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Post by Helmut83 on Dec 31, 2018 17:34:22 GMT
The singer tries too hard to sound like Robert Plant. One thing is having natural similarities, another deliberately aiming at sounding as close to him as possible.
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Post by dillwyn on Jan 7, 2019 18:59:00 GMT
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Post by Helmut83 on Jan 7, 2019 20:41:34 GMT
dillwyn: totally, good observation. I like Led Zeppelin, but they are the biggest plagiarizers in history.
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Post by dillwyn on Jan 8, 2019 23:13:34 GMT
Helmut ... how is that band of yours doing?
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Post by Helmut83 on Jan 9, 2019 19:39:06 GMT
Helmut ... how is that band of yours doing? The singer and the drummer had a fight 3 or 4 months ago and the band broke up, so that particular formation is no longer. However, in early December the singer put up a "new" formation (with most of the guys of the old band, he just replaced the drummer and the bassist) and he invited me. I was so busy during that time that I had to tell him that for the time being I wouldn't be able to join them. Now it's holidays and next week I'll be going on a trip, so maybe I'll be joining them in February when I come back. The good thing about being a harmonicist is that there is very little risk that they will replace you with someone else. How about your band Siren Blue? Were you able to get together again on a regular basis after your reunion?
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Post by dillwyn on Jan 9, 2019 22:14:00 GMT
oh good news your band has risen from the ashes ... such is the way with groups especially when it gets above 4 people in my experience as small clique's form. Will you record, play live ... is there a plan? SirenBlue is currently semi-active again. That gig a couple of years ago was so enjoyable we have stayed in touch and played in various rehearsal rooms as time allowed going through old songs which was lovely. However in the last few months we decided that a new target as we were all getting on so well. ...so long story short 18 brand new songs written (i was knocking out one a week roughly) and are being rehearsed / arranged ahead of recording. It will probably be the final album in the project, 15 years too late . Only rule, no old songs that way we are always hungry for the next step. ...there is no record company, so there is no deadline (or money . We are doing for us and as time/budget allows. ... it is so much fun I am loving it... technology has moved on so much it is now easy to share idea's and we talk via whatsapp daily. We are getting together this weekend to go through vocal sessions for 7 to 9 songs. i'm confident we can get these into shape quickly ..
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Post by Helmut83 on Jan 10, 2019 2:19:06 GMT
The singer is the driving force of the band, I just follow enthusiastically. It's a band of covers, so the recording possibilities are limited. He has the idea of recording several demos and make a short video of us mimicking 20 second parts of those demos so as to start promoting the band and see if we get hired at parties, private events, etc... That's pretty much the plan. While I'm very much at ease with this people, I'd also love to have a band of original music (one which can also play some covers, of course, but as an alternative thing). I've been in covers bands for a long time and at this point I'd like to do something original. Besides, as the years went by I discovered myself more a songwriter than any other thing. I'm not great on any instrument, not even on the harmonica. I lack speed and my fine motor skills are not that fine. And a good instrumental solo never filled me so much with satisfaction as when I finish writing a song which I consider to be good -or which pleases me, at least-. And even though I'm quite discreet about my songs and don't go around playing them much, I find that often people genuinely enjoy them (to the point of mistrusting or not fully believing it was me who wrote them, which I take as a praise). So I suppose it would feel great to have 3 or 4 of those songs played live by a decent band, and I've decided I'd like to try some of that one day. After all, so many bands are getting quite famous and their songs are the most utter crap... How exciting the new phase your band is going through! And how great that despite having families and work you all managed to get on board of the new project. It shows that you are having fun with it, may the new album be a complete success! How do you feel your songwriting has evolved through the years, dillwyn ? I have a theory from observing both famous and unknown songwriters that the creativity well is at it's top from 18 to 30 years, and then it goes slowly decreasing and running dry (see Jeff Lynne's OOTB vs. AITU). However, you are into your 50s??? And you say you have written a song per week up to 18, of which I don't think I have heard any, but having an approximate idea of your standards thanks to the old songs I heard ("higher", "inside of you", "temporary madness...", etc...) I can imagine you wouldn't settle for something far inferior, self-indulging yourself in the fact that now you are older. How did you feel when writing these new songs? Same as in the old times? Would the ideas just pop out as they used to, and would they be so creative and satisfying? And do you feel they are approximately as good as the old ones?
