A New Year and a forgotten blog

Hello you guys. Are you still with me? Thanks...

We're about 15 days until the 2011 FAWM season begins. February is indeed album writing month this time. I told you (I think) that my band, Country Grunge, broke up. That was way back in May of last year. I've been writing music sporadically and I participated in 2010 50/90 (failed only got about 6 songs this time).

Recently, I met a guy who's wife works with my wife, and lives on the next street over from us! His name is Cris and he's a purdy-good drummer with a lovely vintage Gretch kit. He's been out of the loop for a bit, but he's a total trooper, going along with recording weirdness from me. He has a little tiny studio, and access to an ADAT studio 40 minutes drive from here. Our first order of business was to record "Lyin' Eyes" by the Eagle. I'm still not quite sure why, but we did it and it sounds pretty good. I recorded the bass and guitar and lead parts before he got here. I had told him that I could only record two tracks simultaneously with my M-Audio Fastrack Pro. So we had two options: record the performance with one mic, and record each drum sound on a separate track; bass drum, snare, hi-hat, etc. - which is what we did. Sounds great! He will eventual get triggers for each piece so we can create midi files of his drum beats.

anyway.... It's not that I've forgotten this blog. I see the link for it everyday on my webpage and on my bookmarks toolbar. New years rez: I WILL write in my blog. (not that anyone reads this anyway, but whatevs....

Love and Rockets my friends.

A New Site? Hmmmm

I've created yet another site. This one a direct result of my daughter Chloe asking if I'd ever heard of Weebly.com. I had not. So I went there and saw it's a place where you can create a free website or pay a little for a little more functionality.

This is what I did. http://phylo.weebly.com/index.html

It was pretty easy, and I send Chloe a link to what I did. Then I just kept on going. That was fun.

Long Awaited Update?

Hello Kind Reader,

It's been quite a while (again) that I've written anything here. But, here's what's going on lately...

50/90 is currently on-going and I'm having great difficulties getting to the tasks of creating music. I think it's that I feel a little guilty being out of work. You know, "How can you put time into that when you have a job to find?". I'm trying to work out all the demons and get something written though. Check out my latest efforts here.

A couple of non-musical items:

My lovely daughter, Chelsea, flew off to New York City yesterday to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and acting. She had Trader Joe's transfer her to the new Manhattan store and has a temp. place to stay until she finds a room. Watch for her, she will successful!

My friend Grego got a job at Nike up in Oregon and left yesterday to start work and find a home to buy.

Everyone's leaving!

So here's what I'm thinking: I've been toying with the idea of starting voice acting classes and try to get into voice overs. I already have a studio and many connections in the entertainment biz, so this wouldn't be too much of a stretch. There is a ton of competition out there, but you never know. I'll let you know how it goes...

My QR Code

Hey there. Just scan this code with your smart phone and it'll take you right to my website.

Birthday Movie for my dad

This is a video I'm working on for my Step-dad's 80th birthday. The music is one of my instrumental tunes called 'Sunday Afternoon'. Thanks to all for the great pictures - and thanks to those who ignored our requests, but let me take what I wanted from your FB Pages.

Lucky Man

Every once in a while, I get these really lovely little inspirational stories from Derek Sivers, who is more and more becoming a hero of mine. He is probably best know as the founder of CD Baby. Lately, he just does what he wants in an entrepreneur kind of way. A music business folk hero.

All of his stories and ideas really gets me thinking of all the wonderful things that have happened to me when I decided to put some time into music. I am truly a lucky man.

It started for me way back in 1993. I was on the toilet reading the latest copy of Acoustic Guitar Magazine. There was a small ad near the back of the magazine for Bread and Roses, a small non-profit organization that provides live entertainment to folks in institutions. Up until then, I had just played guitar and sung for myself and family and friends. I felt that I needed to take things to the next level and getting a little gig with B+R might just do it. I answered the ad and got an audition. I couldn't believe it! On the day of the audition, I took the day off work - I wouldn't have been able to think. I was really nervous, but I practiced those cover tunes until my fingers hurt.

When I got to the Bread and Roses offices in Mill Valley, they put me in a conference room at a very large table. The two interviewers sat on one side, and I sat on the other. I played those tunes so well, but my nerves got the best of me and they could see it. So they said, "At this time, I don't think we can use you." My heart sank. Then, they said, "But your enthusiasm makes us want to use you in some way, would you be interested in 'hosting' other musicians at these shows".

