Well, as you may have already read on their Myspace page, Burn Without Me announced that their keyboardist/co-guitarist, Everett Jordan is leaving the band to move to Oregon (or Colorado? Some place way out west). In order to complete work on their second album, they have asked me to take on a more active and creative role.
I will be putting the Dimaension X project aside for a bit, and begin working on some riffs, synth parts, samples, and arranging in general. Seth Tracy (band founder, guitarist, keyboardist, producer. etc.) also wants me to do come up with some guitar solos and extended jams to add some more variety to their overall sound. Sounds like a challenge. Let's hope I cam come up with some stuff that they'll like. Seth will still be writing most of the really heavy stuff, and I'll be coming up with the more "atmospheric" synths, jam parts, and so on. I also want to throw in some surprises.
Expect an update soon.
6/29/09
6/17/09
The Screamin' Barfys and Burn Without Me - two new bands
I haven't posted anything since the end of May, so i figured it was time for an update.
First and foremost, I am still unfortunately unemployed. I had a few interviews, but didn't get picked for the jobs. Oh well.
Second, I have been helping out my next-door neighbor's band record their 6-song debut. The Screamin' Barfies now have four of their songs up and streaming for preview at their Myspace page, and would like to start playing some live gigs.
Their music is a combination of Black Flag jamming with Pearl Jam, and sounds very much like the great old bands from the SoCal hardcore scene in the early 1990's. This was the first time I ever recorded real drums, but I think the demo sounds pretty good. They pretty much mixed and produced the demo themselves, ... I just pointed them in the right direction here and there with some mic placement issues, overdubs, separating dirty guitars and clean guitars onto separate tracks, etc.
They did a really good job mixing it themselves (well, mainly their bassist, my neighbor, Clint Mitchell - 'cuz he owns the computer they recorded on, the band space in his basement, etc.) and it really retains that classic raw 1990's SoCal sound - right outta the old SST Label (remember SST? Black Flag, the Minutemen, Husker Du, Gone, Saccarine Trust). Good stuff, plus the guitarist, Justin Lombard comes up with these really interesting chord progressions. Drummer James Jones slams the drums (loud!!!), but with a lot of finesse and interesting fills. He kind of reminds me of Brann Dailor (of Mastodon), almost never playing a straight beat. And vocalist/lyricist Dan Flynn is in that lost realm between Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins and Jim Morrison. Really.
Good stuff - jump over to their Myspace Page RIGHT NOW!
Thirdly, I have been helping an experimental extreme metal band from Westboro, MA called Burn Without Me record and mix their album, which should be up and streaming at their Myspace page and at their Last.fm page. Actually, I really did next to nothing that they couldn't have done themselves.
They recorded everything themselves at guitarist, Seth Tracy's home studio, called Blister Studio, and uploaded the song files to an online file-sharing space. I then downloaded the files, brought them up on my computer (which was very easy - we both use REAPER as our main Audio DAW). I just fiddled a bit with the levels between the instruments, added some compression and limiting, some delays and reverb and that's about it.
The drums were ridiculously easy, and sound incredible, because their drummer plays an electronic kit, and recorded everything as MIDI. We both use Toontrack's EZ Drummer for our drum samples/sounds, so I just loaded EZ Drummer onto the tracks, made some adjustments and whamo! Incredible sounding drums.
Oh, the music! Wow, that's a tough one - imagine Napalm Death or Gorefest jamming with Marduk and Infected Mushroom. Yeah, really. Agoraphobic Nosebleed if produced by Bill Laswell. Anyone remember Praxis? The kind of "super-group" with Buckethead, Bill Laswell, Mick Harris? Kinda like that. If you like experimental grindcore, avant-garde death metal, and weird samples from old, really bad Kung Fu movies, then this is the band for you.
That's all for now, kids.
First and foremost, I am still unfortunately unemployed. I had a few interviews, but didn't get picked for the jobs. Oh well.
Second, I have been helping out my next-door neighbor's band record their 6-song debut. The Screamin' Barfies now have four of their songs up and streaming for preview at their Myspace page, and would like to start playing some live gigs.
