Songwriting

Been Down So Long

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:36:33 GMT

Last entry was July 18th. Way too long in between posts simply because that means its been way too long since I've done anything about my music. Just recently however, I did find some time to put together a video for "Wedding Ring", see the video on the home page. A mixture of still photos and video taken from my iPhone. Simple but it works. I did procure some betas from Platinum Loops recently and have loaded them into Logic, so hopefully that will be the catalyust to get back into song writing. I've had something bouncing about my head since I went to Turkey earlier this year. Time to get to it.

Rolling Shutter, Waving Strings

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:45:00 GMT

Kyle Jones, motion designer/animator and illustrator in Nashville, TN, experiemented with his iPhone and came up with the following very cool video effects of the guitar strings vibration. The images, as he states ,are because of the rolling shutter on the iPhone and not their actual vibration. I am definitely using this technique on my next home grown video production.

Battles, On As A Trio

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:50:00 GMT

In an interview with NPR, The loss of Tyler Braxton, lead singer, during the making of Battles' second full -length album, Gloss Drop "put the fire back underneath" the remaining trio, says John Stanier, drummer.

He goes on to say that the loss which happened at a point where the recording was behind schedule and failing to live up to the bands expectations, lent the album special urgency it would never have had otherwise.

For vocals they enlist outside help whenever needed, such as on the track "Ice Cream" where singer producer Matias Aguayo chimes in.

Listen to the full interview, two songs of their new album and a video for Atlas from their debut album at NPR All Songs Considered.
Plus here's a listen of "Ice Cream."

Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune - Song Download

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:55:00 GMT

OH FORTUNE, The New Album from Dan Mangan will be available September 27th. To get your copy of the title track, enter your email in the space below. You get a link to download the song and they get to send you future updates from time to time. The option to unsubscribe is included with all the updates sent.

The Boxer Rebellion smacks of My Morning Head

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:45:00 GMT

The 10-year history of The Boxer Rebellion, a London-Based quartet, is one of perserverance. Shortly after their debut album was released, their label went broke. It took some time for the band to recover, but they took it upon themselves to release and finance their follow-up LP "Union" which saw them make history by becoming the first unsigned band to enter the US Billboard 100 Albums Chart (no. 82) on digital sales alone. By the end of 2009, iTunes US declared Union their Alternative Album of the Year.

Now ready to embark on their third album they brought in producer Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne), whose unorthodox approach to recording became the perfect foil to the Boxer Rebellion’s almost tunnel-vision creative perseverance.

“There’s no conventional approach or formula to how I work,” the producer states. “But working on this album, I felt there had to be some natural way of recording, because the tracks were coming fast. So recording it live seemed like the logical thing to do – there was a synchronicity to writing and recording, and the way it all came together so naturally I think adds to the whole feel of it.”

The result of this dynamic – and the first album The Boxer Rebellion have handed over to a single producer – is the forthcoming breathtaker that is The Cold Still.

No Harm Starts the album and the tone os set with the rolling thunder of the drums threatening a storm that never comes. The loping rhythmic pace foreshadows a journey that you are about to be taken on throughout this album. The backing guitars create a layer of sound but never break free, as the vocalists unique tone sets a wanton, pleading mood. The listener gets a sense of release as the backing jangle of guitar jumps to the forefront in Step Out of The Car. A much welcome and grand departure from the first track.

The calm vocal tone provides an assertiveness, compared to No Harm , yet the melancholy drone draws you in.

I will lock you down
In a bunker underground
Sealed and windowless inside
I will, oh I will

All inspired and complacent
To be loved can disarrange it
This is always one thing you can't win

The high tones used in the melody have you wondering if this a threat or a promise.. a frightening perspective.

The subtleties within the songs are quite striking. Lonely high hats, ghostly backing vocals, guitar jangles. But at times it seems like each band member is afraid to take the lead or take the spotlight, even their crescendos, they approach a climax but dont fulfill that desire to release the tension in a burst of energy. At times the building energy ends almost apologetically. The Boxer Rebellion is always in control.

