Category: hello.music

So I have had no time in the last two weeks or so for any music. So this effort here is something I sort of crapped out last night and part of today. It needs some major work to the vocals (ie refining the melody and phrasing and harmony), the structure (adding space between chorus and verses), instrumentation (need some other instruments like real drums, bass, keys, etc), and overall volume editing, mixing and mastering have not even happened at all. I have some work ahead of me to add sections to the guitars and such without interrupting the flow and spontaneity of the song. Yay.

However there might be some potential to this little dark ditty. I like it because I have been wanting to play with recording my microphone through my distortion pedal for some time and I really like how it came out. Sort of gritty and overdriven sounding. Reminds me of Tom Waits or Sparklehorse for sure. Not sure what the words mean but it reminds me of one of those dark murder ballads told by some drunken outlaw anti-hero. You know, just like me. hmmm…..

“King Hippo” version 1a.

Thoughts?

Here is our first attempt at creating video content on Hello Come In. Aryn shot this on his digital camera on his bike in the crowded bustling streets of Chicago. Enjoy.
[youtube]-V0PQVVl46I[/youtube]

‘040907’

First Pull Up, Second Pull Down, Third Take Away

Written and performed by Greg Johnson\Hello Come In

Directed by Aryn Crowley

Copyright hellocomein 2007

Last night was the listening party for the RPM Challenge and while I was not around to take part in the festivities, there were apparantly many parties around the country where people gathered to hear the results of a month of hard work.

For those that could not make the trek to any of those regional get togethers, people were tuning in on the RPM Radio stream and throwing their own party on the message board. It was brought to my attention early last night that one of our songs had already played and, as you can see from these two pictures, Hello Come In got a bit of love right off the bat…specifically a song I wrote “Cost of Things”

Have to say its humbling in a way and even the smallest bit of encouragement goes a long way in knowing we should continue to do what we do. Can’t wait to check out some of the other songs and bands who took part.

And to think, our best efforts are only just beginning…especially the more we cross pollinate our ideas… this is only the beginning of some great work. Stay tuned in the next few days as our small effort for March goes up…

UPDATE 4\4: My friend and co-worker Bob Boilen (whom I used to work for as an intern production assistant with NPR’s All Songs Considered) talked to listening party in New Hampshire last Friday night via Skype. Its a really beautiful and from the heart message about the RPM Challenge and making and creating music. I find it quite great knowing that so many people got so much out of this project.

[youtube]MqRzLT_6aHk[/youtube]

I spent much of last week listening to a lot of My Bloody Valentine… the epitome of a genre now called ‘shoegaze‘ or ‘shoegazer.’ The term apparently comes from the fact that the guitar players in bands like these were the ‘anti-guitar heroes’ and instead of putting on a show of guitar pyrotechnics, they would simply take the backseat and look to their feet…essentially gazing at their shoes. In My Bloody Valentine’s case, they (Kevin Shields mostly…who did later wrote major portions of the Lost in Translation soundtrack) created giant walls of white noise and layers of distorted reverb-drenched guitars.

So what does that have to do with anything? Last week I put up a very basic guitar track (‘Second Take’) of a chord progression in 6\8 I came up with. Feeling a bit writer’s blocked as to what direction to take it, I decided not to touch it for awhile. Well I didn’t completely leave it alone. I took the same progression from last week’s song and changed it dramatically.

As you will hear, the song, now titled creatively, “Third Take,” is now a mush of reverby, crunchy distorted guitars, muddy and loud. But the more I listen to these layers, the more I begin to hear a beauty in the distorted harmonies and simple melodies. I am planning on writing a vocal part that is higher in register, maybe somewhat filtered in the way Sparklehorse or Kevin Shields might sing…and really go with the genre exercise.

Something very cathartic about laying the distortion on thick. Anyway, what do you all think? “Third Take version one.”

UPDATE: This morning I added a few things to the mix, but changed it just enough to have it take on some new shape. Here is Third Take v1b.

[audio:https://hellocomein.com/soundbox/hellomusic_mike/ThirdTake_v1b.mp3]

Here is a checklist of things I need to add:
1) a few more reverby effects and things to make the layers a bit smoother around the edges

2) real drums

3) bass?

4) vocals
anything else?

Once again, title is meaningless since I have no words. But before I go too far into this song, I thought I’d bump it to you guys to see what you thought. Don’t want to go the normal alt-country singer-songwriter route here and do it straight forward but not sure how to mix it up.

Could in theory go into Sparklehorse territory with some dark background atmosphere and such. Or it could really go normal Ryan Adams\Wilco route as well. I have a bassline in mind if I go a certain direction that I might play on guitar first and have Aryn retrack it on his bass. Could really use some Greg drums or other instruments too… Should I let the structure breathe a bit more and have some interlude stuff? Should I leave it tight and straight up? You guys have any other suggestions?

Second Take version one.