Their music is a combination of Black Flag jamming with Pearl Jam, and sounds very much like the great old bands from the SoCal hardcore scene in the early 1990's. This was the first time I ever recorded real drums, but I think the demo sounds pretty good. They pretty much mixed and produced the demo themselves, ... I just pointed them in the right direction here and there with some mic placement issues, overdubs, separating dirty guitars and clean guitars onto separate tracks, etc.They did a really good job mixing it themselves (well, mainly their bassist, my neighbor, Clint Mitchell - 'cuz he owns the computer they recorded on, the band space in his basement, etc.) and it really retains that classic raw 1990's SoCal sound - right outta the old SST Label (remember SST? Black Flag, the Minutemen, Husker Du, Gone, Saccarine Trust). Good stuff, plus the guitarist, Justin Lombard comes up with these really interesting chord progressions. Drummer James Jones slams the drums (loud!!!), but with a lot of finesse and interesting fills. He kind of reminds me of Brann Dailor (of Mastodon), almost never playing a straight beat. And vocalist/lyricist Dan Flynn is in that lost realm between Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins and Jim Morrison. Really.
Good stuff - jump over to their Myspace Page RIGHT NOW!
Thirdly, I have been helping an experimental extreme metal band from Westboro, MA called Burn Without Me record and mix their album, which should be up and streaming at their Myspace page and at their Last.fm page. Actually, I really did next to nothing that they couldn't have done themselves.
They recorded everything themselves at guitarist, Seth Tracy's home studio, called Blister Studio, and uploaded the song files to an online file-sharing space. I then downloaded the files, brought them up on my computer (which was very easy - we both use REAPER as our main Audio DAW). I just fiddled a bit with the levels between the instruments, added some compression and limiting, some delays and reverb and that's about it.The drums were ridiculously easy, and sound incredible, because their drummer plays an electronic kit, and recorded everything as MIDI. We both use Toontrack's EZ Drummer for our drum samples/sounds, so I just loaded EZ Drummer onto the tracks, made some adjustments and whamo! Incredible sounding drums.
Oh, the music! Wow, that's a tough one - imagine Napalm Death or Gorefest jamming with Marduk and Infected Mushroom. Yeah, really. Agoraphobic Nosebleed if produced by Bill Laswell. Anyone remember Praxis? The kind of "super-group" with Buckethead, Bill Laswell, Mick Harris? Kinda like that. If you like experimental grindcore, avant-garde death metal, and weird samples from old, really bad Kung Fu movies, then this is the band for you.
That's all for now, kids.
5/29/09
Gothambia Redux - now at The Internet Archive
Yes, the album is (or will be very soon) now available for download from The Internet Archive.
Click HERE! (or click the album cover!)
I just completed my upload, so the Archive has to complete its various verification processes and create derivative files (lower resolution mp3's, ogg vorbis, etc.). But it should be ready to go very soon. I will also add it to my discography, complete with the other mirror links as provided in the former blog post.
You can also still download the album from Mediafire Here, or from Last.fm Here.
Please feel free to download, burn CDs, play them for your friends, etc., and thanX again for all your support.
Click HERE! (or click the album cover!)
I just completed my upload, so the Archive has to complete its various verification processes and create derivative files (lower resolution mp3's, ogg vorbis, etc.). But it should be ready to go very soon. I will also add it to my discography, complete with the other mirror links as provided in the former blog post.
You can also still download the album from Mediafire Here, or from Last.fm Here.
Please feel free to download, burn CDs, play them for your friends, etc., and thanX again for all your support.
5/24/09
Gothambia Redux - 2009
01. Intro (Grey)
02. VM
03. Gothambia Redux
04. Tempo Volare
05. Esab Fails to See
06. Shadows
07. Justification
08. VB
09. Outro (Blue)
Download from Mediafire Here, or from Last.fm Here.
A dark and moody mix of progressive rock and jazz fusion. A mix of old and new songs. Guitar and piano solos. Real bass guitar.
I will be posting the full album to The Internet Archive as soon as possible. they seem to be having some difficulties with their search engine right now, so I figured I'd start with a Mediafire link to get the album posted and ready for download. Just avoid the stupid pop-ups at the Mediafire page (I really hate those thngs, but whadaya expect from a free service?).