The album is like going on a white water rafting adventure; slow and peaceful with the odd rush, dip and turn and whitewater threat - rolling an tumbling along, grabbing the sides to steady yourself and watching the bow rise threateningly but then settle without a fear of being flipped, just enough to get your adrenalin going but wanting more. It is atmospheric and epic, and altogether a good listen. This album is put on after the party is over and the last few stragglers are sprawled across the couch. Eyes closed, listening to the melancholy strains in the darkness while sipping a Crown Royal on the rocks

The imagery that comes to mind while listening to these tunes is what I found most compelling, especialy in the song Both Sides Are Even where I imagined a battle field hundreds of years ago that had recently seen hand to hand combat, foot prints and trenches, mounds of muck and mud all left behind - weapons droppped mid-battle - the soldiers hd recently turned to walk away - tired, defeated, and lost, they have had eneogh - fuck what the generals say, they're going home.

Coincidentally, it was after this that I found out that "The Boxer Rebellion" was an opposing force in China between 1898 an 1901 that fought against imperialism and Christianity. The name was given to them from the foreigners who marvelled at their hand to hand combat. They called themselves The Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists; a most excellent but rather long name for a band.

The last three songs, starting with Both Sides Are Even, really stand out for me, The Runner is the first time that the bass comes to the forefront. This should happen more often; an individual member steps up and tries to wrest control. Its like a tug-o-war between the bassist and lead singer. This would be my choice for a single, along with Locked In The Basement

And then the finale, No Doubt. I go back to this song often for my Boxer Rebellion fix. Nothing too much to say here other than its a fine fine tune.

Overall the song writing on this album is solid, combining the layered sound of Radiohead and the toned-down existentialism of My Morning Jacket - "My Morning Head", if you will.

Songwriting - The rewrite process

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:20:00 GMT

If you've been following the songwriting Process I'm going through for my latest creation you may have noticed a couple of things. 1) Im slow. I can't churn out a completed song in a day. First off, Im too damn busy with work and family to have time to pick up the guitar etc every day although I wish I could. And 2) everyting is still undecided.. the lyrics, the chord arrangement, the melody ...
I need to mull, churn, rewrite, edit, try again. I used to think this was a bad thing, that it was a flaw. But I've come to learn that more often than not its a positive trait. It means Im never satisfied and it means that Im not too emotionally attached to the inspirations to know when it needs to be changed.

Here is an article titled "You Can Write Better Lyrics" by Mark Winkler that talks about just this thing - writing and rewriting, but not just lyrics:

Title
Melody
Lyrics
Structure
Hook

Each part of the song needs the same attention to detail. And thats where I need to focus more. Just because I take a long time, doesnt mean I have that attention to detail. After reading this article it reminded me that I need to pay greater attention to melody, the hook and a title on this current ditty of mine.

Another thing Im coming to realize is that a co-writer would help tremendously. Any takers?

Blake Havard, Loving His Job

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:20:00 GMT

One of the first things I noticed about Blake Havard when I saw/heard him at the Bluebird North performance, was that he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. Chuckling at his own stories, whimsically shaking his head as he recalls the frustrating side of being a singer /songwriter (disinterested chatty pub patrons), and moving to the rhythm as the other performers that night took their turns at sharing and performing.

This carefree attitude that he exudes makes his music that much more enjoyable. Many singer songwriters get their inspiration for songs through hardship, heartbreak, and bad luck. Blake may not be an exception to this rule but even in these instances there's an upside. Take his song "Weather Girl" that he sang at the show. It was about a time in his life when he was working a day job he detested (roofing I believe) and he had stayed up late the night before. The last thing he wanted to do was go to work in the morning so he turned on the weather channel looking for rain in hopes of a cancelation. So does he sing about Praying for Rain or Too Tired to Tar ? No he sings about falling in love with the Weather Girl. This positive outlook, finding the bright side in the daily drudgery that we all go through, provides a great escape for the listener.

You can tell he loves what he's doing and in turn it makes it that much more enjoyable for his audience. If only they would shut-up and listen. He's followed his heart, as he writes about in "Follow It Down" - doing what he loves even if times get tough. Thats the type of courage many of us wish we had.