So that's what I did for about 3 months - until they had a performer that canceled a show at the last minute. They called and asked if I'd step in, and that's how I started performing at hospital, day care centers, and psych wards around the Bay Area. That was 17 years ago. It was this ongoing gig that inspired me to start writing my own songs.

NOTE: I have been a very lucky man in many other ways as well, all due to my association with Bread and Roses. I have met some pretty amazing folks and been backstage with some notable musical luminaries. Really! Look for those stories next...

Getting Back in The Groove...

...in two ways. First, it's high time I write something on my blog here. I know that the three people who follow this are wondering if I'd ever write again! I have not put finger to key here since we came back from Hawaii. So here we go.

I have been contacted again by a guy that I've worked with before. He's a christian songwriter in North Carolina who seems to like my guitar playing enough to pay me to play on his projects. He's asked me to play a little acoustic lead and another pass with electric lead on a country gospel tune of his. I laid down a first couple takes and sent them along. There was a little noise on the electric track - probably from me standing to close to the computer monitor whilst recording. It's funny, I didn't hear it when I played it back. So I'll redo the electric part tonight. The acoustic part was okay, but I'm still going to redo the key change part of the song again. That was a little tricky. I'll send him a couple new files later on tonight.

I have recorded my two new songs, Earline and Politics By Other Means. Both songs from the last FAWM, I've re-written them and finally laid down some trackage for those. I'm not quite down with either of them yet, although Earline is on my webpage at the very bottom of the page. philbearce.com

That's it for now, kind blog follower. Namaste'

Back from Hawaii

Aloha.

I just spent a lovely week on the Big Island in the small rural town of Makapala on the North Kohala Coast. We got a nice Vaction Rental using VRBO and stayed in big house down a hidden little dirt road. It was very quiet and secluded with a view of the ocean. What a drag to come back to reality and have to sit in a cubicle all day... but I digress.

Whilst there, we happened on a little retail shop called Just Ukes. They don't have a website, so here's the info:

79-7412 Mamalahoa Highway
Kealakekua, HI 96750
(808) 322-0808

I bought a nice Lanikai Baritone Uke for $175 ($205 out the door with the soft case)
There's a picture of it up there. I've already recorded a little piece on our camera while we were still in Hawaii. It's got a nice tone and it will be incorporated into my general setup and when I play with the band.

Acoustic Guitar Magazine

I've had a little good fortune here... A couple months ago, Acoustic Guitar Magazine (String Letter Publishing) contacted me through e-mail that they had seen a photo of me that Jane took while I was recording some music. We were staying in a vacation rental in Cambria, CA (down near the Central Coast). It was late in the afternoon and the light was very nice for a photo. Anyway, they asked me for permission to use that photo, my name and a quote for an ad campaign for their 20 years of publishing Acoustic Guitar.

In anticipation of this little bit of free exposure, I changed my website to something a little more streamlined. It was an easy design process through my Reverb Nation account. They are now hosting philbearce.com. Check it out.

No Time For Old Men

Or, more to the point... this particular old man. FAWM started 19 days ago and all I have to show for it is two demo'd tunes and a four pages of lyrics (or potentials, as I call 'em). Dismal! I was so excited to get going on this years FAWM output, and my enthusiasm has mostly fizzled out. What happened, you might ask? Life.

Right around the start of FAWM, my lovely and faithful Honda CR-V gave up the ghost. Not completely, but it'll cost more money than I want to spend on it to make it go again. So I bought a NEW CAR!!! My first new car in my entire life. No small task, this... it took a couple arduous and tedious weeks. (I could go on for paragraphs on that, believe me.)

My sister Janine has been battling breast cancer and is now into the chemo phase. She's lost almost all her hair. She is in remarkably good spirits I'm happy to say, but it hasn't been easy for her. Last weekend, my other sister Julie came to visit from Las Vegas. We spend the weekend visiting and seeing the "Cali" sights, including the ocean.

This coming weekend, though, we have nothing planned. Jane in fact is going to visit a friend on Sunday, so I'll have to entire day to record and create music. I'm really looking forward to it.

Julie Ray took these pics.

Family

I just figured out how to take old VHS tapes and convert the video on there into DV files that I can store on a hard drive. More to the point, that digital video can be used and edited in bits and pieces in Final Cut. But as I sat there in a nerdy haze creating content, I had to watch the tape as it was streaming in. My face hurt from smiling at the stupid antics of 5 siblings with their wives and children hole up in a cabin in 2002. The uncomfortable people dynamics and weird family jokes that aren't funny to anybody else but this group of people linked by genes and living together for a time.

