusic to get a preview of his album Wolf Wolf Wolf.

 

 

 

Week 9: WC Tank – “Achoo”

WC Tank (Wesley Charles Tank), avant-garde director, actor, and rapper, can now add “star of a musical” to his credits. We joined forces this past week and created a three act, thirteen-and-a-half-minute-long song, based on short scripts Wes wrote a while back. Nicole Mellas of Spencer McGillicutty added her lovely voice to the song as Wes’ lady counterpart.

Audio MP3

Achoo (Right click to download)
By Wes Tank, featuring Nicole Mellas and Charlie McCarron

Act I

And then there was you
The gosh of my gush
By floss or by brush
The pup of my slush

You
The source of my rush
How indulgent
You are captivating
I looked up the word “indulge” in the dictionary
And it was colloquial
To yield to the wishes of oneself or another
It wasn’t what you thought it would be
The exact opposite
Use indulge in a sentence
A hat tip to indulge a fellow pedestrian
No, no!
The wind indulges a toy boat’s tiny sail
Take me captive in your tiny boat
You might indulge me
You think that I am able to float
As boats may float?
No, as aeroplanes do

And then there was you
The gosh of my gush
My floss and my brush
The pup of my slush

Darling, are you strange?
Or are you estranged?
Which would you wish me to be?
You answer questions with more questions
That’s a calming strategy that proves rather boring, don’t you think?
Did you happen to visit
The produce aisle of the
Outdoor farmer’s market?
Yes
How large was their selection?
Copious
Did they have orahnges?
Yes
Und dee tomahta?
Ja
Chaquita Banana
Oui
Tofu?
Si
Spice?
No, no, no
Why no spice?
Because . . . .
Because
Ah-chooooooo

Act II

I love you, dove, oh yes
Please! Calm me down with a cool washcloth on my forehead
Bead me with it, that I may not overheat!
But dab, don’t scrub!
Oh!

The word is out, and the body sank like a stone tablet
Don’t diddle with doodles of great dawdling
Deliver, like a sweet goose with no feathers!
Please! I can’t say anything more
In other words, hush

Eye burn and the
No sleeps and the
Blister feets
He’s got the going aways and the
Tomorrow todays and the
Can’t waits
A beauty queen with a bag on her head smiles on the inside

I can’t breathe
Probably cause of all of the smog
But I’m going to attribute it to you
Because I’m feeling dissatisfied in this relationship
How could you do this to me?
Attributing the world’s problems to me
Without a care in the world?
Screw the world!
Your fly is down
The barn door’s open so the cows may mow through
How dare you stomp on the bubble gum streets
And breathe the hairspray air
That dogs once licked and parades once passed
And parrots . . . once breathed
What about the ozone layer?
Hark, a train travels quickly down a steep pass!
Perhaps we could be married in that train, someday
That’s out of the question
Out of what question!
There is no question!
I demand you marry me!
You must!
Oh silly boy, you should go eat a cake

He’s got the
Eye burn and the
No sleeps and the
Blister feets
He’s got the going aways and the
Tomorrow todays and the
Can’t waits
A beauty queen with a bag on her head smiles on the inside

She’s a lady friend with an eye for fashion
And a doubt to pass round the table
I’m sickened by my efforts
It’s all for nothing
No one will ever love me!
Look at how pitiful I am
Look! Look!
I am pitiful! Pity me now!
Look! Look!
I am pitiful! Pity me now!

Got the
Eye burn and the
No sleeps and the
Blister feets
He’s got the going aways and the
Tomorrow todays and the
Can’t waits
A beauty queen with a bag on her head smiles on the inside

I am a mule
A stupid, stupid fat mule!
Oh lord, spare me of this miserable person
You’re absolutely right!
What about the ozone layer?
You can hardly see it anymore
Humanity is a disease!
And I am the one to blame

Act III

It’s not poetical, something much more lackadaze
Something you can’t break off without smearing
We can become ambidextrous when we kiss
A hot commodity of errors and true humanness and peopledom
It’s no hazard, my billiard’s coupledom compels me to come forth
Well then, bring your guns and your horses, but do not swagger
How becoming of you my driftfulness

Pretty is as
Pretty does
Listless, adorn
You can human me to death, and I won’t budge but an inch
Please!
Penny for your budge?
There is nothing more that I am above