Roy Forbes At BlueBird North

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:40:00 GMT

I went ot Bluebird North last night at the Roundhouse in Vancouver and stumbled into a real treat. Amongst the great set of musicians there; Blake Havard, Courtney and Stephanie Fera, Marq DeSouza, and Shari Ulrich, there was Roy Forbes. I had never heard Roy Forbes before, even though his career spans decades. I've been missing out. His unique voice, his lyrics, guitar playing and most of all his songwrifting talent drew me in. I'm sure the engaging FERA sisters at times were even a little in awe of the talent that was sitting beside them.

Heres Roy Forbes (guitar and vocals) , Shar Ulrich and Bill Henderson, collectively known as UHF and their 1995 video for their song Lifting My Heart.

Bluebird North - Tonight At 7:30 at the Roundhouse in Vancouver

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:48:27 GMT

BLUEBIRD NORTH is an intimate, interactive musical showcase hosted by the S.A.C. that brings together some of Canada’s most inspiring songwriters to share their songs and stories. During this acoustic, informal evening, each featured songwriter will perform their songs and share the ‘back story’ and inspiration about how each song was written.

Tonight its a colourful sampling of alt-country, jazz, rhythm-‘n-blues, contemporary pop/folk and more with Dave Essig, Courtney and Stephanie Fera, Ray Forbes and Blake Harvard.

Final track coming tomorrow

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:49:20 GMT

Im excited. The final track for my latest song should be completed tomorrow. Monsieur Gauthier is bringing his bass to the office and Im bringing my recording gear in so he can lay down his sounds. I should have it mixed in and posted on the site by tomorrow night

Songwriting Stage III - the first lyrical draft

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:40:00 GMT

So from the previous ramblings of prose I highlighted the poignant phrases and key words, threw away 99% of it, created a list of likely rhyming words and now have the first draft of lyrics.

Woke up on the right side of bed
Swung my legs to the other side and said
Now Im ready for the day

Woke up and found the sun today
So I drove 3 hours to get away and found the rain
I found the rain

If something can go wrong it should
It would do the world a world of good
I've got hope for today

Woke up and found the sun today
So I drove 3 hours to get away and found the rain
I found the rain

Human Nature won't let me down
There's always someone who is bound
to brighten up my day

Woke up and found the sun today
So I drove 3 hours to get away and found the rain
I found the rain

Noticeably absent from all this is the bridge. Always a tough one for me. Never sure what direction to take. Now to take these words and see how they fit, and modify them to fit, within the melody and 2 different chord structures I have in mind. Im concerned about the same phrasing between the verse and chorus right now. So that will likely change.

Songwriting -Stage II - Finding the lyric

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 19:35:00 GMT

I have the basis for the chorus and not much else. So I'm thinking that to move this song along I need to know what its about. I think this one is about someone who's only happy when he's complaining- or as Garbage would say "Only happy when it rains" So to to try to get some lyrics based on this I am taking Ravenous Raven's tip and trying 10 minutes of free writing. I have my topic - only happy when complaining. Now I have to put pen to paper and write descriptive prose about this situation. From that prose, I will then highlight the key, descriptive, catchy phrases and then try to form them into lyrical song structure. Heres the free-writing that I came up with, tons of errors, grammatically etc, but thats the point. In free writing you dont go back and correct spelling or tense or perspective:

Everything is going wrong. Lots of luck but its all bad. He woke up on the right side of the bed this morning so he swung his legs to the other side. "That's more like it. Now Im ready for the day". He turned on the news and smiled at the stories of political corruption, lost boys and the garbage strike. The well dressed news man tells these stories so well, without a hint of sadness, almost glad. His hero. Greets him each morning at 8am with stories of hatred to start his day.Thats the way it is. Thats the way it should be. something to grumble about about. Time to complain. Take these stories to the water cooler and wait for an unsuspecting colleague to walk up and hit him with the news. "Did you hear it? Can you believe it?" Shakes his head in mock disgust but inside he's truly happy. That will get him thinking. Human nature hasn't let him down. Never lets him down. Never lets me down.

