Category Archives: Collaboration

CD Project Update #8 – Electric Guitar Overdubs, The Fun Begins

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The recording session went very well yesterday however, I wasn’t quite prepared for the time it was going to take to get things done. Right now, it seems like it’s going to take forever to complete this CD.

In a 6 hour period Darren and I only completed one and a half songs and I was really feeling the frustration early on in the day after being so used to the immediacy of live music. I tell you the temptation to just say “yeah, that’s good enough” on any particular guitar track we recorded was high on my list but I remained strong.

I’m glad that we’re taking the time to get this part of the recording process just right.

We arrived at the studio at 9:30am started recording at around 10:30am after Darren finished setting up all of his guitars and amps that he and I were going to use for the day.

We started off proceedings with Billboard Angel

Overkill? I think NOT!

A nice rack

Once we finished Billboard Angel we had pizza for lunch thanks to Fat Pizza and Yiros (staple studio food) and by 2:30pm we started on the second song Back Of My Mind finishing up at around 4pm.

Anthony Stewart loves his pizza

Darren Zaza

I learnt a lot about patience and tolerance yesterday but I also started to learn the fine art of music production and how to use the recording studio as a separate musical instrument. It’s amazing what you can do to change the overall ambience of a song through the layering of sounds on top of one another.

By the end of the day I was absolutely worn out due to the amount of listening and concentration that was put into the session but somehow I had to get home and get ready to run the Open Mic @ The Dan that night.

The recording madness continues next Wednesday…

Peace,

Corey :)

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CD Project Update #7 – Recording Starts Again!

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Me @ Industrial Records Studio 1980
Image by Chris_Carter_ via Flickr

This Wednesday (September 8th) I go back into the studio again and start putting down electric guitar tracks with my good friend Darren Zaza and after almost 4 weeks of not recording I can safely say that I’ve really missed the studio.

I know that at the beginning of my CD Project Updates I said that “…at times the recording process felt a little disjointed” but I’m now getting used to the layered nature of the recording process. I can see why some musicians want to stop gigging and just record music.

What I’m beginning to love about the recording process is embracing the elements of the unknown that exist between what ideas I have in my head and the end result of an overdub.

You really don’t know what is going to happen until you do record the take and that to me, is really exciting.

I’ve also decided on what I’m going to do with the 16 songs that you can still hear on my CD Project page, I’m going to use all of them but, there’s still an opportunity for you all to have a say in what’s going on.

I’ve been asked by SCALA (Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association) to submit a song for their upcoming CD release in a couple of months time so one of the 16 songs will be a “SCALA Exclusive.”

I’ve narrowed down my choice to 3 songs

Billboard Angel

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Don’t Turn To Me Now

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Girl Like You

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Have a listen and let me know which song should be the “SCALA Exclusive.”

As for the other 15 songs, I’ve decided to use all of them because I simply can’t choose which ones to leave out and all of the opinions that you’ve put through to me point to that very conclusion as well.

Barring any recording disasters or acts of God, “Out With The Old And In With The New” will be a 15 track CD project and that’s okay, I’m very happy with that outcome.

I’m proud of what I’ve done so far and I’m looking forward to continuing on with the recording on Wednesday.

Now, on to working out how to sell this CD…

Peace,

Corey :)

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SCALA – I’m A Member And You Should Be Too

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For those of you who don’t know, SCALA stands for Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association and it was formed in 1987 which makes 2010 its 23rd year of helping songwriters be the best they can be.

I’ve been a proud member of since 1992.

My first ever solo show was at SCALA. It was a Wednesday night, July 29th, 1992 at the Duke Of Brunswick Hotel and I clearly remember how intensely nervous I was.

As a result of those nerves getting the better of me that night I put in a terrible show and afterwards, I was ready to give up (yes I was that bad) except for the amazing support and encouragement of SCALA’s president Rob Childs and the rest of the crew.

I would even go further to say that I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today if it wasn’t for the existence of SCALA in my life. Period!

Over the years I have seen SCALA develop into an organisation that really has the development of emerging songwriters as its primary focus. It provides for its members:

Not bad for an organisation running on limited funds and with virtually no volunteer base for the past 23 years.

For a number of years now, I’ve been a member of the SCALA board as well as a resident songwriting judge for its FOOM (Festival Of Original Music) song competitions. I relish in the opportunity to give back to SCALA what it had originally given to me when I was first starting out.

Time, effort and support, the very things that SCALA can give to you now, if you decided to become a member.

I don’t get any money for promoting SCALA, I’m just writing this because I really do believe in the power of community and the grassroots support for the next generation of talented songwriters and artists out there. I mean, my own efforts in running the Open Mic Network has been largely inspired by my involvement with SCALA.

The more I walk on my musical path, the more I realise that we are all in this music business thing together and organisations like SCALA just make the journey a little easier for those who choose to take that first step.

Peace,

Corey :)

PS: Here are some SCALA links for you to check out – Website | Facebook | MySpace | Twitter

Everybody Has A Story – A Song

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This song first started out as a musical idea inspired by me mucking around on the piano which I then hammered out on Logic. Adrian and I then nutted out the lyrics in a separate 3 hour session.

The interesting thing about this songs writing process is that it wasn’t until the very end when we stumbled upon the song title that both Adrian and I knew roughly what the song was about.

