Tonight's the night!!!!!


If you make it out tonight.. please introduce yourself to me. I'd love to put faces to my fellow bloggers... if you like hard rock, you will have a great time. We've worked really hard to get ready for this. This is the launching of our new CD and we will be doing several new songs that have never been performed in public. See you there...

Directions: From Salisbury, head north on Rt.13. to Delmar, Make a right on Line Rd. then first left, Old Stage Rd. Concert is at Veracity Church, aprox. 2 miles on left.
Address: 36270 Old Stage Rd., Delmar De.
from tonight's show

18 comments:

Two Sentz said...

I was very impressed to see LE there tonight. Should have stayed for the sermon though, lol. Still, it was good that you came.

Liberal Elite said...

I didn't see you there... Perhaps I should have been more observant. Anyway, we got there early and everyone was very nice.

"Should have stayed for the sermon"

I already had a sermon today at another church this evening... I would have stayed longer, but tonight I was not my own master.

Two Sentz said...

Earplugs? ;-)

Liberal Elite said...

clueless. Thanks for those...

afterthegoldrush said...

I would have introduced myself, if you had stayed longer. Besides, the second set was better than the first.

Reconciled1 said...

LE:
I would have loved to have met you. I have enjoyed our chats on blog. I really appreciate you coming out tonight. Next time, grab hold of me and say hi....

Unknown said...

Sorry we missed it, I hope to see you guys next time.

Liberal Elite said...

I would have been glad to say hi, but I couldn't put the names with the faces.. I didn't know to whom to say hi. But I wasn't a total slug... at least I got to fix a broken bulb socket.

Reconciled1 said...

I was the loud one up front.. :)

Two Sentz said...

R1 was the lead singer! I too thought the show got better in the second set. Loved all the sound effects and videos too!

Liberal Elite said...

Got it. Well, your group has talent, you've got a great voice. I thought the songwriting was a bit contained.

ridgely said...

Great stage presence!

Reconciled1 said...

Thanks 2C
LE Thanks I appreciate it... We are always looking for constructive advice... what did you think we could do to improve the writing?
NAG- Were you there? I'd have liked to have met you...

Our photogs got some great shots.. I'll let you know when we have them posted on our pages and I'll post a few here as well.

Liberal Elite said...

R1,

OK… Constructive advice.. always dangerous.
If I overstep bounds, please forgive.

Also, I didn't stay for very many songs last evening,
but I did go through your recent album. The music I write and play is very different. Music I listen to is also very different.

If you or TS thinks I'm off base on anything here, please let me know

And before advice, consider why you're making music. Is it to please yourself, or your audience, or perhaps a mix? Or is it to get out a message? The value of my advice depends on your answers to those questions.

As I see it, your music writing seems somewhat confined. Your songwriter seems reticent to strike out in new (or even well tread) areas.

1. You have a limited dynamic range (almost everything is forte).
2. You have a limited temporal range (most notes are short).
3. You have a limited set of chord sequences.
4. You use a limited set of presentation styles.
5. You don't give your audience a tune to take and sing at home.

In short, you don't really show off the full range of talents that your group does have. And you don't give your audience some of what they crave.

Let me give some examples of what I mean by each of these

1. Dynamic range.

A classic example is "Memory" from Cats.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVH39yj26a0
Eilene Page sings this better than anyone.
Now imagine if she sang the whole song forte? Fail.

Sally Shapiro (The new Italo Disco Queen) "MIracle"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGhy7gzJgDo
This is an awesome song, and a great dynamic range. She has such a great voice and both belts out notes and whispers.

If everything you play is forte, then how are you going to throw your audience to the floor with a piano to forte transition? It's the piano sections that make the forte sections exceptional. The softer sections also better show off a good or great voice.
Dynamic range… It's a tool. Use it.

2. Temporal range

You rely on short notes. That's fine for some songs, but don't be afraid to hold a note. Fast guitars over slow voices would be a refreshing variation.

This is a very old Idea. Vivaldi used fast violins over slow voices 300 years ago to produce some of the best choral music ever written. "Et in terra pax"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtyaYn52uKA
(ever see the ending of the movie "Runaway Train"?)

You can find some of this in popular music too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RbQTCOqXho
Slow voices under a faster guitar. Very nice, esp at 1:54

Liberal Elite said...

Continued...

3. Chord sequences

Chord sequences can make or break a song. I'll give you credit for not degrading into overused standard 4 chord sequences, but you do seem to limit yourself. You could branch out into new sequences, or try some more unusual transitions. That could make your music more interesting.

For example, Marsheaux's "Sorrow" has a novel sequence that seems to work.
http://www.we7.com/#/song/Marsheaux/Sorrow

The Jóhann Jóhannsson "Escape" has interesting combinations with
the top note held (My son sent me the CD as a gift).

Here is Barber's best a cappella choral piece.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpwOJlLa_SY
The chord transitions and alternations of dissonance and harmony are exceptional. Bach would have been floored if he could have heard it. Also, good use of dynamic range here. It's damn difficult to sing well.

If you aren't brave enough to come up with your own new sequences, it's always safe to borrow from the great masters.

Here's a chord sequence from Purcell that I "borrow" for some of my music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI-mDTdeKR8
The sequence is from the funeral music for Queen Mary… exceptional. I can do all sorts of things with that.

Here's another sequence I "borrow" for my variations (from Benjamin Britten)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR9nDnyIhAU
Again, I do all sorts of things with that.

And Bach was a great master at this. Here is his passacaglia that repeats the same 8 chords over and over again until the fugue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlYPLDJ8TOE
I enjoyed playing this one before I donated my organ (there's more than one way to be an organ donor).
You could just grab those same chords and do something interesting.

And other moderns groups have used classical sequences to good effect. Here's ELO's "Mr Blue Sky"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Ncxw1xfck (Who IS that blonde singer??)

4. Presentational styles

It seems to me that your style was somewhat limited.
It might be unfair, since I haven't heard all of your music, but here are some thoughts that you might consider:

Responsorial.

Religious themed music is often responsorial in nature (God be with you….and also with you).
You can use that to good effect in your music,
especially if you've got a good second voice.

OMD & Marsheaux "She's leaving"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly6JDo8o1I0

Better use of second singer:

The Go Go's sang a whole bunch of crappy songs,
but this one was their best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpJZVfeRK1c
Why? Because Jane (aka Joan of Arc) steals the show.

How about something in the middle without a beat?

Johan Agebjorn "Zero Gravitation"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVFhSSvgDA
I really like this beatless thing.

In your case, it might be a slow interlaced guitar duo.

5. A tune to take and sing at home?

Listen to these twice and they'll replay in your head for a week.

Sally Shapiro "Jackie Jackie"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVUlFn08I8I

Royksopp - What Else Is There
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gOAqn2IaOM

Give 'em a tune to sing at home, even if it's only one track on the album. Mozart was the expert at this, for example the first 18 notes of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCi2u265wxQ

The bottom line: Work on varying that sound. Go to very new places.

Reconciled1 said...

Thanks LE. I will take time to work through your post..
I really do wish you would have hung around.... I think you would have heard some of what you are talking about.. our second half builds with the latest songs
We all combine to write our songs with our drummer as the main contributor. Most of our current songs are being written in drop C and even drop B alternate tunings along with different time signatures (6/8, 7/8, and even 11/4). We did video the complete concert so we are going to edit it and get some of the new songs posted..

afterthegoldrush said...

Will they be on you tube or some other "embeddable" source?

Reconciled1 said...

Yes they will be....