I'm excited to preview the skills of local Bellingham photographer Michelle Newman. I was fortunate enough to work with her on her 'Scream' project in the spring 2009; which is where I got the picture at the top of my blog. She is currently attending Western Washington University where she studying photography and fine art. She's been in art galleries around Bellingham and later this year she'll be the featured artist at a gallery as one of her final projects at Western.
She has a rather slick site you need to visit and see a lot more of her work in high quality images at www.michellealexisnewman.com. Take a look and be on the look out for her shows around town. Here are a few examples of her work.
Here is a real different cover of Bullet With Butterfly Wings by The Smashing Pumpkins. This cover is by The Ghost And The Grace (TGATG). I usually don't like when artists do covers of the Pumpkins because it always fails to pass even my lowest expectation standards since the Pumpkins are by far my favorite band of all time. I still have yet to purchase or even bother taking for free an album of artists that has done Pumpkins covers. To be honest and fair, it's because I have such a biased love for the original compositions that Billy Corgan put together with the Pumpkins. On the other hand, since I've gotten to work with Daniel Anderson quite a bit playing live in TGATG I've learned there isn't much that I don't like coming from Daniel and even with his other band Idiot Pilot. So when I heard this was posted, you can see why I was so anxious to give it a listen.
I noticed that it was that it's a little shorter than the original and the tempo is slower which gave me a fun project to compare songs back to back to see what was cut out. Only took one listen through each to realize that the guitar and drum solo duet (which was my favorite part of the original) is cut. But since TGATG is more focused on tasteful compositions and not about shredding, it really made sense to not include it.
After a while of listening, my favorite difference is that it really sounds like a TGATG song. With the banjo covering the melodies while the guitars and strings usually covering the background chords and/or tasteful effects. There are also hand claps and of course the infamous crash cymbal that Daniel loves putting in high powered choruses. Personally, I think it's a great accomplishment to cover the song and have it sound like your own 'sound' while still making it undeniably recognizable to the original. He even has a scream in there which both artists are both known bit for among their fans.
This version has a haunting and floaty sound while the original has more of an raw and edgier sound as most of you probably know. On the TGATG website Daniel mentions that he did this because fall is favorite season and that this fit the times and the upcoming holiday Halloween. With that said I think overall, this is job well done. Is this the first Smashing Pumpkins cover that I like? Well let's just say I guess it helps to have good artists cover good artists.
You can listen to it here but you can download it for free at the TGATG website. What are you waiting for? It's free!
Here is the latest video from the Ghost and the Grace. It's pretty awesome with the Sifl and Olly theme. Apparently there is a reference of 20 bands in there. I couldn't quite guess them all but apparently if you can, then you could win the album for free. Sweet!
This has been a very intense month for personal family reasons so that's why I haven't posted too much. Things are getting back to normal now, so here you go:
The Ghost and the Grace has been evolving a bit. Which is great to see. Daniel is in LA working some networking magic and since the two shows we've played, the band has 'gelled' so to speak. Songs are coming together a bit quicker and I think everyone is really enjoying everyone. No stupid drama. Rad.
But I said evolving and what I mean is that I am going to moving to drums after our show at the Nightlight on October 24th. The current drummer is making a life change and moving to Portland. So I stepped up and got the challenge awarded to me. This was a little scary for me to accept at first because the drum parts if you haven't heard them (and if you haven't you should!), are tough and if you're not tight and really well practiced you're just not gonna make it at all. I know when I've been at my best I could handle these parts but I haven't been practicing daily for a long time now. So my goal is hitting the practice pad two hours a day if I can. Sadly I don't have a place to actually set up and play my drums but that hasn't stopped me before. So...I figure I have a little over a month to prepare for this; I'll be ready. Also, as much as I've excelled at the guitar in a short period of time I would definitely benefit this band better sitting on my drum throne (that's what the seat of a drum set is actually called, that usually confuses people).
On another note, this will be freeing up some of my guitar playing time to writing instead of learning. I had to spend a lot of time learning, rearranging and building muscle memory with the guitar. I don't have to do any of that on drums; so after my muscles get back in shape I can work on just getting the parts down. So what that means is I'll be working on my EP more and get some news posted about that soon. I'm stoked!
