Conrad Blog:

April 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
    1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30      
Search


Archives
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
October 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
Recent Entries
Song-A-Week #25: Human Nature and Love
Song-A-Week #24: Not A Song
This American Life Emmy Nominations
Song-A-Week #23: Maybe Not
The Two Best Things on the Internet
Song-A-Week #22: Every Time I Close My Eyes
Song-A-Week #21: Star City
Links
Cool stuff you should see:
Boardix
Pedalboy.net
TapeOp Board
Audioscrobbler
Syndicate this site (XML)
Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Powered by
Movable Type 3.35

July 31, 2007

Song-A-Week #25: Human Nature and Love

An actual song, not like last weeks. A simple one, a short one. Has no real chorus, and in that way is like a lot of the songs off of "Shortest Distance..." So that's kinda funny, but I think it's pretty good. Some keys and bass would be nice on this one.

Human Nature and Love
(C) Matthew C Good

If you would come home
I'd admit that I was wrong,
If you'd be my love
that'd be enough

Hey, if you won't
it wouldn't be that bad
Just thought I'd ask
in case you're holding back

Nothing's funny.
I turn off the TV.
This house is quiet,
I hear every creak.

These past few days
are a mystery to me.
I float like a feather,
I drag like a leaf.

Fear is the consequence
of the intermingling of
human nature and love

---

The main guitar is the souped-up sorento. Man I love that thing. The accent is the goldfish.

Posted by pedalboy at 11:16 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

July 24, 2007

Song-A-Week #24: Not A Song

I had no song in me tonight. I tried. I couldn't do it.

So here's a mishmash of stuff instead.

Mishmash

Also, here's a rough mix of Seth's drumming on Worlds Unknown. It's a little dull-sounding now that I'm listening back, so next mix i'll brighten it up a bit. Also, you may notice spots where the drums seem off. They aren't. The instruments are off. I'm crappy at playing in tempo to a click. I'll either replace all the parts or edit them so everything's in the pocket when the appointed time comes.

Worlds Unknown with a Big Drum Kit.

Posted by pedalboy at 10:55 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 19, 2007

This American Life Emmy Nominations

I'd just like to point out that the TV version of This American Life has received three Emmy nominations. This prestigious honor puts TAL in the esteemed company of such television monoliths as "Project Runway," "Star Wars:The Legacy Revealed," and "The 49th Annual Grammy Awards."

woo-hoo.

Posted by pedalboy at 12:15 PM | TrackBack

July 17, 2007

Song-A-Week #23: Maybe Not

Well, I've been a bit down lately. And thinking about my own mortality more than usual. It's weird for me. School for me was a brilliant way of putting that sort of thinking off... Now the future is not so nicely laid out, and the few things in the future that ARE certain (or nearly so) are fairly depressing. Anyway, for your enjoyment, here are but a few of my insecurities.

Maybe Not
(C) 2007 Matthew C Good

The only cure for life
is death
and everything in between
is a bandage.

Everyone will draw
that breath,
and one day they will forget to take
another.

The only thing that scares
me more
than shutting down is being around
forever.

I think I'll feel trapped
and bored.
When I stop to think, it makes me
shudder.

Lately I been thinking
impossible thoughts,
asking heavy questions
where nobody talks.
Maybe if I'm lucky,
it's a long way off.
Maybe I'll be lucky,
maybe not.

The Midwest plains pass by
slow
Other lives hide behind
the horizon

So the only thing I wanna
know
is why God made the landscape long
but the living short

Lately I been thinking
impossible thoughts,
asking heavy questions
where nobody talks.
Maybe if I'm lucky,
it's a long way off.
Maybe I'll be lucky,
maybe not.

---

I apologize in advance for the last chords. I changed them while I was playing electric and didn't bother to replay the acoustic, so there's a bit of a clash there. If I record this song "for real" whatever that means then I'll fix it.

What do you think? I like the lyrics and the song is alright. My 12-string playing aint *that* bad either.

Posted by pedalboy at 10:05 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

July 11, 2007

The Two Best Things on the Internet

First of all:

OKX - Tenth anniversary of my favorite rock album of all time, OK COMPUTER.
Stereogum had some folks cover each track, and while I haven't gotten to listen to it yet, it won't even matter if it's no good. It's radiohead-related, ergo, I must hoard it. Note: of particular interest is the fact that David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion fame) did the cover of let down. I can not wait.
Word is it might be gone soon? Get it while you can!

Secondly:

WILL IT BLEND?
Throw random crap into a blender and watch it disintegrate. AMAZING IDEA. Almost as good as Red Bull's Flugtag! Anyway, two of interest are blending your IT Infrastructure and your shiny new Apple iPhone. Watch them all though...

Posted by pedalboy at 1:39 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Song-A-Week #22: Every Time I Close My Eyes

Here's a song... I will need seth to rock some drums on it, and the john/chase to rock the explosions in the sky solos. I like my octave doubles on this song... hehe...

Every Time I Close My Eyes
(C) 2007 Matthew C Good

Every time i close my eyes
It's like the darkness aids my mind
And all I see is through your lies,
And what a sight it is.

