Topsy Turvy
Aug 22, 2009 DIY
I guess it’s a matter of my schedule to why Saturday is generally the day I sit and banter with myself about what’s going on, and write a blog entry that might make sense or entertain me in a couple of months when I come back to re-read it. This past week was no less hectic than others, but did provide time for preparing to get into the studio to cut tracks for a 4-song EP, so I’m excited, and a bit overwhelmed.
A couple of weeks ago, Bruce Johnson sent a timely email to our NSAI Yahoo group with a link to an excellent document from Disc Makers titled “Planning Your Album from Beginning to End”. I won’t be producing a record, per se, baby steps for now, I’m still feeling my way through the indie forest. But reading through the document a couple of times helped me list out key focal points necessary to even the mini-project I’m about to undertake.
Picking only 4-songs is one of the toughest parts. But financially, it’s all I can do for now, and I’ll take that stepping stone across the stream. One thing I am forcing myself to do, though, is write one new song as part of the first four. The main reason for making this a self-imposed requirement is to try and infuse a fresh edge to the overall set of songs.
I’ll be working with producers Jimm Mosher/Alan Grossman at Hit Music Studios in Spencer, NC. We are scheduled to meet on Monday for pre-production planning and perhaps lay down some scratch tracks for the first couple of songs we settle on. I’m working on narrowing down the list of songs to choose from, plus writing charts for the couple of songs I’m pretty sure we’ll do as well as finish writing at least one new song to throw into the mix out of the batch swirling in my head.
Truth is, since this is my first studio effort with my own material I’m trying not to envision the end state because I want to let things unfold rather than make them happen. Not that I don’t have any idea what I want but heck, Jimm and Alan are way more experienced and will open my ears to creative possibilities I won’t think of on my own.
A few weeks ago we bought a Topsy Turvy, and upside down planter for tomato plants. The thing works great, but oddly enough the tomato plant we bought was mislabeled and turned out to be a green pepper plant! The peppers taste great and I didn’t have to dig a hole to grow them. Just threw a bunch soil in the Topsy Turvy and watered the plant every day. It’s kind of like this indie thing… plant seeds in good soil, water daily and enjoy what grows — even when what I get is the unexpected.
Stake in the ground
Jul 11, 2009 DIY
It’s getting on half way through a pretty busy summer to date. Last week’s gig at the 4th of July festival with Desmond Myers was a sweet and satisfying musical experience. Desmond played well beyond his years, at the ripe old age of 17, and we were treated to a really good sound man, enabling a great jam for a very receptive crowd in downtown Greensboro, NC.
But now the schedule is settling down and it looks like the rest of summer will be relatively quiet gig-wise. I expect to have my updated web site online by end of September so this is a perfect opportunity to map out 4-6 songs for an EP to release simultaneously. Of course this means having to wrestle with picking just a few songs, and maybe even writing 1-2 new ones, without overcooking the whole effort, ending up frustrated and wishing I’d never started the project at all.
A big question is how much to track at home and how much at the studio, which is mostly dependent on balancing cost and expectations. Then there’s mastering and packing, or not… I mean, I could go for it doing the bare minimum in the studio, mostly drums and auxiliary parts, and keep the production simple, with much more likely achievable results. Reality is I don’t have a following, so to expect people to spend money on my songs may not be realistic. However distribution works out, whether per track or physical EP, the main objective is to get my material out there and begin developing a fan base.
So it’s time to change hats for a couple of weeks and layout the game plan, which needs to be pretty much in stone by August 1st if I’m going to hit the end of September target. This is both the fun and the peril of the DIY mindset, a lot of learning and adjusting on the fly. There will no doubt be frustration and heartache along the way, oh well. I’ve talked about this project for a while, it’s time to put the first stake in the ground, time to put up or shut up.
Shake… Stir… Pour
Jun 28, 2009 DIY, sojourn, songwriting
It’s hard to quantify how much I get out of absorbing great material, sound instruction and interaction with peers, at least until I filter what I learn into writing, recording, performing or promoting [etc.]. Here are some of the activities and objectives I focused on and participated in over the last couple of weeks:
I’m spending more and more time listening to fresh generally non-mainstream songs and writers, primarily by setting up stations on slacker.com, which enables me to listen to both old and new material by heavy-weight writers and artists like Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin and Pink — the list is virtually … endless!
Though I wasn’t selected for the 2009 Horse & Writer Invitational, I was invited to attend three 1-hour conference calls with Skip Ewing, who graciously gave his time to mentor a small sub-group of writers deemed to have significant promise. As a result of Skip’s insights and encouragement, I’m asking different questions about what I’m saying in my songs and my approach to developing context and characters — plus — I played my piano for the first time in months.
I’m a TA (teacher’s assistant) for SongU.com and recorded/posted the transcript for weeks one and two [of four] of a basic theory course with Jai Josefs (Chord Chemistry). While I consider myself fairly proficient at theory, it never hurts to practice and refresh. Jai is a great instructor, and he led us through a quick but effective analysis of the Lighthouse smash “First Time” where we learned how contrasting harmonic function between sections significantly enhances the flow and punch of a song.
