Episode 2: Why the **** Am I Doing This Again?

FEATURING THE SONGS MIDNIGHT CALLER, A SONG OF SYMPHONY AND SOMETHING ABOUT YOU (A LEVEL 42 COVER)

    After further procrastination, I have finished the second episode (out of 30) of my video journal. If I had to give this week a theme it would be “pop with jazz influence”. All of the songs have a sort of “jazz chord” feel to them.

     One reason that this episode took so long to finish was because putting all of this together is a lot of work for one person. To be honest I have been debating on even continuing with this project. It is a hell of a lot of work! Just recording songs alone is a lot of work, let alone doing video that is sync’d fairly well to music and that has "sparkley". Also, I know very few people (relatively) are going to even pay attention to what I’m doing. The simple fact is that we are saturated with music in the digital age and I am one in a billion people putting stuff online. Although I think that I make pretty darn good music and am a pretty killer musician, I’m not really doing anything that hasn’t been done already. Perhaps I have a knack for combining elements better than a lot of artists. But, everything I do is derived from someone else and I don’t hide that or try to act with such arrogance that I am doing something “so unique”. In short, this is a lot of work for virtually no one to pay attention.

     Then I remembered that the reason that I set out to do this project was to catalog my music FOR ME and as a way to show respect for all of the songs that I have written in the past 20 years.  I also wanted to give a shout out to music that has influenced how I do things. Getting other people to pay attention is trailing both in reasoning. That doesn’t mean I won’t try to get people to watch, listen and download. But, getting the attention of others shouldn’t be a requisite to finishing this project.

     I have also realized that the 6 months to 1 year time frame is a bit unrealistic. Firstly, I will be taking 18 credits this fall in my last semester at the University of Wisconsin along with working part-time. That will be followed by finding a new career. To top it off my 1 year old beautiful, awesome, cool, funny daughter, who put herself to bed tonight (at the age of 1), will be taking up a big huge part of my time since her mom is in school too. I think trying to put 3 songs AND 3 videos out per week is unrealistic. At best I will be able to do that every 2 weeks and will likely be monthly.

     About the songs…..

MIDNIGHT CALLER – Song 04
     This song is one of my favorites. I feel that it shows how proficient of a multi-instrumentalist I am. I wrote this song in 1999. The first demo version appeared on a 7 song demo called, Liquid. I later made some changes and put it on my double disk album , Are U Human?, which was released in 2001. Damn…, that’s a long time ago… Anyway…

     There is obviously a HEAVY jazz influence in "Midnight Caller" and it would not be hard to “tone things down” and make it a proper contemporized jazz piece. There is also a heavy dose of prog-rock and some other stuff. The song is basically about a player facing "intimacy issues". To be honest, I wasn’t qualified to write the lyrics at the time for a few reasons. Therefore, like the vast majority of my music, it is not coming from an extremely personal place.

SONG OF SYMPHONY – Song 05

     I first “conceived” this song in the winter of 2009; right around the time that the video for “Better Learn to Swim” was shot. When I get a song idea, it is usually pretty structured. But, what was different was that I had a verse in mind first and no chorus. The lyrics are almost a scrapbook. Normally, I can just churn out lyrics. This one took a while. The lyric, “I never met a girl who could dance like you before in my head, I just hope I’m not your flavor of the week” was the first thing I thought of along with the verse groove. Although not a highly personal song, I would say three dating experiences helped the cause. Although the title of the song is a bit “metaphoric”, it was conceived of because it rhymes with one of the gal’s names. I decided to never use another woman’s name in a song, after "Gina Ann" a while ago because it sort of…, I don’t know…, immortalizes them to some degree (for lack of a better word).

     Musically, I think some NIN influence comes through at times (think “Sin” perhaps). Obviously, it is a pop song. But, once again there are a lot of influences combined. I wanted sounds to really hit and for the sonic structure to be intrusive. I think if the Virgo Vertigo played out that this would be one of my favorites to play live. I think that came through in the video.

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU – Song 06

     This song is originally by UK 80s pop group, Level 42. They’re currently celebrating 30 years (I think) and still playing out. Bassist/singer, Mark King, is bad ass. This song is one of my favorite pop songs ever. I love how the song is structured and the chord changes. It wasn’t until recently that I appreciated the musicianship as well. I chose to do this song because of how ingrained in childhood memories this song is. This is why you will hear a lot of music from 1980 to 1990 on this video journal; it is related to memories and perhaps this is therapy of sorts.

     I was 8 when this song came out. There is not one specific memory that I relate this song to. But, I relate it to feelings of the times. The cold war was still going on, I had just begun to play music and so my ears were becoming acclimated to sounds, and a childhood crush on a girl at Mendota Elementry school are some of those memories. It was on top 40 radio and I didn’t really buy tapes as a kid (until I started playing guitar). It’s really hard to describe the impression this song made. But, most of us relate a song to an era. If I've made you think back to your 80s past, you get it....

     I didn’t know that it was by Level 42 until 2 or 3 years ago because, once again, I didn’t buy tapes and I was forced to listen to what was on the radio because we were poor and whatever money I came by was going to toys (don’t get me started on toy flashbacks). But, rediscovering this song made me appreciate and stand by my opinion that the 80s had no shortage of great song-writing and musicianship. I will say that I feel that music from the 80s is the best pop music in terms of what pop music is supposed to do.