Once it is posted at The Internet Archive, I will put it in the discography with all applicable links.
Please download, crank it up and enjoy. Please feel free to re-post the the link at your blogs, burn CDs and blast it in your cars, and annoy your neighbors.
ThanX,
Dimaension X
5/20/09
New/Old album almost done!
Yup, I am listening to what will hopefully be the final mixes of my new (old) album. I did two different versions of the mix - the first was just too compressed, and the drums just didn't stand out at all. So I removed the heavy compression from the master track, revised the drums' "leakage" to be a bit drier sounding, and re-mixed some of the levels to balance everything out.
The final tracks may not be as loud as a commercial CD (or MP3s), but I'd rather have more dynamics and variety than to have everything sound so squashed and compressed (like Metallica's "Death Magnetic" album). And the drums sound very different than they usually sound.
The music, ... how would I describe the music? I'd say Contemporary-Progressive-Classical-Rock-Fusion. There's 3 brand new songs, 3 recent songs completely re-recorded, and 3 from "Gothambia," my 1995 cassette recording (see my most recent post below). Those songs are not what I'd call "mellow," but definitely less "metal" than I've been doing lately. Think more Kayo Dot or maudlin of the Well, with longer guitar solos and piano solos. Oh yeah, GUITAR SOLOS! I've got some really long doozys there for all of you who might think I've given up the guitar solo. Nuh-uh! Some nice long ones. But please forgive the piano solos. I'm WAY out of practice, and they're downright amateurish. But I think they fit the mood of the album very well. OH! And all of the bass guitar is 100% real. No synth bass this time.
When the songs are ready (very soon!), I will post them to The Internet Archive, Last.fm, and probably a Mediafire link. From there, anyone who wants to create their own links to Rapidshare, zshare, P2P BitTorrents, and the like, please feel free to do so. I will probably not post them to Soundclick, because some of the songs are just too long for my free account.
I really love those older songs. I put a lot of work into the original recordings back in 1995, but decided that they needed to be redone for the digital age (without tape hiss and crappy samples).
The final tracks may not be as loud as a commercial CD (or MP3s), but I'd rather have more dynamics and variety than to have everything sound so squashed and compressed (like Metallica's "Death Magnetic" album). And the drums sound very different than they usually sound.
The music, ... how would I describe the music? I'd say Contemporary-Progressive-Classical-Rock-Fusion. There's 3 brand new songs, 3 recent songs completely re-recorded, and 3 from "Gothambia," my 1995 cassette recording (see my most recent post below). Those songs are not what I'd call "mellow," but definitely less "metal" than I've been doing lately. Think more Kayo Dot or maudlin of the Well, with longer guitar solos and piano solos. Oh yeah, GUITAR SOLOS! I've got some really long doozys there for all of you who might think I've given up the guitar solo. Nuh-uh! Some nice long ones. But please forgive the piano solos. I'm WAY out of practice, and they're downright amateurish. But I think they fit the mood of the album very well. OH! And all of the bass guitar is 100% real. No synth bass this time.
When the songs are ready (very soon!), I will post them to The Internet Archive, Last.fm, and probably a Mediafire link. From there, anyone who wants to create their own links to Rapidshare, zshare, P2P BitTorrents, and the like, please feel free to do so. I will probably not post them to Soundclick, because some of the songs are just too long for my free account.
I really love those older songs. I put a lot of work into the original recordings back in 1995, but decided that they needed to be redone for the digital age (without tape hiss and crappy samples).
5/13/09
More New (old) to come soon...
I seem to be having good luck lately with my old material that was never completed. So, ... I am in the midst of completing a new project - a collection of old songs from 1995 (!) that I have updated and re-recorded. This material was originally recorded using a very old Yamaha MIDI 
sequencer, called the QY-10. This was one of the first commercially available multi-track sequencers that was combined with a multi-timbral sound source - eight channels, though, not 16. The project was recorded to CASSETTE Tape. Yup, cassette. Wow. Old school, huh? To the left is the original cassette cover.