Last night was another solid evening of song and pickin’ with Rick Spreitzer at Summit Coffee, where we play every 4th Saturday. Then I got up early today (like, real early for a Sunday) and went into town with friends John and Cate Cloer for a photo shoot as part of my 
website update project; upon return (and after a sweet cat nap) I got on the horn with friend and Indie artist Brian Hartzog to kick-off planning the main topic for our next NSAI monthly meeting. The last thing I plan to do today (after a couple of hours of yard work and an early dinner) is setup an area in our bedroom strictly for writing — not recording, just writing… a desk, piano and guitar… complete with notebook, score paper and music stand.
I’m feeling pretty good about what’s going to come of all these efforts in the weeks ahead. I’ve got a several new songs in the hopper, including a couple of rewrites and co-writes. Of course, there’s rehearsal later in the week for a 4th of July gig in Greensboro with the talented Desmond Myers, the gig itself, and then prepping for my first songwriter round in quite sometime on July 18th.
I don’t expect I can keep this pace up every week, but surely hope it all leads to my becoming a better writer and performer, as well as a more complete musician and artist. Seems the more I get done the more that’s left to do. I’ll just keep shaking, stirring and pouring myself into the songs and let the chips fall where they may.
Tags: Brian Hartzog, Desmond Myers, Jai Josefs, Rick Spreitzer, Skip Ewing, slacker.com, The Cloers
Different Game
May 31, 2009 DIY
After a very thought provoking service this [Sunday] morning, I took the afternoon totally off from anything but enjoying the outstanding tennis from Roland Garros in Paris at the 2009 French Open. Having played in years gone by, I get the passion and toil that goes into competing, and how the ebbs and flows of a match play with the mind.
Afterward, I sipped some coffee, made notes and doodled ideas for a lyric I’ve been working on seemingly forever, wondering — am taking the wrong angle, trying to be too fine, pressing… just like I used to when I was on the wrong end of the score in the 3rd set of a tough match?
Yep, the comparison is there. Tennis is grueling, yet there’s art to it, too, and I won’t give up on this lyric/song much the same as I would never give up the fight in any match I’d play. Not that I played “serious” competitive tennis, more like a few club tourneys and years of public court knock down drag out matches. So here I am a songwriter and musician, not competing at the label level, but working at it nonetheless, same passion, different game.
Why?
Why not? I love what I do and am able to get done, and while I’m by no means prolific or published or p-whatever, I keep writing, and playing and competing… till I play my last point.
I also enjoy watching my friends, peers and acquaintances compete to get heard, write for the art sing for the joy of it all. This week I got to play, hang or listen to some really good writers and musicians, next week should be just as cool. Over the last 24 hours, though, I’ve been tracking a real interesting thread that might be of interest to you, too:
A relatively new virtual acquaintance is a singer/songwriter in TN with a contagious passion she pours into life and her songs. She’s on a mission to get to Chicago and using her smarts to help this cause by posting a set of tracks for the taking, though she’s hoping folks who can will “chip in” and help fund her road trip. The project is called “Ten in Ten“, check it out.
Like I said, I don’t know Courtney, we may never meet, speak or whatever, that doesn’t matter. She’s got game and she’s bringing it. I don’t know if she plays tennis, but she’s the kind of match I used to get cranked up for, and the kinda writer I’ll do what’s possible to support.
Tags: indie music, ten in ten
The Mesh I’m In
Apr 5, 2009 DIY
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been all over the map, idea after idea, but the ratio of output is pretty low. Sure I’m dealing with mitigating circumstances, my wife broke her knee changing the we way we manage home front activities from school to sports to growing up, I’ve been grappling with decisions regarding new opportunities for me as an indie artist, musician, etc., mix in the never ending sagas at work… but hey, who isn’t busy or distracted these days, somehow, someday, this will all make sense — right? I’ve decided to spend just a few minutes annotating the scattered accomplishments from the last couple-three of weeks:
- I did write a song last weekend, and have a new one on the tip of my tongue and fingers.
- Spent time in the studio working on Paul C’s CD.
- Setup my rag tag PA and started listing out material for future coffee house gigs with Allen S.
- Got “All Things You” evaluated, based on feedback, it’s a slight rewrite away from done.
- Carved out some time to further my capabilities with Mac and Logic Express
- Started using Twitter and NetVibes.
OK, not a ton of stuff, but progress nonetheless. So here’s what I’m planning for the next couple of weeks, starting today:
- NSAI Charlotte blog updates… add a FAQ and post focused on song critiques.
- Get back with my friend John C. about strategy for redesigning my web presence(s). DRAFT plan.
- Learn 3-songs for rehearsal Tuesday night with J&J.
- Prospect use of Yahoo Media player in web pages.
- Track “Here is Love” for Easter.
