I was so happy to return to the realms of Mambo Records this week. I had quite a bit of unsettled business to attend to. I brought good ol’ Jaggedy Kaye with me, so he could see how the whole operation went down. It was a good night . We filled in a lot of the remaining vocal parts, which was the obvious next step. I am really happy the way it is coming together, even thought it can be difficult to listen to myself over and over- especially when something isn’t working as easily as I had it in my head.
Nevertheless, I think it really great to have such a seasoned professional working on this record. Steve really has a good sense of letting me explore the vocal arrangements, but knows when we are belaboring a part, or if it is not necessary. In fact, his perspective has allowed me to think of my vocals in a new light. I tend to like lots of layering and harmonies through out the entirety of a song, but now I am starting to minimize the use of harmonies for maximum effectiveness. I think it’s worthwhile, because it allows the story to be told without the congestion of too much else. This is a new way of thinking for me, and one that I am happy to explore.
In regards to my last post-I wanted to keep you up to date on some of the independent video projects-me and Jaggedy Kaye are working on. We started combining some of his amazing world travel photos with music and got something pretty cool , I think as well as some live recordings of songs. If you check out You Tube, Jaggedy Kaye you will be able to see what I am talking about. All the pictures we are using are straight from his camera lens, depicting anywhere from the deserts of India, to German pubs to South American waterfalls and monumental rock formations of southern Australia.
You can see why he is , in so many ways , my hero as well as my brother. I have not been able to pull off the same type of things, but am learning to be content with my beautiful little lot in life. We are however, going to take an road trip together into the canyon lands of Southern Utah this September. I have been to Zion , but it was a quick drive by. I look forward to venturing deep into it’s mysterious caverns and crevices. We will be filming live recordings along the way, and posting them up on You Tube, so stay tuned in my friends.
It truly is an amazing time to be alive. The modern marvels of technology have opened doors to artists that have once been closed. With the advent of the internet and all is current capabilities, it gives opportunities to record music and put it online – make videos and upload them as well. Create images , and illustrate the imagination bouncing around in your head, at the end of it all share them with the world. At this point, it is all available- the only thing now is to do it.
Since my brother came back from Honduras we have started playing around with a camcorder and some of the images he has collected from his travels all over the world. I will keep you posted on more videos as they are created. Just search for Jaggedy Kaye on Youtube, and we’ll keep on making them in the meantime.
I was just listening to a little Camera Obscura and was enjoying their song French Navy. It has a good feeling about it. It sounds like a group of people who love to play music, sitting in a room and have a good jam. I can appreciate that, and it makes me kind of pine for the days when that was what a record was- not synthesized sound scapes and digital pitch correction. Back in the days when you had a be a musician to be a music star.
Check out their myspace if you please.
http://www.myspace.com/cameraobscuraband
It’s kind of funny , but I am checking out 2 very popular – pop – bands this week. First I am going to see No Doubt on Tuesday, then the Black Eyed Peas on Friday. Normally, these are not shows that I would particularly be blogging about, but I think there is a lot to be said about seeing the spectacle of live entertainment. What does a big band rock concert look like now a days? Gotta admit, it’s been a long time since I have been to a show like that. These bands obviously have talent and have found a way to connect with people on a grand scale, whether it be through catchy hooks, flashy clothes or 6 pack abs. I think it will be a fascinating case study of mass pandamonium and mass consumption…awwww who knows I might even have a little fun. I’ll keep you posted.
Uncategorized | christa | 
August 28, 2009 3:24 pm | 
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