How do you figure, in this great amount of dark twinkling?
May I ask you, what is heaven doing in there, but practicing?
Hark, you’ve turned me
No less the crisp than the madrigal
How’s about a sweet one, right on the kisser
I shall not be compelled with you, yet
Perhaps another time in some far away living room?
Perhaps, then
What shall I bring?
A carefree attitude

Pretty is as
Pretty does
Listless, adorn
You can human me to death, and I won’t budge an inch
Please!
Penny for your budge?
There is nothing more that I am above

I am keen enough to witness that you’ll not be bludgeoned
Oh, you can hug me that I never lose my balance
Something sweet in that piety
Why do you freeze me?
Because a smile you’re wearing like saran wrap
Oh, I want to remember you, but should I forget
I am the belly button of the world, you said
The center of everything
Something you can’t wipe off without smearing

And then there was you
The gosh of my gush
My floss and my brush
The pup of my slush
The source of my rush
My indulgent, begrudgeoning crush
And then, there was you

Behind The Scenes

Wes is a shoo-in for two awards in this song a week challenge: longest song and longest distance driven to get here. He came all the way from Milwaukee! Wes and I met last year through Jason P. Schumacher’s film The Telephone Game, in which Wes plays an egotistical but loveable theater director. It seemed like I knew Wes before I met him, because I spent hours and hours editing his character’s dialogue. So it was pretty funny meeting him and seeing that he’s not “Marco”; he’s actually a very humble and awesome guy.

Wes pulled in to Minneapolis around 11pm on Friday night, and we knew we were going to be up late brainstorming. He had these three scripts ready, but not too many musical ideas yet. So we played around with them, and it was surprisingly easy once I came up with some chord progressions for Wes to sing over. Sometimes the first ideas are the best. We ended up getting the first two acts fully written in the wee hours of the night. I would have no idea how to translate un-rhymed, rhythm-less prose into song lyrics, but Wes really pulled it off.

We spent Saturday recording all of Wes’ vocals, while he was in town. Then Sunday morning Nicole came over to record, and wow, did she add a lot to the song! That afternoon Wes headed back to Milwaukee and Nicole and I headed off to a corn maze.

Listening back to Wes' vocals

I ludicrously thought I’d be able to finish the track in one weekend. Ha! Not with all the stuff I wanted to add to it (including some of my brother’s African drums for Act II). All in all, it was an epic undertaking even in one week. But I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I’m pretty sure we’ll be collaborating again somewhere down the line.

You can check out more of Wes’ music here.

Special thanks to @JeffreySchwinghammer for the awesome behind the scenes video and photos. More of his work can be found at JeffreySchwinghammer.com.

Week 8: Whitaker Trebella – “Ghosts of Hallemot” (Cardinal Quest Theme)

This week’s challenge was a little different. My friend Whitaker Trebella (formerly Blackall) asked me to do a cover of one of his video game compositions, from the game Cardinal Quest. He lives in Chicago though, so it was all up to me to figure out what to do. I decided to go in a completely non-synth direction.

Audio MP3

Cardinal Quest Main Menu Theme
Composed by Whitaker Trebella, performed by Charlie McCarron.

Whit moved off to Indiana University to study music and then Chicago to make music, so I haven’t really seen him since high school. But I’ve been following his composing career, and it’s pretty cool what he’s been up to. He started writing music for video games by just connecting with a few game developers on forums. After scoring a few very successful mobile games, including Tilt to Live and Super Stickman Golf, developers have been knocking at his (virtual) door to tap into his brilliant musical brain. Turns out he never actually meets these people in real life. Oh, the wonders of the internet!

So anyways, I was honored when he asked me to do a cover of his composition for Cardinal Quest. You can hear the original music at http://www.cardinalquest.com/demo. I really liked the main menu theme. It seemed peaceful and foreboding at the same time, and I thought it would translate really well to violin. I originally thought I would use just violin tracks, but I felt like it needed something in the low register for the second time through the progression. This tune will be one of many on a Cardinal Quest covers album, coming out soon. I’m excited to see what other musicians do with Whit’s music.

If you’re looking for a fun composer to subscribe to on YouTube, Whit is the guy.

He posts a bunch of composition and production videos showing what goes on behind the scenes. I’ve been really fascinated by his 10-minute song production videos he does right in Logic Pro. It’s along the lines of some of the stuff I do, only 10 times faster.