Gets in the car and finds the gas tank empty. No one to blame but himself, but its not his fault he's alone. Not his fault he has no one to share his daily chores. How can you expect one man to remember everything. Gas prices are too damn high anyway. I was waiting for the price to come down. Never does. Not my faut im alone. Women are too shallow to see the real me. What I'm really worth. Worth is all they see. Im smart. SMRT smart. Traffic is light today, an easy drive. I'll get to work too damn early. Whats wrong with people, doesnt anyone go to work on time anymore?

Peace and contentment is lost on this man

Neighbours pretend not to notice me when I try to tell them about my day. I only get started when they turn to walk away. Pretending they have something better to do. Chores to finish- complete- do. Cars to wash. Grass to mow / cut. Trying to make things seem better than they really are. The weekend is here - never long enough. Government employees get an extra day, why cant I? Not tlike they deserve it anyway. never worked an honest day in their life. LIke to see them do what I do everyday. Weekend is here and the sun is hot today. Shining down hot, feel the heat on my back Im burning. Too hot to work. The slightest motion makes sweat pore off my forehead. Pore down my face, trickle on my cheek and drip. the sweat collects on my shirt. Cant even sit as the faux fake plastic adirondack lawn chair is hotter than an iron. Too hot to sit on and no bother moving it under the tree as all the bugs are in the shade. smarter than me. May as well go inside and watch the news. Bet the weatherman is wrong again.

If something can go wrong - it should. It will be your fault and everyone will know it. If it cant go wrong, it will anyway. Mother nature is a bitch. And a disobedient on at that. Smile, tomorrow will be worse.

SO.. is there anything in here. Is this the way I want the song to go? Dunno yet. We'll find out together.

Songwriting Process - Stage 1

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:45:00 GMT

This is a journey in songwriting. I thought it would be a neat idea to publicly share my songwriting priocess. Show how I go about it from song genesis to completion. Its an anxious moment committing to go through with this as this will put on public display ( not very public mind you since only 30 people a month read this blog :-) ) all of my faults, mistakes, inadequacies etc. but it will also be fun and a learning experience.

For it to a learning experience I need your input at the various stages whatever it may be. From "abandon all efforts and try again" to where to put the bridge, what chord progressions to use, make it electronica, keep it bluesy, lyric suggestions etc.

So what follows is a phrase that came into my head one evening in Turkey. I woke up in the city of Usak and it was beautiful, sunny morning. After breakfast I hopped in the car with my non-english speaking driver, and as a non-Turkish speaking passenger, we had a quiet ride for 3.5 hours towards the coast to Izmir. The weather gradually grew bleaker and the skies greyer until at Izmir it was raining and dreary. The phrase "I woke up and found the sun today so I drove three hours to get away and found the rain. I found the rain."

Quite banal when in context with the story of my drive, but it has suggestions on other levels of someone who either always experiences bad luck, or is only happy when things aren't going right.

The following is that phrase and the and the melody popped into my head when saying the phrase over and over. I sat down in my hotel room. put on a basic beat for a click track, grabbed my acoustic travel guitar and pressed record on the laptop.

The result is as follows.

Obviously at its very first stages. Needs verse lyrics, verse melody, bridge components and a structure still. Right now it sounds like something the Grateful Dead or The Band could get their hands on and have fun with. Will be interesting to see where it ends up.

Song Writing - Stage 1 by Glen Trainor

Finishing a song

Thu, 12 May 2011 06:55:00 GMT

I actually forgot about a song I was writing. In my defense, reality did get in the way; kids activities are at their peak and I had a 10-day trip oversees (during which I write a cool chorus for another tune). But on April 15th I emailed the percussion, guitar and vocals of a tune to two people asking to provide their input for lead and bass guitar. No response yet from them but with a little friendly reminder Im sure I'll get a response from the bassist toot sweet.

Angels in the Sky - Nostalgia, Mourning or Happiness - Your Call.