This was the perfect project to do as I shift into hyper-songwriting mode. I've straightened the spare room/studio up a bit and started pulling out the microphones and headphones. All that family video got the creative plasma to start coursing through the writing muscles and I'm starting to think like a songwriter. Everything in front of my eyes is fair game as I make up little stories and fantasies using people I know and see as the characters.

Well, that's the plan, anyway, But it never really works that way. It's an organic thing, it is what it is. Watch this space - I'll post some songs here from my output at FAWM.

19 Days from now: FAWM

It is closing in on that time of year when an old man's fancy turns to writing and producing 14 demos in front of an eclectic community of songwriters around the world. It is a phenomenon called FAWM. February (is) Album Writing Month asks us to write and share 14 songs in the 28 days of February, (29 in leapFAWM), a task that gets easier every time that I do it. There is another challenge calle 50/90 that I have done as well (26 and 24 songs respectively), so writing 14 is pretty easy for me.

But it is a challenge, nonetheless, and I am looking forward to the collaborations and listening to the output of all my "watchlisted" friends there. - My FAWM page: phylo

phylosophy

I recently made a little money providing lead guitar and acoustic rhythm guitar to a guy in North Carolina for his next Christian CD. It was really a fun project and I really hope that the trend continues and someone else finds me in there. We did this through a website called StudioTraxx.

I used that little bit of fundage to pay for the release of my instrumental album on Tunecore. 'phyosophy' will be released on or near December 31st to iTunes, Napster, and Amazon.com's MP3 site. The new album will have 14 instrumental songs that were composed and recorded for a couple of the internet songwriting challenges that I participate in, namely FAWM and 50/90. If you know me, you'll most likely get a notice that it's available. Heck, even if you don't know me, I'll try to let you know. That's the fun of it. - I have quite a lot more songs (with lyrics) as well, enough for at least two more albums. After this release, I shall start the process or re-recording some of them and putting together new CD's. This time, however, I will bring in other musicians instead of doing it all solo like I have on the past collections. If you're a friend of mine, you probably play an instrument - don't be surprised if I ask you to play on these new albums. Please say, 'yes'.

Tattoo

Last weekend, my daughter came up from Hollywood to go get a tattoo with me. She chose a little design of two little proper English Gentlemen holding a kite and a "brelly" respectively. I chose a dragon. We went to Sacred Tattoos in downtown Oakland and both of us were inked by Jesse.
If I do get just one more, I've been wanting to get an ambigram of both my daughters names. (Chelsea and Chloe). But, I'm done for a little while.

Two Month Posting? Really?

Well, here it is, November 2nd. My last entry was on September 2nd. I guess you slow down after a while of doing something. I'm not going to say I'll do better either - it is what it is.

My 50/90 output was about 23 songs this time. A few of those were collaborations, so my mileage may vary. There are a couple keepers in there I should think. I'm going to regroup and listen to what I have so far from this last 50/90 and past FAWM's as well and see if I can put together a new album. I've actually already put together a preliminary list and the working title for the project is So Far So Good. I'll share the list next time.

Back in May, I found a website called StudioTraxx where I registered as a studio musician for hire. I've heard nothing until just now, when I got two requests for quotes. One is a project songwriter in North Carolina doing a Christian album and the other is a woman songwriter who needs some help with acoustic guitar on one of her new tracks. Amazing. I love making tracks and getting paid. It doesn't get much better.

Two Week Posting

50/90 is slowing down. Not only for me, but a bunch of the usual suspects are dropping out officially. I'm dubious that I can write and demo any more in the slightly less than a month we have left. But, I'm not quitting. I may have one or two more inside if that fickle biatch muse decides to visit.

In the interim, I have created another instrumental
called: When She's Away
I had some fun making this one into a little video - you Tube: When She's Away Video
(The video contains some Super8 footage taken by my Dad in about 1956 or 1957. )

I did another collaboration with 1B King. He sent me some lyrics to a song he calls 30 Weight and Black Lace. Says it should be a roadhouse/Biker Bar kind of jam. So I created a 4 plus minute jam, in E, and added a couple leady bits and a lot od space for Bob to put in his licks and the vocals. As soon as 1B posts it, I'll share with you, my singular reader. (Hi JP)

Since my last post, I have acquired a pair of A M A Z I N G speakers for my recording set up. My buddy Norm sold me a pair of Tannoy Studio Reference Monitors for $100! Holy shit, what a difference. I had to buy a small power amplifier to drive the monitors.