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Post by dillwyn on Jan 10, 2019 19:24:39 GMT
Good move for demoing the blues covers band, it will give you a solid stream of work if done right and be fun making the video. As for your original songs, I haven't done the covers thing since I was 18 or 20 but it certainly can help fund the original side of any new unit you put together. Sounds like you have you plan already really, it is just when you choose to implement it. Of course once you've build your band and they then play your songs to a level you are satisfied with ...you will then take them into the studio. IMHO never skimp on a getting a good drummer and voice they are so important. I understand the pleasure you get from songwriting. For me, it is like a puzzle trying to fit the bits together. I have generally played with better technicians than me over the years who bizarrely (in my view) tend to be less interested in writing and more the mechanics of playing. It certainly helps provided they are good enough to take direction. These days technology has come on so much, especially the virtual drummers it really aids writing and recording home demo's quickly. You can get any decent home recording setup relatively cheaply these days and it is brilliant for writing. The final SB project is just completing something we should have done years and years ago. I have written virtually nothing for years so this new stream of songs is probably just little bit of letting myself go and the release has yielded quick results. Of the 18 songs, we will only use my favourite length of 12 or 13 songs (42-45 minutes of music) ...enough to fit on one side of a C90 which was my ambition as a young writer and it helps to edit the weaker tracks out too. I'd agree stamina and less outside commitment would mean being younger helps with writing and focus and means you can out everything into it and so probably support your theory. For me, currently the new songs feel similar in quality at this stage to the released recordings were. Having the same band helps, we have a short cut to talking the same language although they have all developed as players over the years, I haven't as I stopped playing altogether for 10 years. the way it works now is I write and record the demo, pass it the band via whatsapp they then tell me if they want to play it and then we start to develop the backing parts. .. we must have 4 votes yes (including me) before it moves on to the next stage... this process is continual, after each rehearsal create an additional demo recording (i have maybe 6 or 8 versions now of one song) ..pick the best version and create a demo of the album. that could include my original demo we they haven't got it right yet. Anything that doesn't work after the next stage gets cut for rework (or not)...we are all old enough to trust each other to be honest ... brutally honest!... I listen to the latest current demo album daily whilst commuting, which helps me shape them further What we will have is a solid group of backing performances to build from ... there is still a long way to go ...Ultimately if it isn't good enough for us it won't be released. we are in control and have no reason to do it other than the joy of doing it. i'm sure others do it differently, quicker or even better ...but it works for us
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Post by orioles70 on Jan 11, 2019 0:45:31 GMT
Helmut, This film is playing near me next week. Are you familiar with Paul Butterfield, blues harmonica and band leader? Not sure if I'll be able to make the showing, but if I do and it's good then I'll let you know. www.hornfromtheheart.com/
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Post by Helmut83 on Jan 11, 2019 20:55:47 GMT
Helmut, This film is playing near me next week. Are you familiar with Paul Butterfield, blues harmonica and band leader? Not sure if I'll be able to make the showing, but if I do and it's good then I'll let you know. www.hornfromtheheart.com/ orioles70, yes, I know him, he is highly regarded as a harmonicist. He is from the Chicago school. I didn't know there was a movie about him though. Yes, tell me about the movie if you are able to watch it. Sadly I googled it and they don't seem to be playing it here.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jan 11, 2019 21:47:50 GMT
dillwyn : I'm going to take it slow with this band, like I said the singer is who drives the band and invites people to it so I'm not sure it's the best band to implement my songs with. Luckily I have people here (including my virtual band The Street Next Door alongside Vlogdance and Buttler) who helped me and are still helping me give my songs life (and now I'm helping them give life to their songs). Even if I don't get the chance to play them live and if the demos are still terribly amateur in terms of sound and production, at least I can listen to finished versions of them. It's interesting how each one sees songwriting in a different way. You see it as a puzzle in which you have to make different bits fit together. In my case, when I start there's no bits to make fit, nothing at all, so I don't feel so identified with that description. If I had to describe it I'd say it is like an infinite flock of very different birds flying past you in a certain direction. You are trying to catch them and they all fly past you. At one point you manage to catch one and bring it down (which is when you finally grasp a hook or piece of melody, and record it so as to avoid forgetting it). You examine it and if it's beautiful enough you keep it, and then try to catch a few more, preferably of a similar kind to the first bird you caught so you can put them