I also decided to re-record a few songs from my "End of An Era" CD that I was never quite happy with. I also decided to NOT use any synthesized bass guitar. All real bass guitar. Which was a real bugger to do for the whole album, since my bass chops are NOT up to par. Not to mention, my wrist is really sore after playing so much bass. Hopefully I won't develop any more cysts. Bass is not easy to play, especially with my small, "girlie" hands.
So far, the album is only 50 minutes long, so I may try to come up with another old song, or maybe even try to create something new. Maybe just a blues-jam type thing, where I just blast away. I might also try to play my edrums "live". I just bought a new pedal controller for my kick drum, so that might help.
Oh, the name of the project is "Gothambia Redux." I actually played some of these songs back in 1994 with a live drummer named Paul Roger. He was the original drummer for Absolute Zero, and was replaced by Pip Pyle (who played with Gong, National Health, and Hatfield & the North). Paul played an electronic drum kit LONG before they were fully developed and commercially available. I did record a few versions of these songs with him, so those old tracks might make interesting bonus tracks. Hmmmmmm,... I'll have to find that CD, rip 'em to my laptop, and remaster those suckers.
I have my work cut out for me, so I'll update you when I have more tracks and stuff.
sequencer, called the QY-10. This was one of the first commercially available multi-track sequencers that was combined with a multi-timbral sound source - eight channels, though, not 16. The project was recorded to CASSETTE Tape. Yup, cassette. Wow. Old school, huh? To the left is the original cassette cover.I also decided to re-record a few songs from my "End of An Era" CD that I was never quite happy with. I also decided to NOT use any synthesized bass guitar. All real bass guitar. Which was a real bugger to do for the whole album, since my bass chops are NOT up to par. Not to mention, my wrist is really sore after playing so much bass. Hopefully I won't develop any more cysts. Bass is not easy to play, especially with my small, "girlie" hands.
So far, the album is only 50 minutes long, so I may try to come up with another old song, or maybe even try to create something new. Maybe just a blues-jam type thing, where I just blast away. I might also try to play my edrums "live". I just bought a new pedal controller for my kick drum, so that might help.
Oh, the name of the project is "Gothambia Redux." I actually played some of these songs back in 1994 with a live drummer named Paul Roger. He was the original drummer for Absolute Zero, and was replaced by Pip Pyle (who played with Gong, National Health, and Hatfield & the North). Paul played an electronic drum kit LONG before they were fully developed and commercially available. I did record a few versions of these songs with him, so those old tracks might make interesting bonus tracks. Hmmmmmm,... I'll have to find that CD, rip 'em to my laptop, and remaster those suckers.
I have my work cut out for me, so I'll update you when I have more tracks and stuff.
4/30/09
The Doom 2 Variations READY!!
Yup, I said it! Ready for Download. My own versions of the classic Doom 2 video game soundtrack are ready at a whole bunch of links. Take a look in the usual spots like my discography here in the blog, at my Myspace page, my Last.fm page, The Internet Archive, and Soundclick. And I'm also guessing a few folks who like the album may post a few mediafire or rapidshare links, too. Here's one of the mirrored links - (CLICK HERE!)
I think it actually came out pretty good, considering I still think my wrist is still a bit "funky", so some of the guitar solos may not be all that great, but overall, it's a good album to blast in the car. If anyone knows how to add the songs to their own Doom game mods, please do so. That would be kinda cool.
Let's also remember that this is a freebie. I'm not selling or profiting from its distribution whatsoever. I really enjoy this music and wanted to pay proper tribute to the guy who wrote these great songs originally - Bobby Prince. Any real Doom fan knows him and that he's at least partially responsible for the success of Doom. He was also one of the first guys (along with George Sanger) to embed MIDI files as the music in a game.
The cover art is "borrowed" from the original box cover, and modified slightly, so it is still technically ID Software's property. But I am NOT selling anything or profiting or making any money at all. This is a tribute. Dat's all. Hopefully I won't get into any trouble over this. It's not like I'm anyone important anyway. Just a musician and music fan.
Please listen and enjoy, and maybe let me know what you think.
ThanX.
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