Until next time...

After a long pause...

...perhaps it's time to jot down a few 'musical' notes all up in here.

I am sorely behind in the 50/90 challenge. That's okay though since I'm not shootin' for the full monty. I don't have the time or resources for that. I will write a post a few more in the 43 days left I should expect.

Since last post, I have 4 = 1 collab!

3rd Floor Flat is a tune that I wrote the words to a number of years ago, and Tim Ryan penned the music. It was never recorded by us, so I finally took a stab.

Rock Song was born due to a very bad day at work. I just needed a little bit of rock and roll therapy - thank goodness I had the presence of mind to turn on the recorder while self-soothing myself in a rock kind of way.

The Languor of Summer doesn't have any music to it yet. It had been so hot in our house over a few days that I had to find something good to say about it.

The News is my collaboration with cts. Craig took my tune 'Rock Song' and added his special take on some cool words around the news of the day.

The Way It Is would be my one and only Hip Hop song. Inspired by cts' words on our collab.

I have 12, but it's really 10

I had scheduled all of Saturday to work on songs. But, Chelsea called and let me know she was on her way up from LA and wanted to crash at our place. She was up to attend her 10 year high school reunion! (Really?) So I spent most of the day with her and worked a little on some tunes. After she left for the party, I was able to find a few hours in front of the DAW. It was absolutely wonderful to get to spend time with my eldest daughter. She's pretty amazing!

50/90 continues and I've still a bit behind. I like where I am though and I'm rather fond of what I've produced so far. Speaking of So Far... So Far So Good is a little love song I wrote for Jane. After I finished it, I couldn't share with her 'cause she was mad at me. I had to wait until that blew over.

Red Beans and Rice is another one that worked out. It was one of those that almost wrote itself. And I recorded it in a very short time - only two takes!

And I recorded a little weird 2 and a half minute rock song called Powerwalk. I couldn't think of a name for it and Becca (visiting grand niece) came up with the title.

I've got one more to demo in there called Bringing the Devil Home and perhaps I'll record Billy Sea's version of Variety Show.

Heigh Ho

Questions

I got questions, baby. My new 5090 tune is called the Question Blues. I recorded the guitar and vocals in one take together. Then I added the harmonica and the hand drum.

Here's the link: Question Blues

Got me some questions, baby
I got some questions on my mind
Got me some questions, baby
I got some questions on my mind
And I been a-wondr'n
If I've just been blind

The pleasures of indiscretion, baby
You made arrangements on the sly
Pleasure and indiscretion, baby
You made arrangements on the sly
I have no choice but to
Counter with good-bye

Who was that guy I saw you with?
What's his name, are you takin' the fifth?
When did it all go so wrong?
Where did I start to get strung along?

What's up wit you, Baby?
Inquiring minds want to know
I seek some understanding, Baby
Inquiring minds want to know
I just need to step back
And try to keep in control

Who was that guy I saw you with?
What's his name, are you takin' the fifth?
Where did it start to go all wrong?
When did you start to string me along?

15 Days Into 50/90: 5 Songs

Well, three actual demos with lyrics, and two lyrics with no music yet. Perhaps I can record something this weekend. I haven't been able to record in either GarageBand or Logic Express - for some reason I get the "beachball of death". (Mac version of the blue screen...) I can program loops and playback already recorded files, but it will not let me add a real instrument. I figgered that it's a resource issue and did some long needed administrative computer stuff. But freeing up all that memory didn't really do anything. I may have to re-load the software, butI'll research it a bit more.

My two new sets of lyrics are these: Variety Show and Francois Leared to Chachachá
------------
There is this web songwriting tool that I "Stumbled Upon" called Lilac Writer. It's an online songwriting tool to help you write lyrics with built-in references, organization & collaboration tools. (That's from their page). I was contacted by someone from that organization to be e-mail interviewed for their blog. I've answered the first set of questions and I'm waiting on the follow ups. Fun, huh? I really do like their site, I using it as a place to write for the 50/90 challenge. Watch this space for further development.

By the way, follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phylobeans not that I keep up with it very much yet, but I'm getting it.