Create52: #9 -- I Got It

If you're a clock watcher, you might have noticed something about this edition of my Create52 series of blog posts:  It's the first one so far this year that wasn't pre-written so it could be put up early in the morning.

The main reasons for that is because I've been very busy the last week AND I am currently home sick. I was sick all weekend and didn't even touch my computer. My granddaughter had a bad cold, and then her mom did, and them my lovely wife got it along with a horrendous sinus infection, and guess what? Now I got it.

But even though I feel like... less-than-optimum, shall we say, I am still committed to the Create52 and am getting this post up. It may not be first thing in the morning, but it's still Monday, so it still counts, right?

At this point, let me remind you what the whole intent of this 'Create52' thing is: This is number nine of what I plan to be year-long series of 52 posts under my self-imposed 2015 blogging initiative -- to create something new and share it here on my blog each and every Monday.

If you'd like, you can get a little more background about my Create52 goal HERE, in my first Create52 post of 2015.

So for today, I'm going to offer another piece of music and a bit of writing, all of which tie to the "I Got It" theme, or at least as close as I can get in my addled, medicated state...:


I Got It #1 -- "I Got It"

I recently added another jam to wikiloops, titled -- yep: "I Got It." It is a jam that was based on two tracks added by user "ZamZam". He uploadeed a piece called "Get It" then added some more keys and drums to it and called it "Getting It."  I really liked the cool jazzy, funky, slightly-spacey groove and added a couple of guitar tracks.  One was a wah-wah rhythm track and then a lead track.

I kind of like how the finished piece turned out. See what you think.  You can click on the images to the left or right, or on the link HERE.

It was one of those pieces that was put together quickly, but doesn't sound complete like an improvised throw-off.

It's maybe a little too much of a smooth-jazz feel, but I still think it has some redeeming qualities. I like the funky rhythm guitar and the lead turned out pretty good. I hope there's enough soul in it to overcome the "jazz lite" vibe.

As always -- I'm interested in your feedack and thoughts.  Feel free to leave a comment letting me know what worked for you and what didn't.

And, of course, thank you very much for taking the time to listen!  I really appreciate it!


I Got It #2 -- "No Imagination"

Back in my Create52 post #7 I shared a 50-word story "No Imagination." I had sent it to Tim at FiftyWordStories.com and hadn't heard anything about it.  He published the other story I had sent with it ("I'm Alive") but hadn't said anything about "No Imagination" so I assumed he was passing on it.

Turns out I was wrong -- that story did get accepted and published. Tim notified my on the 23th and then put it up on February 24th,

Os if you haven't already read it here on my blog, I invite you to go to Fifty Word Stories and check it out: HERE.

Sometime you don't discover you got it until after you've assumed you didn't.


I Got It #3 -- "Cat Sitting"

And to give this post some other new writing, I'm sharing a "10x10" post I made at the Creative Copy Challenge writing prompt site.

A "10 x 10" is a story of ten lines of ten words each, using the ten prompt words in order, and in the correct position within each line (the first word in the first spot in the first sentence, the second word in the second spot in the second sentence, etc).

From the prompt words, I came up with a story of a reluctant brother stepping up to say "I got it," in helping out his sister who's travelling.

See what you think -- the ten prompt words are all highlighted in the story below:

=======


Cat Sitting


Scrabbled together offerings from six cans and three dry packages,

A technicolor blend of kibble, meat and strange smelling mysteries.

The writhing mob at my feet sings in joyous anticipation.

I set the keys aside and start to fill bowls

Another group enters the doorway, drawn by the clanking sound;

The kitchen is filled with bleating, purring, and eager meowing.

I ask myself – Are we really related to each other?

The only cat I've liked was my costume in kindergarten,

That Halloween my cat suit had eyes like fires inside.

Now feeding my sister's cats is part of my repertoire.

=======

Thank you so much for stopping by, listening, and reading!  I hope you enjoyed what I've offered!

Now I'm going to go back to bed to shiver under the covers. I've got it, but I really want to get rid of it!

Got it?

Create52: #7 -- Getting it Right

(image from pixabay)

In my last Create52 post, I talked about the fun of creating impromptu things, and I shared some music and writing that I'd made on the spur of the moment.  But for this post, I'm going in the opposite direction:

Sometimes it's worth taking the time to get it right.

Building a watch requires that each gear has to mesh perfectly in order for it to function. This type of work is hard to do on an impromptu basis -- you have to have a solid plan to make each gear and to know where each component goes. You can't just improvise your way through the process. 

Some creative efforts are that way, too.

But before I go any further, let me offer another reminder of what I'm doing in this Create52 post:

This is the seventh of what I hope is a year-long series of 52 posts under my self-imposed 2105 blogging initiative -- to create something new and share it here on my blog each and every Monday.

If you'd like, you can get a little more background about my Create52 goal HERE, in my first Create52 post of 2015.

