Singing to Sarah 6: Cover Tuneage

I had an original number in progress for this week. However, despite a fair amount of effort it's not clicking yet. Can't figure out why, but it isn't. Maybe not enough cowbell. Hopefully I'll figure it out in the next week or two.

Instead, here's the next in the "Singing to Sarah" series of impromptu acoustic performances. This time I'm playing a cover tune that Sarah really seems to like. I've noticed she seems to prefer sad songs.

Using the first take on this one. I did a second run-through, but the baby noises near the end of take #1 seemed to fit the concept better.

Singing to Sarah 6: tiv.mp3

The ever-popular artistic delay

This week's recording will be a little late. My apologies! I'll have something posted by tomorrow or Tuesday; check back soon.

In the meantime, if you have not already: you can hear the fully collaborated version of Virtuell Speckfrühstückskost, with vocal treatments by Gerhard Schinkenspeise, over here on his friend Tom's blog.

(I posted the instrumental bed tracks for this piece here a couple of weeks ago; Gerhard added vocal magic in his secret lair)

Singing to Sarah 5: Guest Artist!!!!

This week, we feature fabulous guest artist (but not exactly Special Guest, if you know what I mean) Captain Ambivalent in the Singing to Sarah series. He's got a delightful little ditty for us about love and redemption.

Precious<--Yesssss, clicksss here, Precioussss!

Words and music © 2009 by Dan Biemer

Singing to Sarah, part 4: I've got your toes!

Caution: contents may induce sugary coma. You have been warned!

This week's entry is a song Marg wrote for Sarah. It's a catchy little baby-cute number that she sings to her while holding and wiggling Sarah's toes, feet, arms, and so on. It's incredibly effective at distracting a baby in the early stages of fussiness. For now, you'll just have to imagine the visuals for yourselves.

I've got your toes! <--Click to get your .mp3!
Words and music © 2009 Margaret Frey
Vocal Marg, guitar Mark. Backing vocal Sarah.

Works in progress: German Synths!

I've been working on a collaboration with the enigmatic and reclusive German electronic music genius known to the world only as "Destination : Appointment."

This piece is a background tapestry I composed for a set of Herr Appointment's treatments called Virtuell Speckfrühstückskost. I'll post the final work when it is complete, but I thought you might enjoy this stage of the process as this week's recording.

Virtuell Speckfrühstückskost (version)<--bitte, clicken für mp3

Singing to Sarah, part 3: Guest Artist!

Matt came by and sang to Sarah yesterday, joining the Squeaky Animal crew as guest songwriter for the week. This number is a little cautionary fable about the evils of Rock & Roll. The important life lessons start now, little Sarah!

Photographic evidence of the session can be found on Sarah's Blog.

Rock Band [MP-three HEAR!]© 2009 Matt T. Mullane

Matt: Lead and backing vocals, guitar, wooden frog

Mark: Bass, organ, backing vocal, tambourine.

Into the archives!

Well, it's been a hecka-busy week. Grant proposal, fussy baby, lawn care, fussy baby, and so on. By Sunday night it's become clear that I'm not going to write anything new for this post. So, INTO THE ARCHIVES!

This recording is pretty old. About 1991, I'd have to guess. At the time, I was playing in a very short-lived blues-rock outfit called "40 oz. Soul." I was the bass player, George was the guitarist. The singer, who really really wanted to be Jim Morrison, was Ryan, and there was a drummer whose name I've unfortunately forgotten. He was into Mr. Big. Ah, youth.

We cut a demo tape using my 4-track Portastudio and Dan Biemer's effects units/mixer. This song, "Crystal River Fantasy," was on it, in the straight-ahead smalltown blues-rock style that we intended to become famous for (maybe I'll post that rendition on some other day). 

One of the other things we apparently intended to become famous for was band members not showing up to rehearsal or writing/recording sessions (did I mention this group was short-lived?). On one weekend afternoon, when we were supposed to be recording, George and I found ourselves in my Mom's basement without a drummer or lead singer. Marg was visiting from Chicago for the weekend, though, so for fun we did a little (pretty loose in the bass and guitar, but that's what spontaneous is all about) mostly-acoustic version of this tune with her singing.

Oddly, this recording helped bring on the band's demise, which occurred not long after that weekend (announced by Ryan on stage at an open mic we were playing, with no advance warning!). I later heard the story from George, when he and I were both playing in better bands that shared a festival bill at the American Legion post. Apparently, Ryan heard this rendition by accident at George's place, and had some weird kind of ego-jealousy reaction that caused him to dissolve the band at the next highly-public opportunity. George's interpretation was that Ryan didn't like how our track was way better than the full-band recording. Of course, George could sometimes be a little snarky.

In retrospect, it's crazy how low-fi these Portastudios (4 tracks! on a cassette tape! awesome!) were. Kind of charming, in their own way.

Crystal River Fantasy (quiet version)  <---click for it!

music by 40 oz. Soul, lyrics by Ryan;

guitar, George; vocal, Marg; bass & keys, Mark