Tomorrow night, March 30th, I’ll have the pleasure of playing cello on a few songs for the ever awesome Chuck Ragan at The Troubador in Los Angeles.
I’m real excited. I’ll let you know how it goes. If you are in LA, be sure to come out, as it is a benefit for Haiti concert, and Chuck is amazing.
As always, for those just joining us, I like to post random tracks up here on the blog. I like them to be unique, different, old, hidden, lost, remixed… basically, I like to dip into the vast pile of tape that gets left out when I complete albums.
The point is, and this important: The music I post here is intended to be special, for you, oh faithful readers, as you most likely have already bought the album (what’s that, you haven’t? Never fear, go to iTunes and do it right now)
Or make sure you explore my main site here: LukeJanela.net
I’m thinking that I’ll eventually need to put a disclaimer on all my blog music posts. I’ve been advised by music marketing gurus that the thing to do is to demand your email address out of you in exchange for a song. I’m not really there yet. Emails are fine but I’m thinking if you become a fan on Facebook that will be more better for all involved than emails. More voluntary you could say.
So here is an early version of Wrecking Ball Heart. Putting this up for my brother, who says he likes this song a lot, so you can hear the early incarnation. What you hear is simple and rough, more raw, than the version you’ll find on the album, here.
Hope you like… more soon…
I’ve been putting off basically everything working on some new music, so much new music in fact that I’m needing to break it down into its respective pieces.
This one is on an album I’m putting out that is basically electronic music meets cello. I’ve done that in the past, but the key with this one is that I more or less be able to play it live. Or some semblance of it. With looping that is possible!
So without saying much more, here is a new electrocello song. I’m likely to take it down soon, as I don’t want to spoil the fun, but love rewarding you my faithful readers…
Take care, enjoy…
I’m thinking of remixing all the tracks off of JUNEAUREVOIR, my all cello instrumental album, or having other electronic musicians give it a go. This song is my first foray into it.
For any purists out there, this track is not pure anymore!
Which leads me to a quick note about what I do. Currently I am making music across a broad range of genres, here is my quick summary:
1. Garage Rock With Cello, Punk-Folk Action (ala REDWOOD SUMMER)
2. Highly orchestrated dark electronic influenced with vocals, cello, beats and lots of other sounds (ala Midnight Door).
3. Cello instrumentals, kind of classically influenced, kind of not, it depends (ala JUNEAUREVOIR)
4. Dark dance electronic beats with cello, instrumental and mainly live at parties and whatnot. (Album on its way)
OK, so that’s out of the way, below is the track, enjoy, and thank you.
PS – Click here to listent to a sample of the original on iTunes
And obviously. This one, hard to believe, was very close to making it onto REDWOOD SUMMER. I like it. I was playing around polyrhythms, where you have different rhythmic times all stacked up on top of eachother. A lot of African music gets crazy with polyrhythms.
I used weird instruments on this one, one in particular called a ukelin. It’s this very odd looking beast, which mysteriously was given to me by my physics teacher in high school. I can’t even really explain why h would just give me such a gem, and why it was given to me by my physics teacher and not my music teacher, but I’m not complaining. It has like 300 strings. Ok, it has like 60 strings. I haven’t ever figured out how one is supposed to tune it, let alone play it.
The other instrument you hear is a mandolin. And frame drums. And weird lyrics (per usual).
It didn’t make it to REDWOOD SUMMER because it didn’t fit. The album is kind of all over the map emotionally as it is, I didn’t feel like “super whimsical” was what was needed to be added.
So yes, enjoy. Thank you for stopping by. And happy holidays. Oh yes, I forgot, that is the reason I went ahead and published this now. It could, in some parallel universe, or exotic country, or in your stereo perhaps be some type of holiday song somehow. It has the timber, I suppose.
Stardust Is Stardust
B sides are always around in my boxes. I have a lot of ideas that eventually would lead to a melody, but sometimes, like in the case of this one, will never be duplicated because the performance is so unique.
So here you go, so amazingly uncut or edited:
Here Is Enlightmenent
permalink to this post: http://midnightdoor.com/word/?p=558
I was playing around with vocal range in this one, total Mariah Carey inspired (kidding), it’s pretty rambling for sure. I’ve got a “holidays” ish song coming next week, so stay tuned!
So hear for you first is the new video for the first track off of REDWOOD SUMMER – “Strobe Light”
Enjoy!
To celebrate the final mix and master of Redwood Summer, I’m sending you this album version of track one: Strobe Light.
You heard it before, perhaps, but that was before the choir got added!
Enjoy!
You hear: rock cello, acoustic guitar, 2 drum sets, many backup vocals, a choir.
http://www.midnightdoor.com/word/media/truenorth.mp3
OK so I’ve been talking about this for a while but now the album is getting mastered this Friday!
I’d really like to have any and all of your voices on the backup vocals for the chorus (just the chorus… easy!) of my song ‘True North’
The lyrics are simple and maybe cheesy, but whatevs. They are:
“Start a great fire
start a great fire
start a great fire
in your hearth
turn a blind eye
turn a blind eye
turn a blind eye
to the lie”
The way I envision you being able to do this is to simply open up any audio recording program on your computer (garageband on mac, audacity on PC), put headphones on in another program (say, itunes) press play on “true north”, press record on your audio program and sing along during the chorus into the computer’s mic. Yup, that mic is fine. It’s ok if it sounds treble-y, it will create a roomy ambience, it is the easiest option, and I will fit it in the mix however it goes. I don’t care if you sing it amazingly or not. I want the sound of many voices. If you have a better mic that is fine too.
Then you press stop on the audio program. Save the file as pretty much any audio format, and email it to me. No, I won’t hear the rest of the song because you had your headphones on, but don’t clip it down to just the chorus or anything like that so that it is easier to line up with the recording.
If you have time that is more than great. If you don’t, I understand. But please just take 5 minutes to do it if you want/can! You will be immortalized forever and most likely a radio signal will send your voice into space. Most likely. You will get credit on the album. You will be irrevocably awesome.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
Let me know if you think you will. I need it by thurs at the absolute latest (Sorry for the late notice… )
The mp3 is noted here. If it doesn’t show up in this facebook post, go to http://midnightdoor.com/word/?p=467
Thanks Guys!
I’m super excited to report that I’m gonna get to play a show with someone I’ve admired musically for a long time!
Chuck Ragan is a member of the hugely influential band Hot Water Music. He has released two solo albums recently, which are excellent. A couple months ago we recorded; I played cello on a few tracks on his upcoming album, he sang on a track on my upcoming album.
The show is this Friday, July 10, 2009 at 9pm at the Blue Lamp in Sacramento, CA. Tickets are $12 at the door.