You can check out Whit’s many creative projects at WhitakerBlackall.com or contact him @wblackall.

Week 7: Andy Price – “Daytime Superhero”

This week I recorded a song by Andy Price, a longtime friend and the bassist in our old high school band. Andy’s son Ethan was his muse for this one. Enjoy!

Audio MP3

Daytime Superhero
By Andy Price

Start of the day I’m on patrol
Don’t mess with me I’m in control
I feel the wind as it blows beneath my cape
The time is now I’ve got a city to save

My mild and manner have disappeared
And I’m the one the villains fear
My muscles are strong and ready to attack
My awesome powers will stop them in their tracks

When the sun is up above my head
I won’t have to go to bed
And I’ll stay the hero of the day

He’s plotting to freeze the entire town
But I wont let the people down
The bigger they are the harder that they fall
And now I’ve got him up against the wall

As I land the final blow
The sun is setting the shadows grow
I’m getting worried as the sunlight fades
I’m helpless as my powers slip away

When the sun is up above my head
I wont have to go to bed
And I’ll stay the hero of the day

The end of the day I lie in bed
The shadows are moving around my head
My heart beats faster as the darkness grows
The sun’s gone down and now my nightlight glows

My muscles are tight my eyes are closed
My fists are clenched and I don’t know
If I’m alone or something’s under the bed
And I’m the one that needs a hero instead

Andy Price – Lead Vocals, Bass
Matt Schubbe – Vocals, Keys
Rob Carmichael – Drums
Charlie McCarron – Vocals, Guitar

Creative Commons License
Daytime Superhero by Andy Price is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.facebook.com/aprice14

Andy, Rob, and Matt brainstorming-up some lyrics.

Behind the Scenes

I was really excited to see what Andy would come up with, since he hasn’t done much solo songwriting, or singing for that matter (although you wouldn’t know it from this awesome song he came up with). It all started in Andy’s basement last Wednesday night. Andy had a bass track down already, so I tried out some potential guitar ideas.

Jamming in Andy's basement (photo courtesy of Ethan Price)

Later in the week, Rob and Matt joined in to help fill out the song. I won’t go too in depth on the production of this one, because there’s a much more fun behind the scenes video right here…

Week 6: Head Eclectic – “A Minor Monster”

This week I had the treat of recording with a band I just met. I saw Head Eclectic at the 331 Club and asked if they had a CD. Nothing! What a travesty. So I asked them to be a part of this song a week challenge, and the results are in.

Audio MP3

A Minor Monster
by Head Eclectic

She checks her balances
Update the deficits
Print more money quick
Blueprint the Mazes

And as for the kids let ’em sleep
All their problems mapped out in their dreams
He looks behind him in the street
His Hands are full of sand but empty
But empty

Put all your problems on the kids
Just to see how they handle it

She gazes at them sleeping in bed
Strangely they remind her of herself

All their problems mapped out in the trees
He looks into the street
He’s red from all the heat

Who’s got the big red shoes, he asks
Kid, here’s looking at you
With the look in his eye…
Meet me at the very bottom

Josiah Quick – Vocals, Guitar
Wyatt Simmer – Bass
Thomas Myhre – Synth, Rhodes Piano
Joshua Perez – Drums

First up, Joshua on drums.

“A Minor Monster” challenged my mixing skills right away; it’s the first song of this challenge to have live drums. I used all five of my microphones (see this post for the specs) and tried to find the best spots to place them. I put one mic over the hi-hat, one near the floor tom and ride cymbal, one right next to the snare and high tom, and one right underneath the crash cymbal. I stuck my kick drum mic right into the soundhole, about 4 inches behind the beater.

We were having some trouble getting the snare to sound good. It had a ton of ugly ringing tones. Luckily Joshua had a trick up his sleeve. He rolled up small pieces of (clean) toilet paper and taped them right on the snare head. They were perfect improvised mutes.

After the drums were tracked, everyone plugged into my mixer.

Because the whole rest of the band is electric (aside from Josiah’s vocals), I had them plug in directly to my mixer, and we recorded everything simultaneously. Then later on, I ran Josiah’s direct guitar recording through his amp and re-recorded it. For the final electric guitar track, I ended up using a mix of both the amped recording and the direct-in recording (with a number of Ableton effects).

It was great working with these guys. Check them out next time they’re playing around the Twin Cities. facebook.com/headeclectic