- Listen/Learn material Allen S. sent me.
Better stop here, anymore would certainly be unrealistic, accomplishing half of what’s on this list would be way encouraging. Bottom line is I’m in a season where sleep, preparedness and focus will be key to keeping life moving forward on several fronts. I’m not kidding myself into thinking all the pieces with fall into place without bumps and bruises.
Randy Pausch spoke of preparedness in chapter 46 of “The Last Lecture“, stating, “When you go into the wilderness, the only thing you can count on is what you take with you.” He also said that planning for the worst an essential element of being prepared and called it “The Eaten By Wolves Factor.” Since preparedness isn’t always a strong suit, I’d better get good at climbing trees =)
My wilderness is the mesh I’m in. I can’t imagine anyone with an ounce of hope living in a single threaded world. I could spend all my time trying to figure out what all this means, or go out and make something of it all by creating, sharing and being grateful for what small gains I’m able to make. And, in the end, keep believing in something greater than who or what I am, or could ever be. I can do better at everything I do, but need to be more satisfied with doing at all, on all fronts, in all things… for all the right reasons.
Tags: mesh, prepared, right reasons, wilderness
Quiet Craze
It’s been over a week now since Karen and the kids made it to FL, first Winter Springs, then N. Ft. Myers, our old stomping grounds. Things have been pretty quiet, lots of time to think. I’m enjoying the opportunity to work from home more than normal, which I can’t do during summer while the kids are out of school. I’ve had time to explore photography and blogs and think about creativity, and though I’ve worked minimally on songwriting, I think the blow has been good.
Interestingly enough, Brian Hartzog and I got to catch up over lunch yesterday. He’s one of the most well rounded indie guys I know, from writing to business to craft. Per usual, I sequestered the first part of the conversation, once Brian opened the door with… “so, how’s everything going?” I ranted about work, home life, etc., the usual stuff, and the fact that it just seems like I’m in a slump again, but don’t really know why. So when I turned the talking stick over to him, I almost lost the tofu I was gnawing on when he started telling me about his new plan for writing and producing his music. Not so much the plan, but the reason he came to this decision point. Seems he was accomplishing getting things scheduled and going through the motions, but at times on tasks that really didn’t have a good ROI for time invested, or in his strategy for accomplishing his musical goals, though initially these things all seemed like great ideas. Hmm, I can relate, and double-hmm I’m giving Brian’s format a whirl, though likely in modified form.
It goes something like this… instead of mixing and matching writing, recording, business and marketing tasks done whenever something specific needs to be done, designate one day per week for a focused discipline. Maybe Monday for lyric writing, Tuesday for tracking, Wednesday for business and marketing, Thursday for mixing and producing, etc. If a specific item doesn’t get done the day it’s in scope to be done, it has to carry to the next week unless all tasks for another focal point get done and there’s time to spare — BRILLIANT!
This makes a world of sense to me, so last night I began laying out my week. I’ll likely limit my schedule to three days, at least to start, just so I can setup realistic goals in the grand scheme. Of course now it’s the weekend, gig tomorrow night at the Pewter Rose with Rick and the 4-Oh, need to hit the music store ahead of time to re-stock bass and guitar strings. We plan to meet at the Rose around 6:00 for dinner and setup, so it’ll be a pretty quick day.
So, my goal for Saturday morning is to clean my studio/office and setup for creativity. Then, I’ll work on my goals for the week, including further planning of my fresh approach to being more focused at writing and playing music. All this while doing some laundry, and hopefully catching up on some reading, and maybe even setup a couple of shots around the house (that’s pictures with a camera, this will be way before happy hour).
I was headed out to catch some music tonight, I think I’ll pass and hang with a couple of neighbors, keep it within walking distance and call it an early night home… back to the quiet craze.
Tags: be still, creativity, SMART
Wall Mounts
Jul 16, 2008 photography
Thanks to Laurie Koster for sharing this shot from a recent Spreitzer gig at Pura Vida. I love the colors and individual animation that’s going on. Rick didn’t make the shot, but we all know he was there!
Web Site v2.0
Sep 9, 2007 DIY
Though a couple of months behind target, I’m glad to have v2.0 of www.angelomelendez.com up and out there. I’ve been working on learning CSS, what a cool way to go, especially for the Indie DIY’er like me. I popped an email out to a bunch of folks, hopefully some will make their way to the blog and share thoughts, whether about the site or anything else going on musically.
With the release behind me, it’s time to sync up with some co-writers I’ve been slack with, and finishing a couple of songs long overdue. I’ve also commited to compiling an EP by year’s end… keep me honest now. It’s only going to be a half-dozen songs (or so), homegrown to boot (home studio), but it’s another milestone I really need to make.
If you’re reading this, you likely know me more than casually… I’m assuming most folks are too busy to fool with a website sourced by someone they don’t even know, esp. if it’s not myspace… drop a line or leave a note, if you like, if not, hope you’re well and you have a great song rolling around your heart.
Later… angelo