There were many times that we both stared blankly into the computer screen not knowing where to go to next however, we triumphed and this is the end result…

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Everybody Has A Story
© 2010 C. Stewart/A. Miller

Somewhere in someone else’s story
I had a minor part to play
I was the kid standing on the corner
Watching the passing parade

Nobody noticed me
Nobody noticed me, but I was there

Where am I when the spotlights shining?
I’m a thousand miles away
I’m the guy standing in the shadows
When they’re handing out accolades

Nobody notices
Nobody notices, but I am there
Nobody notices
Nobody notices, but I am there

I may not be famous, stand out in a crowd
Or shout from the rooftops, noisy and proud
But this is my story and I want you to know
What is important and what can be let go
Stop what you’re doing, a moment or two
I’ll tell you something that I think is true
The more that you listen the sooner you’ll see
That everybody has a story, yes, even me

Someday in another lifetime
On any given day
You might ask me what I was doing
What it was that I had to say

Did you notice me?
Did you notice me? While I was there
Did you notice me?
Did you notice me? While I was there

Everyone does have a story to tell, we just need to take the time to listen to it.

Peace,

Corey :)

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Running Out Of Love – A Song

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Pen and Paper
Image by Kristian D. via Flickr

“Running Out Of Love” is the third song that I’ve collaborated with Adrian Miller on and the first re-write we’ve done together.

This song was actually a half finished piece I had languishing in my archives for a few years called “All Out Of Love.” I loved the melody and the chord structure but the lyrics were something that I needed help on.

First of all the title needed to be changed as “All Out Of Love” reminded me of an Air Supply song far too much and secondly, the story of the song was a little muddled. This is where Adrian’s magic worked the best, he changed the title and sorted out the story and we both rewrote the lyrics to fit in with the new direction of the song.

I absolutely love it now and recording it gave me some fantastic piano practise. The best of both worlds really.

Enjoy,

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Running Out Of Love
© 2010 C. Stewart/A. Miller

Chorus
I’m running out of love
Running low on love, it brings me down
I’m running out of love
Running low on love, I’m empty now

I know that I have tried so hard
To show you how I feel for you
And you may feel the same way but
I’ve got no way of knowing that it’s true

Chorus

Another cold and lonely night
Staring at each other through the silence
Going over things that might
Have happened if we only took a chance

What happened to our love?
I’ve tried to work it out
So many little things
Are standing in our way
What happened to our love?
What’s it all about?
Is there anything, anything that I can say?

I’m running out of love
Running low on love, I’m empty now

I have so many half finished songs in my songwriting archive that are in dire need of re-writing, I’ll be busy collaborating for many years to come. Bring it on!

Peace,

Corey :)

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Back To Basics – A Song

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“Back To Basics” is the second song that I’ve collaborated with Adrian Miller on and it’s also my first multi-tracking effort using Logic Pro 9 on my home studio setup.

The song evolved from a conversation that we had in which the concept of having too much choice in this world was discussed. From that conversation the first two lines of the song were born and the rest was written from there.

Enjoy,

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Back To Basics
© 2010 C. Stewart/A. Miller

There is so much choice out there
I could so easily lose my way
I could give into temptation, find a new sensation
Each and every single day

There is so much noise out there
I can’t hear a single word you say
There is no communication, but too much information
Swimming around in my brain

Chorus
Let’s get back to basics, keeping only what we need
Let’s get back to basics, what is it we really need?
Let’s get back to basics, looking for simplicity
So let’s get back to basics

It’s a complicated world
It’s so hard just keeping up with the pace
Could it be that maybe, everyone’s gone crazy
Or am I just a hopeless case?

People just don’t seem to care
About anyone else but themselves
No one takes the time to simplify their lives
And compassion can take care of itself

Chorus

You don’t need to try it, you don’t need to buy it
This need to just acquire, it only gives us nothing but trouble
You don’t need the clutter just to make yourself feel better
You cannot take it with you after all is said and done

There is so much choice out there
I could so easily lose my way
I could give into temptation, find a new sensation
Each and every single day

Chorus

Peace,

Corey :)

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Things Are Better Now – A Song

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“Things Are Better Now” is the first song written as a collaborative effort between Adrian Miller and myself as mentioned in my earlier post “The Joys Of Collaboration.” The idea for the song was born out of the first two lines which were swirling around in Adrian’s head for a period of time:

Whenever the glass is half empty
I reach for a bottle and fill it to the top

The lines remind me of something Tom Waits would write, it sounds negative but in fact it outlines a very positive message with the rest of the song attempting to reinforce the sentiments of that message, that “things are better now”

This recording is also my first real attempt at putting something down in my home studio. The drum backing may be slightly naff but all in all, I’m pretty happy with it.

Enjoy,

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Things Are Better Now
© C. Stewart/A. Miller 2010

Whenever the glass is half empty
I reach for a bottle and fill it to the top
I never let misery get me
I treat myself gently, I tell my tears to stop

I keep myself moving
Get through it somehow
I’ve been as far down as a man can go
But things are better now

Whenever I start to feel lonely
I know that it’s only, a matter of time
Till somebody new recognises
That I’m full of surprises, of a very nice kind

Chorus

Once upon a time
I was lost along the way
I could not ease my mind
But that was yesterday
Now I’m looking forward to what each new day brings
Yeah things are better now

Whenever the glass is half empty
I reach for a bottle and fill it to the top
I never let misery get me
I treat myself gently, I tell my tears to stop

Chorus (x2)

Things are better now
Things are better now
Things are better now

Watch this space, there’s more to come.

Peace,

Corey :)

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