When you called to pick me up
Take me to that country bluff,
Tell me you weren't thinking of
someone else.

Baby, I have scrapbooks
Filled with fantasy.
And baby, I could've been there
If you were there for me.

I never got inside your head
Wasn't room with all that indiference...
I don't mean to misrepresent,
I really did believe.

But since you never came home
It's probably best if you just left me alone.
I'm already emotionally blown,
I might as well just leave.

Baby, I have scrapbooks
Filled with fantasy.
And baby, I could've been there
If you were there for me.

Baby, I got love songs
I will never sing.
Baby, I lost them
When you let go of me.

Every time I close my eyes
I dream a dream that makes things right
Where I don't have to sacrifice
everything.

---

All electrics are the Sorento. Sounds a LOT BETTER. those old pots must've really be hampering the sound... or the tuners dampening the vibrations, or SOMETHING. I can't get over it. Unfortunately, the intonation isn't perfect cuz it aint got no tune-o-matic bridge, and I'm not sure I can retrofit one on there.

I'm currently editing drum tracks for Worlds Unknown and they sound killer except for I'm doing a LOT of editing and my protools is FREAKING OUT i need like four gigs of ram to do it... and the crash cymbals sound wierd over the edits with the auto-created fades, so i'll have to go back and manually do em, but that's hard since protools decided it doesn't like a BAJILLION edits in a session. BUT IT SOUNDS GREAT. Seth and I worked out some really cool loopy parts that he played and I edited... and reverse cymbals and stuff. Man I reall like his parts. "Hold On" has some rock to it too. And chase will like the end of Any Happier.

Well, let me know what you think about the new one!!!!!!

Posted by pedalboy at 12:18 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

July 3, 2007

Song-A-Week #21: Star City

In keeping with the 'Cosmonaut Rock' theme...

...which may or may not exist anywhere except for in my head...

...here's a tune called "Star City." It is weird. I'm not sure I like it. I think the lyrics are cool in a quirky sort of way. The music is kinda wierd, it sounds like songs I write when I try to write loud angry electric guitar songs. Which is pretty formulaic, in my opinion.

Read up on Star City on Wikipedia, and it will make more sense.

STAR CITY
(C) 2007 Matthew C Good

I wanna go to Star City
The skies are clean, but the streets are gritty
Rockets designed by committee
Yuri Gagarin, Star City

Ten pm, Tennessee, cool breeze, the earth
is trying hard to flirt with me, but I
been counting stars and naming other planets
and no jealous wind is gonna take me for granted.
I packed my things, I got everything I need
candy bars, a telescope, and books I'll never read
I'll have left my friends, and I'll never see them
but at least that way, we'll have a good reason.

I wanna go to Star City
The skies are clean, but the streets are gritty
Earthbound people, what a pity
I wanna leave Star City

Take a train, take a car, take a cab,
no matter what you take, yeah, the route's still flat.
Baby where we're going, horizons don't exist
The only frame of reference is the one inside your chest.
Pass by the guards with the AK-47s
Grab a quick look, they're the guardians of heaven.
Maybe one day, we'll be in that museum
as the first two captive hearts that finally freed them.

I wanna go to Star City
The skies are clean, but the streets are gritty
Rockets designed by committee
Yuri Gagarin, Star City

I've been west, north, east and south
Through the atmosphere is the only way out
So you made a mess you wanna to leave behind
Wanna go somewhere without a critical eye
So you pack a bag and move through Siberia
To chase a dream you can't know till you find it here, you're
leaving now for some place desolate and
where the loneliness at least is reciprocated

We're headed out to Star City
A pilgrimage for the lost and pitied
Hitch a ride with someone pretty
We're gonna go to Star City

---

I played my new-and-improved fixed-up Sorento on for the guitars on this one. Through the Tech 21.

The details on the Sorento fixes... Well I ripped off the old crappy tuners and replaced them, which was a pain because they are 6-in-line but they are NOT the standard 6-in-line ferrule diameter. So i rigged it up with paper rolled up in there and wood glue, but you can't tell AT ALL. They also are farther apart than normal 6-in-lines, so i had to eyeball the straightness of them... the angle they come off the headstock. One is a little -not perfect- if you look at it long enough. But oh well. That freaking wood is soft too. Better not have to replace those ever again or things could get interesting. Okay so I replaced the volume and tone controls because they scratched a lot, and replaced the jack with a new one, so the sucker makes no noises it shouldn't anymore. I added a string tee to the B and E strings so they no longer fly off the nut when you strum hard. I cleaned the contacts on the pickup selector switches pretty extensively (which was scary, cuz that thing is WIERD) and they work right now... so that's good. Cleaned the whole thing up a lot and put some lemon oil on the fingerboard... It plays good and sounds muuuuch better now. freakin awesome.

The drums are a rough-mixed, slowed down, protoolsized, and looped sample from Seth playing on "Worlds Unknown," which I think has a sort of similar feel to this one.

That's pretty much all I got on this one. yeah.

Posted by pedalboy at 11:02 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack