Ah well, the best laid plans, huh? Just a couple of weeks ago I said I was determined to work through the backlog of projects and get myself caught up. I was going great guns, too. Then suddently my Dad got seriously ill and was hospitalized... and I dropped everything to go up there and be with my step-mom & visit with my Dad. Just got back after a week away, and am still pretty tired... and I have a huge list of things to work on.
Yesterday, I did do the back-up vocals for 'Walkin to Nashville' - posted on soundclick at: http://www.soundclick.com/thecollaborators I'd thankfully managed to get them a piano track before things fell apart last weekend.
Here's a list of the projects I'm currently working on, besides catching up with my students...
in no particular order:
Client #1
- minutes of meeting
- article submissions
- Dec time sheet / Jan06 hours
Client #2
- Jan06 hours
I COULD DREAM - Dean Taylor (lyricist) & Lucian Blaga (composer)
- re-record bridge vocals, musical theatre version
- work on recording vocals, pop version
- paperwork
CAN WE START AGAIN - Lloyd Kyrk (lyricist)
- paperwork - complete rough cut
ONE TEAR AT A TIME - Bob Lazzar-Atwood (songwriter)
- paperwork
- complete rough cut
*BLUE COLLAR MAN - Michael Kavanagh (lyricist)
- get music & lyrics to session singer
- production
SO LONG LOVE - David Van Camp (singer/songwriter)
- download MP3
- record back-up vocals for approval
WRAPPED AROUND MY FINGER - Nicholas Billings (lyricist)
- paperwork
- musical & lyrical ideas
- rough draft
*WAITING FOR THE BUS - Michael Kavanagh (lyricist)
- production
NEVER GOIN' BACK TO GRAVITY - Dean Taylor (lyricist)
- paperwork
- production
*SHE WAS ALWAYS THERE - Michael Kavanagh (lyricist)
- production
SUNSET STARSHINE - Diane Rulliere (lyricist)
- paperwork
- production
DEAD THINGS IN THE SHOWER - Joe Wrabeck (The Collaborators)
- work on tracks
3 spacey songs - Dave Walton (musician)
- touch base
- discuss ideas
SCENT OF YOUR BETRAYAL - Rebecca Peaden (lyricist)
- touch base
ON OPEN WINGS - Richard Larabie (lyricist) & Marvin Perkins (musician)
- paperwork
- production
LYING - composer, Matt Hirt
- session singer fees & work for hire
- final cut
possible collabs:
Sandy Patten, lyricist (country)
James Mitchell, composer (pop)
Erin Simms, singer/songwriter (duet)
* these are songs that are going on the EP I'm working on.
Besides this I'm supposed to be preparing repertoire for my new duo. It's a big list but I know if I put my energy to it I can get these things done. In the meantime, I can't really - as much as I would like to - take on anything else! Easy to say, harder to do, when there's so many great folks out there with inspiring projects to work on!
uploading new mix
As mentioned in a prior post, I've been working very hard at producing a decent mix of "I'm Gonna Survive", a collab with my steady co-writer, Mike Kavanagh. I'm uploading it now to get some feedback - I've listened to it so many times I need some fresh perspective. I think it's fairly good, anyway. Other than that, today I taught, went downtown to bank & had lunch with my mom, and then walked home & spent the afternoon with the headphones on... then taught again, had dinner, and got back to the song. Here it is after midnight :) oops. I'm supposed ta be goin' to bed early. Also talked to my girlfriend in Tofino, she might be comin' down next week for a couple days - be great to see her. I also heard that my Dad was released from the hospital this morning and was happy to have a 'good meal' at home :) that's a relief!
http://www.soundclick.com/vikkiflawith
look for "I'm Gonna Survive"
http://www.soundclick.com/vikkiflawith
look for "I'm Gonna Survive"
productive day
today I:
-taught some students;
-did some housework;
-paid some bills; :)
-completed tweaking the lyrics & doing a rough draft recording of the song Bob Lazzar-Atwood and I are working on ... emailed Bob and am awaitin' his reaction;
-completed a (hopefully) final take of the lead vocal for "I Could Dream" by Dean Taylor & Lucian Blaga, just emailed that off!
Whew - finally gettin' caught up on some of these musical projects! If you're one of my collaborators, don't worry, you're next!!!!! :) :)
-taught some students;
-did some housework;
-paid some bills; :)
-completed tweaking the lyrics & doing a rough draft recording of the song Bob Lazzar-Atwood and I are working on ... emailed Bob and am awaitin' his reaction;
-completed a (hopefully) final take of the lead vocal for "I Could Dream" by Dean Taylor & Lucian Blaga, just emailed that off!
Whew - finally gettin' caught up on some of these musical projects! If you're one of my collaborators, don't worry, you're next!!!!! :) :)
working away feverishly!!!
I have spent this weekend working on M U S I C .
- re-working 'I'm Gonna Survive' for the upcoming EP. I recorded a rythm acoustic guitar track, doctored the live drum track provided by my friend Vic Bonner, am editing an electric guitar rythm track & lead g track done by Ron Woods, recorded the lead & harmony vocals, and worked on sequencing some midi horns, piano & petal steelish stuff. It's come a long way but I still have some editing/tweaking to do. Hope to have it ready to play for my co-writer, Michael K., on Thursday am.
- recorded the lead vocal for a rock version of Ave Maria (Gounod)... took me a few tries as it is set too low for me so the low notes were graveley & harsh and the high notes too hot. But I got something fairly decent laid down. Sent it off to Johnnie Jones, he seemed to think it was alright :)
- I'd recorded a student singing 'What Child is This' last week, I built the back-up with midi & live guitar, and recorded some harmony vocals & mixed it the best I could. She picked it up yesterday - just two copies, one for Mom, and one for Dad :)
- also did a quick midi setting for Natalie Cole's 'Angel on My Shoulder' for a student who wants to sing it in church & wanted a recording with melody to help learn it effectively.
- been working on Bob Lazzar-Atwood's song, 'One Tear at a Time'. I've been working on developing the chorus - I like what he has but you can sing the verse to the chorus melody, and I've learned that's not good. Trouble is it sounds real nice just the way he has it. So I've been struggling to get the chorus with a different meter & chord progression to establish some contrast. It's coming along.
- I also provided a piano track & back-up vocals for Cliff Hitchcock's song, "Go for a Ride". It was a project of "The Collaborators" - you can listen to it at: http://www.soundclick.com/thecollaborators
- The Collabs are workin' on a new piece by Vonee Rose now, I'll probably do keyboards & back-up vocals for that too
- I also worked a bit on resetting my song, 'Wilted Heart'. It's not working the way I want it to. I'll put it aside for now.
I have 3 or 4 other collabs that need attention, especially the Dean Taylor/Lucian Blaga song, "I Could Dream". I have to admit, what with sickness, trips, holidays, my Dad being ill, etc... my voice has gotten out of shape and I've been scared to try it. But now I got 'Ave Maria' happening maybe 'I Could Dream' won't be as bad as I think.
I hope to work away at this until I get all my o/s stuff done!!! Hopefully by the end of the coming weekend!! :) :)
- re-working 'I'm Gonna Survive' for the upcoming EP. I recorded a rythm acoustic guitar track, doctored the live drum track provided by my friend Vic Bonner, am editing an electric guitar rythm track & lead g track done by Ron Woods, recorded the lead & harmony vocals, and worked on sequencing some midi horns, piano & petal steelish stuff. It's come a long way but I still have some editing/tweaking to do. Hope to have it ready to play for my co-writer, Michael K., on Thursday am.
- recorded the lead vocal for a rock version of Ave Maria (Gounod)... took me a few tries as it is set too low for me so the low notes were graveley & harsh and the high notes too hot. But I got something fairly decent laid down. Sent it off to Johnnie Jones, he seemed to think it was alright :)
- I'd recorded a student singing 'What Child is This' last week, I built the back-up with midi & live guitar, and recorded some harmony vocals & mixed it the best I could. She picked it up yesterday - just two copies, one for Mom, and one for Dad :)
- also did a quick midi setting for Natalie Cole's 'Angel on My Shoulder' for a student who wants to sing it in church & wanted a recording with melody to help learn it effectively.
- been working on Bob Lazzar-Atwood's song, 'One Tear at a Time'. I've been working on developing the chorus - I like what he has but you can sing the verse to the chorus melody, and I've learned that's not good. Trouble is it sounds real nice just the way he has it. So I've been struggling to get the chorus with a different meter & chord progression to establish some contrast. It's coming along.
- I also provided a piano track & back-up vocals for Cliff Hitchcock's song, "Go for a Ride". It was a project of "The Collaborators" - you can listen to it at: http://www.soundclick.com/thecollaborators
- The Collabs are workin' on a new piece by Vonee Rose now, I'll probably do keyboards & back-up vocals for that too
- I also worked a bit on resetting my song, 'Wilted Heart'. It's not working the way I want it to. I'll put it aside for now.
I have 3 or 4 other collabs that need attention, especially the Dean Taylor/Lucian Blaga song, "I Could Dream". I have to admit, what with sickness, trips, holidays, my Dad being ill, etc... my voice has gotten out of shape and I've been scared to try it. But now I got 'Ave Maria' happening maybe 'I Could Dream' won't be as bad as I think.
I hope to work away at this until I get all my o/s stuff done!!! Hopefully by the end of the coming weekend!! :) :)
goals for the New Year...
Well, somebody was asking, so I made a list.
For 2006 my goals are:
- complete any outstanding collab projects(!);
- organize my house & be ruthless in getting rid of the junk (I'm a collector)... I believe this gets in the way of the creative flow... and it's impossible to find anything(!);
- walk everyday, spend 4 days a week in creative creating... writing music/lyrics, working on producing, or painting, or singing, or playing guitar, etc;
- give myself some time every day when I DON'T have to be doing anything... at least 30 minutes... where I can just sit & be (or lie on my mat doing Alexander Technique);
- make sure to spend time with my Mom and Dad;
- call up my voice coach & get a monthly 'check-up';
- continue to work on completing my 50-songs-in-a-year by Feb 14/06... & start again(!);
- get some reference materials (The Art of Mixing) and really work on understanding how to mix my tracks... might take a couple years practice, but I really want to know how to do my own master quality production;
- I just got Jammer, I need to do the tutorial & play with it to understand it better;
- take some guitar lessons so I can accompany myself better;
- I'm starting a Celtic/folk duo with a friend, so we'll be working on developing repertoire - writing arrangements for covers & for our own originals too, and then look for venues to perform;
- complete working on an EP I'm putting out with my friend & co-writer Michael Kavanagh;
- put out my own new age pop / ambient album;
- make time for a cat nap every afternoon;
- continue to keep up my blogs and postings on songwriting boards - networking & meeting great folks!!
.... sounds like a lot but I have a whole year to do it ... or not do it... or mean to do it... LOL
Have a great New Year, everyone!!!
For 2006 my goals are:
- complete any outstanding collab projects(!);
- organize my house & be ruthless in getting rid of the junk (I'm a collector)... I believe this gets in the way of the creative flow... and it's impossible to find anything(!);
- walk everyday, spend 4 days a week in creative creating... writing music/lyrics, working on producing, or painting, or singing, or playing guitar, etc;
- give myself some time every day when I DON'T have to be doing anything... at least 30 minutes... where I can just sit & be (or lie on my mat doing Alexander Technique);
- make sure to spend time with my Mom and Dad;
- call up my voice coach & get a monthly 'check-up';
- continue to work on completing my 50-songs-in-a-year by Feb 14/06... & start again(!);
- get some reference materials (The Art of Mixing) and really work on understanding how to mix my tracks... might take a couple years practice, but I really want to know how to do my own master quality production;
- I just got Jammer, I need to do the tutorial & play with it to understand it better;
- take some guitar lessons so I can accompany myself better;
- I'm starting a Celtic/folk duo with a friend, so we'll be working on developing repertoire - writing arrangements for covers & for our own originals too, and then look for venues to perform;
- complete working on an EP I'm putting out with my friend & co-writer Michael Kavanagh;
- put out my own new age pop / ambient album;
- make time for a cat nap every afternoon;
- continue to keep up my blogs and postings on songwriting boards - networking & meeting great folks!!
.... sounds like a lot but I have a whole year to do it ... or not do it... or mean to do it... LOL
Have a great New Year, everyone!!!
gettin' in the spirit!
Well, this week I worked on some music, of course; taught some students, of course; did my usual surfing of songwriting boards, etc. But today, I did some simple Christmas shopping, and tonight, I got out my Christmas decorations and put up my tree. So I'm sittin' here listening to music and lookin at my cute little tree. I'm in the spirit!! Tomorrow I'm havin' coffee with whatever of my students show up... getting a hair cut... and then doin' dinner & a movie with a friend. This comin' Thurs, I'll be out of town for a few days - I'm going to see my Dad, who is, very thankfully, doing very well.
For all of those who surprise me by actually reading this - I hope you have a beautiful, musical, and meaningful holiday. Remember the things in the world that are magical... like the little birds fluttering by your window... the moon hanging in drifting clouds speckled with stars... the taste of good wine by a warm fire... yummy dark chocolate... the smiles of friends... the stunning colours of the sunset...
We have been given the gift of music... sounds that carry universal meaning across borders and language barriers, that makes people laugh & dance, or moves them to tears. For that gift, I am profoundly thankful. And for my Dad being here to share the season.
Merry merry, everyone!
For all of those who surprise me by actually reading this - I hope you have a beautiful, musical, and meaningful holiday. Remember the things in the world that are magical... like the little birds fluttering by your window... the moon hanging in drifting clouds speckled with stars... the taste of good wine by a warm fire... yummy dark chocolate... the smiles of friends... the stunning colours of the sunset...
We have been given the gift of music... sounds that carry universal meaning across borders and language barriers, that makes people laugh & dance, or moves them to tears. For that gift, I am profoundly thankful. And for my Dad being here to share the season.
Merry merry, everyone!
striding forward with purpose
Even though I have another cold. Argh! Still managing to sing and sound decent. Hopefully will lift cause I have a musical event I want to attend tomorrow night, a craft fair on Sat, dinner with mom Sat night... have to go downtown tomorrow and hit the bank... oh yeah, clean the house... that sort of thing.
Working away at my 10 projects. I decided to try and see if I could do one per day - many of them already have had some work done, I just need to catch up, remember exactly where I was and what I'm supposed to be doing now.
So far this week -
- worked on ezine for my client, it went out yesterday
- did a reference track for a Kavanagh-Flawith collab, got my friend Vic working on drums & maybe a little piano to help fill the song out;
- did a second draft of the Taylor-Flawith collab, got the paperwork ready, sent it all to Dean;
- did a second draft of the Rulliere-Flawith collab, also got that paperwork ready and sent it all to Diane;
- did a short sample of music for a new collab, with Lloyd Kyrk, he's happy with my ideas & we'll be signing an agreement;
- practiced the guitar;
- tidied the house somewhat;
- taught several students;
- went out to dinner with a friend.
Not bad for 4 days. Goin to bed now. :)
Working away at my 10 projects. I decided to try and see if I could do one per day - many of them already have had some work done, I just need to catch up, remember exactly where I was and what I'm supposed to be doing now.
So far this week -
- worked on ezine for my client, it went out yesterday
- did a reference track for a Kavanagh-Flawith collab, got my friend Vic working on drums & maybe a little piano to help fill the song out;
- did a second draft of the Taylor-Flawith collab, got the paperwork ready, sent it all to Dean;
- did a second draft of the Rulliere-Flawith collab, also got that paperwork ready and sent it all to Diane;
- did a short sample of music for a new collab, with Lloyd Kyrk, he's happy with my ideas & we'll be signing an agreement;
- practiced the guitar;
- tidied the house somewhat;
- taught several students;
- went out to dinner with a friend.
Not bad for 4 days. Goin to bed now. :)
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