together and they make sense and act as a unit. Once you are able to get 3 or 4 worthwhile (and somewhat similar) birds down from the air, you pretty much have the song. The rest is way easier and it's just connecting them, putting them together -that's when I agree with the puzzle metaphore-, like making a big cage and putting some furniture and decoration inside. Oh, well, enough trying to be a poet for the day... Glad to know your creativity well hasn't suffered throughout the years and you feel as much able to create a good song as you felt twenty years ago. My theory isn't as much based on having more or less time for writing according to the age as it is on a natural progressive decrease in the amount and quality of musical ideas that come to the composer's mind. Of course it's just a theory and even if we took it as true, there can be exceptions. How good that you guys have the confidence to say things in each other's faces, as long as it isn't with harmful intentions (and I'm sure by know you know each other enough to know about that) it always helps the band. Isn't there any other member of your band who writes songs? Same as you, I'm not too interested in the mechanics of playing an instrument. I can't uderstand people who spend so many hours per week rehearsing a riff, copying a solo or trying to imitate something someone else played; I don't find much pleasure in that. For me, the initial and intermediate stages of learning an instrument are gratifying enough because you make a lot of progress per unit of time dedicated to it (say, hour). Now, when I get to a certain point where the learning curve starts decreasing and every hour I spend with the instrument yields less progress, that's when I get bored and think it's not worthy to go on killing myself over just a little improvement, so I usually leave things at that point.
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Post by dillwyn on Jan 11, 2019 23:20:46 GMT
Understandable your approach, sorry I was referring to your band(s) as different entities ... the blues band that you help with (make cover demo's and video) and you future band that you do your original songs with who in my head also play covers sometimes . Your online band is brilliant approach with so many different influences available, i always enjoy hearing those songs. Loved your metaphor btw neither view is a wrong which is why I love music. As for us, I tended to write as therapy previously, this time it is another angle (not quite finished yet so I won't talk too much about it as it is still developing and might change). No I tend to do the writing / production as it is what I like to do, they are all very supportive and everyone has their parts they develop. i can count on 1 finger the number of times I've had to ask the drummer to fill differently, it is instinctive and we are used to each other. We all develop our parts, for drums for instance we have a quick discussion around tempo and bass / kick drum pattern and it generally slots into place. BUT the band all have their own things, the guitarist has just finished playing in an orchestra for jesus christ superstar (and is onto his next show soon), he also plays in a successful covers band and also does his own classical guitar recitals. He is quite briliant and will ALWAYS get the guitars slot ... the drummer also brilliant has two other bands, the singer doesn't do anything musically outside SB but she isn't interested in writing. if i didn;t do the writing i'd be redundant
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Post by orioles70 on Jan 14, 2019 20:51:07 GMT
best use of the phrase "Do Ya" in rock music since the '70s (I'll avoid the ELO vs Move debate)
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Post by Helmut83 on Jan 15, 2019 2:17:15 GMT
Aha, ok, dillwyn, now I get it, you were talking about a potential band. I'll see if I get on to that this year. Thanks for your praises about our online band; it's true, it's a case in which diverse inputs enhance the works. Would you be up for playing bass in one of our songs as an invited artist, if by the time we need it you are not too loaded with work from your own band? So you are the only one who writes, despite the other guys having their own merits, but in other disciplines... Another thing I'm curious about, because I really suck at lyrics: you say you write music as a therapy; do you feel every time you write a song -both musically and lyrically- you always had something to say about your experiences, moods, feelings, etc...? Never did a song come out to you because it just came out? And also, hasn't it happened to you that you write music and you don't know what to fill it with because you have nothing to say in terms of lyrics? Or you always have something to say?
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Post by dillwyn on Jan 15, 2019 22:25:39 GMT
Hi Helmut ... I'm not much of a player but happy to give it a go, if you really need an average bass player, although currently quite busy as you can imagine In terms of writing tunes just yes they do .. I have tracks without lyrics and I have lyrics without music (although they tend to get used up, sometimes in other songs especially if i like some of the phrases). For this album, I have written the things together as I have a theme. I get an opening melody and first line together, then I just build it up. I tend to write from experience as I have found it the best approach for me. Not for everyone i'm sure. then again there aren't many happy songs on the records i'm a little bit giddy tonight as I've just had a 2003 telecaster delivered...merry christmas to me
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