Saturday, June 21, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Beginning: 2002
In June, 2002, I got the idea that I might like to record some original music. The plan was, create two "albums." Inspired as I was then by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, I decided the first would be a collection of pianocentric orchestral pieces. The second would be my own response to the first LP I ever wore out: Neil Young's Harvest. I would borrow my brother's 4-track, create 2 CDs, put them on a shelf, and be done with it.
And then we went, as a family of 15 or so, to Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard for a week to celebrate my parents' retirement. And while my first recordings were a little - how can I put this? - poor... I did however, realize that I had stumbled upon something that I really really enjoyed. As a result, I kept at it - leaning more and more on guitar-bass-and-drum-machine songwriting, and trying like heck to sing confidently.
Of the 75 or so songs I wrote and recorded in my attic through the end of 2002, a few can be heard online at Jamendo.com (see playlists, below). What you'll hear in these songs is me getting used to the TASCAM Portastudio - for example, learning that you shouldn't have a big old fluorescent light plugged in right next to your Radio Shack microphone... But, hey - you've got to start somewhere, right?
Finally, if you don't already know, Jamendo.com is where I've made this music (and much more) available for free downloading/playlisting. Check it out, if you get a chance!