Episode 1: The Video Journal Begins

FEATURING THE SONGS AUSTRALIA, LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED AND JELLYBELLY (A SMASHING PUMPKINS COVER)

     After much procrastination I have kicked off the Video Journal Project. I figure my birthday is as good as any. What this project will be is basically a "goodbye" to making music. I'm re-recording and videotaping 60 "performances" of my own songs spanning from 1993 to now. 15 of them will be from the new album by the Virgo Vertigo, Tabula Rasa. I will also be doing 30 cover songs of music that has influenced me musically in some way over the years. There will be an interesting mix ranging from AMG to Prince to the Police to Slayer.

     The video component of this project was supposed to be me blabbing about each song. But, instead I decided to do this written blog and focus on the musical aspect of each video. If people are interested in what I'm doing, then they'll take the time to read (or skim this blog). I figured blabbing too much would make people lose interest in watching the videos and then they would not hear the music. The main reason for the procrastination is that I put on weight (like 50 pounds or so) and I just didn't want to do it. But, I got the idea that this video project can serve as a video time lapse on the way back down in weight. This is one reason that I decided to do the song "Jellybelly" by the Smashing Pumpkins as the first cover (the song is not about that BTW).

     The Virgo Vertigo is the performance name I use instead of my real name. I had intended for the project to be a fully functioning band. But, due to time and money I just found trying to do the live show more work than it was worth given the general state of the music industry, my desire to return to the University of Wisconsin, and an unexpected bundle of joy (and sometimes destruction) called a baby. I've played a few shows; a few alone with an electronic computer "get up" and a few with a live band. But, the simple fact is that it was my music. So, I was paying for everything and it was just too much work and money.

     At this point in my life I am interested in a new beginning and focusing on career goals in the near future and my kid. I'm not really even interested making music on the side or being in a cover band at this point anymore. I am sort of tired of the music industry. I will always keep a guitar around. But, gigging and recording will be done unless a great opportunity "magically" appears that allows me to actually make music and focus on being a musician and not a band manager, video producer, salesman, marketing, and so on..., oh..., and make money.

     So with that, let's get the Video Journal rolling with the first 3 songs....


AUSTRALIA - Song 01
     Australia was the first song that I recorded for the new album. I recorded it in April of 2011, so it was done a full year before the album was released. It is also the first song on the new album, Tabula Rasa. So, I figured that it should be the first song of the Video Journal. When I first thought of the song, I had the guy's voice from Midnight Oil stuck in my head. I think the song borrows from a lot of different influences (as normal). I don't really think about the influences first. I make the song and then analyze it. I can definitely hear the 80s Aussie New Wave thing (Men at Work, Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, Split Enz) mixed with 60s rock and some funk/disco. At times I think it sounds like Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way".

     The song is about running away to Alice Springs (of all places) in Australia to escape emotional pain only to realize it "sucks". Not a true story, but someone will be able to relate. As with most of my lyrics, they're "tongue-in-check" and sort of influenced by Ice-T in the Body Count days along with other early hip-hop. I feel like I'm saying something in my lyrics, but I really don't take things too seriously and Australia is a good example of that.

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED - Song 02
     Also on Tabula Rasa as the 5th song, I had this song in my head for about 2 years before I recorded it; the verse riff mainly and that bass line. I knew that it would borrow from a lot of the late 70s and early 80s electro-funk (early Prince, Rick James, Slave, One Way, Yarbrough and Peoples) or what some friends of mine in Seattle call "grown folks music". I thought that was a good name for it because that style of music was what the grown folks was listenin' to..., along with drankin' Schlitz Malt Liquor, smokin' Kools, and other shit that was starting to show up in the early 80s..., ahhhh memories... I digress.

      So, I wanted this song to just be a funk jam about infatuation and a first date..., something that would sound good at the clubs if it came to that and that could be mixed with other dance cuts. This was the song what I started using a snare with a clap underneath it as is done on a few of the other songs on the album like, Great Escape and A Song of Symphony. Let's Get is one of my favorite songs on the album.

JELLYBELLY - Song 03 (Smashing Pumpkins Cover)

     This is the first cover that I've attempted for this project. The Smashing Pumpkins are one of my favorite bands right up to today with the recent release of Oceania. Perhaps it is because Billy Corgan also has assumed control over the creation of his music that I value this band's influence (although I'd REALLY have preferred to have formed a good band unit). That and the fact that a balding guy can be up front with a bic’d “hairdo”. Like I said above, I did Jellybelly as a dig on myself for gaining weight, even though the song is not about that.

     This song is on Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, which is in my top 3 (if not the top) albums of all time. Jellybelly is the first "rocker" of that album where you can see the prog nature of Melon Collie. This album changed how I did things. I started using the “cyber-rock” guitar effects I use now when this album came out and I saw the Pumpkins at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. I also started doing more variety in my songs and I tend to think of albums in concepts. I also did a double disk called, “Are U Human?” in 2001 that was influenced by Melon Collie. For me that album came along at the right time. I was diagnosed with Acute Anxiety and sort depressed back then for a bit. I would listen to that album locked in a room all the way through. It was sort of like having a friend I suppose.

     About my version.... in all honesty I'm sort of "luke warm" to it. It's not bad, but other stuff will be better. I don't like my voice on it mainly and perhaps I should have cut the drums at a slower speed. But, I have A LOT of material to cover and I'm not trying to be caught up in perfectionism. I anticipate the first covers to be a little "odd". Anyway..., here goes....