Now let's get to some examples of what I was talking about at the beginning of this post:


Getting it Right #1: Git Right On Wit It 


Recently, I took another very cool wikiloops jam I'd found and added two quick guitar tracks. I called it "Git On Wit It". As another off-the-cuff jam, it was certainly fun to do, and my rhythm and lead guitar tracks weren't completely terrible. In many cases, I'd have called it "good enough" and moved on, perhaps even sharing the piece here.

But the more I listened to the finished track, the less I liked it. 
 
The underlying jam I'd used was excellent -- the intricate layers of drums (by "Baer" and "MrAdamOnDrums"), xylophone ("Fred"), upright bass (wikiloops founder "Dick"), and saxophone ("MrSnuts") had come together really well, but my loose improvised guitar on top just didn't do the jam justice.

So I called a do-over. 

I took the time to really listen to that jam track, learning and documenting each section a little better ("Ah hah! There's only 14 bars in this part -- not 16!"). Then I added not two, but eleven distinct guitar parts, with several takes until I was happy with each one.

All that time and effort paid off, I think. I call the revamped version, "Git Right On Wit It" and I invite you to check it out by clicking on the pictures on either side, or by clicking HERE. 

It's still not perfect (the tone I chose for one of the lead tracks ended up really making it really buried in the mix, for one thing), but I do think it is WAY better than my earlier thrown-together version.

Improvisation is fun and magical when it works out, but some things are worth taking the time to get right. I think this jam was one of them.


Getting It Right #2: No Imagination

As much fun as it is writing something on the fly in response to prompt words, that is actually not my normal mode of operation.  A big reason why my writing output remains so low is that I am a horrendous self-critic and in my 'serious' writing, I typically nitpick every word until I'm satisfied.

Here's a brief example.  

This is a piece I submitted back at the end of December to the site, 50-Word Stories -- one of two I'd sent in.  The other piece ("I'm Alive") was accepted and posted on the site, but this one was not.

Yet this is the one that I worked the longest on, and actually the one I thought was the 'better' piece. I had edited and revised it many times in the weeks leading up to its submission. It's kind of funny to think that a story consisting of all of 50 words goes through a lot of editing, but in this case, it did.

The story may not have been accepted at 50-Word Stories, but I still think it is the stronger piece, and it was worth the time to get it right. 

See what you think -- I call it "No Imagination":

=====

No Imagination

I imagine us together.

I imagine you committing. I picture us making plans.

But you can't see it.

Instead, you tell me to get off your porch. Then you slam the door.

So I take my Acme Vacuums sales kit and leave, hoping your neighbor has a much better imagination.

=====

So do you think these pieces of music and writing were worth taking the time to get right?  Do you tend to lean that way in general? Which do you prefer -- In-the-moment creation, or meticulous editing and revision?

Thank you so much for visiting!  See you next week for another Create52 post!

Create52: #6 -- Impromptu

I like improvisation -- that sense of juggling ideas on the fly, creating impromptu things off the cuff, in the moment with little preconception, and hoping that something good comes out of it.

Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised by what I end up creating; sometimes I fall off the tightrope and crash to the ground amid a pile of poorly-executed results. But either way, the fun of creating in the moment is still worth it.

Or at least I hope it is.

But before I go any farther, let me offer a reminder of what I'm doing here in this Create52 post: This is the sixth of what I hope is a year-long series of 52 posts under my 2105 blogging initiative -- to create something new and offer it here on my blog each and every Monday.  You can get a little more background about my Create52 goal HERE, in my first Create52 post of 2015, if you'd like.

Impromptu I -- Improvised 'Wistful Reggae'

I recently added another track to wikiloops -- this is the fabulous online jam site where you can create and interact with hundreds of other musicians around the globe via uploaded and shared jams.  I found an overlooked reggae track by the user "pingala" which I thought was kind of cool.  I liked the keyboard-driven, slightly-weird, reggae mix and thought it would be fun to add some guitar.

So I added three guitar tracks, all kind of spacy and ambient, and all recorded quickly in a spur-of-the-moment series of improvised tracks.

As always, it was fun to do, but here's the thing -- listening back to the final version, I'm not sure I really like it.  Take a listen and see what you think.  You can click on the picture to the right, my 'StratoRapor' icon to the left, or on the link HERE.

This is one of the things about Impromptu creativity -- it can be kind of hit or miss. It can have a certain kind of unique energy that is often missing in tightly-woven, heavily-structured pieces which have been recorded and re-recorded until each part is 'perfect'. And when it works, it's magical.  This is why Deadheads love certain live recordings and often shrug their shoulders at the records the Grateful Dead made in the studio.

But it can also end up being as disappointing and unsatisfying as watching a juggler drop balls all over the place. It can be frustrating because it gives hints as to what "might have been," and yet still fall sort.

I don't know -- maybe I'm too hard on myself.  If nothing else, it's something 'new' that I created which didn't exist before.

And that's the whole point of Create52.