For now my guitar modifications are complete. I am very satisfied with the way it all turned out. It stays in tune and after I fixed up the string height and intonation the guitar really sings and stays singing. I also got the pedals so tuning on the fly is now possible as well as getting amazing tone with the Zvex Super Duper 2 in 1. I now understand what guitar players mean by getting rich tones by cranking up their guitar. Next I'll be probably putting in new pick ups. But I am waiting so I can learn a little more about them. I keep reading about people getting mismatched pickups and degrading their sound. Right now mine are fine and in the meantime I am reading how they work with your guitar and all that good stuff. This post is short and sweet. Here are some pics of the completed modifications.
So being in this band not only has been a lot of fun but I've learned so much about the guitar. I used to not like it all that much - or was rather indifferent about it. Lately it takes up a lot of my thoughts during the day. I have a Mexican Telecaster Custom which you if you know anything about guitars that's enough to say. But if you don't, then it's a middle class guitar good for practicing and for someone growing up to the next steps of being a guitarist. I already feel growing out of it. What I mean is that the quality of the guitar isn't cutting it anymore. To the extent where I am getting a little embarrassed about it when after a rehearsing a song, my band mates sometimes say something like: 'that was good but someone was out of tune a little...' It's almost always me.
After doing a lot of reading, talking to my dad (an amazing lifetime guitar player) and watching various youtube videos, I've learned what can improve the quality and how to make solid improvements by getting some upgraded parts on the guitar itself. So I've ordered a new bridge and new tuners to get the guitar in tune with it's self all the time. I went about as high quality you can go with these improvements and I've also gone for a very visually appealing makeover as well. Mostly black with white accents. I haven't gotten all the improvements yet but so far it's been looking good. I'll posting some pics as it comes along. But for now here is a stock picture of what the original guitar looks like. Mine looked the exact same.
I also ordered two pedals. A tuner pedal...I mean I had to if I've got two shows coming up next month. Also the pedal that I posted a video of a few posts back called the Super Duper 2 in 1. That is gonna totally transform my sound and I can't wait to get it next week and try it out. So here is a pic of my guitar before any modifications.
Practices for TGATG are going well. There is a certain element missing though. But we all are feeling it and we're digging to try and find it. It's getting close, I can feel it. But the songs are really coming together other than that. We have two shows booked. One at the El Corazon in Seattle and one at Whaam in Bellingham. They are on the 11th and 12th of September. I've been in two bands and I've never played at the El Corazon. So I am definitely pretty stoked and I hope if you're reading this you'll come along! I've never performed playing guitar so it's gonna be an all around cool experience. I do miss playing the drums and Daniel really makes some tasty drum parts in TGATG. But guitar is awesome too. So that being said, here is the flyer for the Bellingham show at Whaam. Created by Daniel himself.
Now I don't see myself doing many movie reviews here on this blog. Only because I am fairly detached from movies and don't a very knowledgeable background on them. But it is a very amazing form of art and every once in a while I stumble across one that really moves me. Tonight I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and it was one of those movies that really struck me more than other well done movies do. I love watching a movie and not being reminded at all that this is just a movie. It was so real and believable that I felt like I was really watching this story unravel in front of me. I didn't want it to end and when I forget it's a movie then it's always a real memorable experience for me. Also, it was largely about the people you encounter in life and how you are just another person they are encountering. That most people won't be there for very long and that even those very special ones will one day have to part. Bittersweet. Probably the most intriguing emotion... or series of emotions that I've experienced.
Now, I realize it's just a story but every character had such a rich life and experience. I'm not saying people these days don't but it's so dependent on money and death and go, go, go. Expansion, growth, be bigger than life all the time. Every single thing outside your home seems is there for money. Some new trick to hone you in to buy their latest and greatest thing. I am guilty of this as well when it comes to giving my attention and doing my best to intrigue you to listen to me. But it really sparked some inspiration for the next move of change for me. Even more reason to stick to what you love, keep those you care for the most closest and scrape off all the excess. Keep it simple.