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:55:00 GMT

I think it was a couple of years ago now that Isabelle, my daughter, sang on "Angels In The Sky," a song we (Isabelle, Katherine and I ) wrote together one day after heading over to the local school playground (featured in the video) and picking out shapes in the clouds. That would make Isabelle about 7 years old at the time of the recording of this song. The song is meant to be one of nostalgia, about a dad remembering the innocent times spent with kids, now that they are all grown up and leading lives of their own. I know that references to angels, sky, heavenly bodies, and the image of the empty swing in the video suggests that the song is about losing someone to death, but that wasn't its intent.
It was the image of the empty swing that caused Isabelle to take notice of the story within the song. When I explained that the song was about a ad remembering his kids after they had grown up and gone away, she didn't like that. She cried a little, and with ager said to me "I thought it was a happy song." The accusation in her voice of me somehow tricking her, I felt guilt. I assumed she understood,I guess I should have explained it to her, being only 7 and all.
Just goes to show that a song's meaning is up for interpretation. Whatever the creator may intend may not necessarily be the way the consumer precieves it. Whether it be a bitter sweet nostalgia, mourning, or a simple account of happy times; all in one song.

Wedding Ring - Song Commentary

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:40:00 GMT

Wedding Ring Remixed 1 by Glen Trainor Listen along and get comments on the song from me at certain points.

2 Minute Ditty - Video

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:50:00 GMT

I was on a Mexican Cruise last week and inside the ship it was over the top carnival-like decor - everywhere, lights sparkles, pink polka dots, funky fonts for floor levels, and in the cabin hallways these populuxe era stylized photos of happy well dressed men and women. Apparently this was one of the more interesting subjects for me on the cruise as I took 55 photos - 49 of which weree of these wallpapered tacky images.

I had an inkling of what I was going to do with them. The inkling become and idea, the idea became a project and the project became this video for 2 Minite Ditty

The Alley - Video

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:50:00 GMT

The Alley, I wrote this last summer and recorded most of it then as well. I was having issues with my voice, didnt like the sound of it and tried "hiding" it in the mix, adding different effects etc which didnt really help. So I pulled it off the site and decided to re-do the vocals. I said to hell with it and just went raw, belted ou the vocals, created space in the bridge and added a moody guitar part, which I think worked. Then I tried my hand at creating a music video. Went to Flickr and did an advanced search on "dark alley" tagged photos that also listed their photos under the creative commons license of attribution non-commercial allowing me to

to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work
to Remix — to adapt the work
Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

Using iMovie I dropped in the photos, synced them with the song, played with the pan, zoom, fade and transition and voila! My very first video "The Alley"

Nothing Like a Big Dude Playing Sad Music

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:00:00 GMT

meta name="keywords" content="top 40, top40, music, music downloads, rock, rocknroll, rock and roll rock&roll, bob dylan, damien rice, rufus wainright, neil diamond,graceful tunes, secretly canadian, grammys, oscars, junos, juno, soundtrack, free, free music, free downloads, music downloads, videos, music videos, vids, music tracks, free tracks, local talent, hot new act, latest craze, singer, song writer, singer songwriter, britney spears sucks, folk, folk-rock, folk rock, indie rock, guitar, guitar tunes acoustic guitar"> Damien Jurado's solo career began during the mid-1990s, releasing lo-fi folk based recordings on his own cassette-only label.He often makes use of found sound and field recording techniques, and has experimented with different forms of tape recordings. In 2000 he released Postcards and Audio Letters, a collection of found audio letters and fragments that he had found from sources such as thrift store tape players and answering machines. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson described it as "just wrenchingly intimate messages...— and it plays like a mission statement for his music, like the movie for which he'd been providing a soundtrack all along."

His latest album is "Saint Bartlett" released on the label, Secretly Canadian – May 2010. All the songs (save one - Newspaper Gown) he plays in the video below come from that album. This video is from NPR's Timy Desk Concert in which artists come in to the journalist's office and play bare bones music. There's no faking it here.

Damien Jurado. he's big, he's bold and he's graceful.

Dry Rain - Cystems

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:00:00 GMT

Since their first gig in Feb '09, Dry Rain have grown as a band now put on a truly high energy performance. The band; Mitch Trainor (bass and lead vocals) Jeff Trainor (keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals) Eric Janze (lead guitar) and Alex Janze Drums are ranging in age from 14 to 18, and consist of two sets of brothers, DRY RAIN truly is a " band of brothers".

Check out their latest live video performance of Cystems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVeznfmu1Yc