Hey so very exciting news! I've got my computer now and it's more then I could of dreamed. The last couple days we've been getting to know each other and it's gonna be a good relationship.
With that HUGE event out of the way, I now have a professional tool to get many doors open for me. So...what this means is that I'll be able to actually start doing the things I dream. Including, as I had said earlier, this blog; which will be focused on the arts. Both on mine and other artists.
I've been doing some experimentation with imovie and I found a new thing I love to do. It's fun to put it things together with that program. As promised, I am going to posting the review of Behold! A Pale Horse by The Ghost and the Grace. It's turning out more in depth and a much higher quality than I originally planned, which keeps putting off the release of it but it's gonna be well worth it. So within a couple few days it's be up! Talk to you soon!
I hate not having a computer, it makes it very difficult to add on here. The saving for an iMac is still going strong and I'm getting some things together. So close I can taste it. I don't think anyone reads this yet anyway. :) But soon it'll be all good.
Ghost and the Grace practices have been going remarkably well. I mean it should cause we kinda have an all star Bellingham band. Hand picked so to speak. But it's really awesome playing guitar and being confident with my playing. Oh and Daniel has his album all done and has copies available. You get yourself over to The Ghost and the Grace web site and order a copy. Or at least listen to the songs he has posted. It's quite and album if I may so myself.
So I've been looking around to see what could really make my guitar sound like audible orgasms. While pondering the options I remembered back in the Euphoric days, Leif would hit this pedal from time to time and it just made all of his other pedals sound like shit. I remembered it for that and the name. It was called the "Super Hard On", which I think is hilarious and fairly appropriate considering it made his sound so amazingly bold and tasty. So with that I dared to Google 'Super Hard On' which I know, was a dangerous thing to Google. I almost set the parental settings to strict but... I didn't. Instead I put 'pedal' after it and it seemed to do the trick. Anyway, where I am getting to is that I found in my opinion, the god of guitar pedals at www.zvex.com. There are so many amazing pedals that I'll probably eventually get but first, there is a new version of the above mentioned pedal called the "Super Duper 2 in 1". Anyway, it's on the list and it will be mine fairly soon. Yes. Enjoy.
I have to say how excited I am to get this all up and running! I have made the push to make music my first responsibility for a source of well being and well...income. I know the doubts and the realities. But this blog will help with all that.
Currently I am writing songs for a band I am in the midst of creating. As far as the layout and name of the group and overall premise of it I am not ready to release it yet. It's been a project that I've had in mind for sometime and I'm just getting some of the bigger pieces out of the way. This is new for me in the sense of switching up the instrumentation of what I am playing. I've always played drums in Euphoric and then Pastiche but this time I'll be taking on the guitar and voice. Like getting confident with any new instrument, it's been quite the struggle. I've always been self sufficient learning a new instrument but I was really hitting some frustrating walls with playing and singing as well as writing songs that I would be proud to show. So a couple months ago I did what so many of us do these days... I hit up Craigslist. Now through experience I know the Bellingham Craigslist can be pretty lame but I mean come on, I'm still gonna look. I looked in the music section and it seemed to know I was looking that day cause I saw an ad that said:
Guitar Lessons From Major Label Musician (Bellingham)
Hmm... reading the ad really intrigued me and the person writing it was one of the two members from Idiot Pilot.Which as some of you know is one of the few bands coming from Bellingham that have gone far with their music. Anyway, long story short I met up withDaniel Andersonthe following week and I've been seeing him since. He has really broken my shell so to speak in song writing. Daniel has helped me shape and focus my writing and it is continuing to blossom. Stoked to share it in the near future with you all!
The second point I was getting to with this is that he's asked me play in his solo project The Ghost and the Grace. I'll be playing guitar which so fantastic! So far we've had two practices and it's getting better. More on that to come soon. You can get more official news on the Ghost and the Grace by clicking on the above link. His album, Behold! A Pale Horse is really amazing and soon I'll be posting a review of the album so you can see what I mean. You can listen to some of his complete tracks on there and if you like it, purchase a copy! Well fantastic, that's it for now, check back soon for the review of Behold! A Pale Horse and other fine things.
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