Impromptu II -- In Prompts, Too!

But sometimes the muses come through and the impromptu efforts pay off, too.

I didn't want this edition of my Create52 to have only a piece of music I find lacking. So I thought I'd try some off-the-cuff piece of writing since I haven't got anything else new and finished to share. I visited the old Creative Copy Challenge website to see what their latest ten-word prompt was, and spent a half-hour or so to come up with this, which I call "A Fluke of Nature."

I'm not going to suggest that it's stellar writing, but for a rough-draft, spur-of-the-moment, thrown-together impromptu piece that used all ten prompt words in order, I think it turned out fairly well.


You can check it out HERE or below (the ten prompt words are in bold):


=====

Fluke of Nature

Doctor Nathanial Hawkins paused, uncertain how to respond to his newest client. As a highly-sought and very successful plastic surgeon to the rich and powerful, he’d almost become jaded to the odd requests he’d had in his career, but he still found himself flustered at what Brooke Swanson was asking.

“I’m not sure it would be… in your best interest,” he finally said.

“You don’t have to be subtle with me,” she said. “I want your blunt assessment, not your sugar-coated opinions. Is it possible?”

Hawkins sighed and regarded her — mid-thirties, beautiful, excellent health, and obscenely wealthy. In essence, she was the perfect patient for much of his work. But she wanted much more than a tummy tuck or a new nose.

“Yes, I actually think it could be possible. But I question the ethics of doing it.”

She laughed. “I don’t care about the ethics. It’s my decision and it’s between you and me. I’ll sign whatever release forms you want to make sure your ass is covered. I only demand absolute secrecy. But I would hope you have had enough experience with the subterfuge needed to hide your work from the prying public.”

In his mind, he ran through the procedures required. Each would be extensive and challenging. But they would also be ground-breaking.

“You won’t be able to hide it forever,” he said. “Something of this magnitude will eventually leak out.”

“I only need long enough to heal. Then my pilot and my staff will fly me out the US. I already have the island set up, thousands of miles away from the news media and the lawyers. All I’ll have around me will be the froth from the rolling waves and blue water in every direction.”

Hawkins let his thoughts wander again. If what she was asking for worked, it would be amazing, unlike anything ever attempted. The results would be simply marvelous to behold. He would become even more famous — not just to the aging elite desperately searching to maintain the illusion of youth. He would become a household name.

And he had to admit to himself he was excited about it.

# # #

Hawkins removed his hat and wiped his brow. The tropical sun was relentless, but the view across the sparkling lagoon was spectacular. Brooke Swanson had chosen well on this isolated island. He followed the ripples as she swam up to the dock.

“So what do you think, Doctor Hawkins?” she said after breaching the water. “You still like your work?”

“Call me Nate,” he said. “They removed my license following the trial. I’m no longer technically a doctor.”

“I’m sorry about that,” she said.

“I’m not. It was worth it.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. I flew you down because I wanted to make sure. And also to offer to increase your payment as restitution. I didn’t intend to ruin your career.”

He admired the sleekness of the plasticized skin covering the buoyancy chambers along her sides; the intricate way the dorsal fin had been grafted onto her spine; the smooth streamline of curves as her merged legs flowed into the wide fluke of her dolphin-like tail; and the delicate way the embedded tubes ran under her cheekbones from her sinus cavities to the artificial gills implanted along her neck.

She used her arms to tread water in front of him, her webbed fingers sweeping gracefully through the water

He thought her even more beautiful than she had ever been.

“You didn’t ruin my career,” he said. “You made it.”

He laughed. “The operation was a complete success, and because of you, I’ll be forever known as the man who made a mermaid.”

# # #

=====

So what do you think -- did either of these impromptu pieces turned out worthwhile?  And even if not, was the fun of improvised creativity worth enough as it's own reward?

Do you like improvisation and creating impromptu things yourself on the spur of the moment?


Thank you so very much for visiting -- I greatly appreciate it!  See you next Monday!

Create52: #4 -- Can't Stop the Rain

This is the fourth Monday of 2015, and the last one in January -- which means that my Create52 goal has made it through the entire first month!

This has been a fun thing to do and now I'm fully committed. In fact, I can't stop doing this any more than I can stop the rain from falling. So let's use that as a theme for today's Create52 entry.

But first, if you're a new visitor to my blog, let me say "welcome!" and explain what I'm doing here. This is another entry in my 2105 blogging initiative -- to create something new and offer it here on my blog each and every Monday of 2015.  You can get a little more background about my Create52 goal HERE, in my first Create52 post of 2015, if you'd like.

Can't Stop the Rain #1

This is another piece of music I put together for the wonderful jam site, wikiloops.com. I found a fabulous track originally done  with keys by the user Marceys, then added to with drums by Jaymny and bass by OB-Lix. The original track was called "Can't Stop the Rain" by Marceys, so I stayed with that name.

You can take a listen by clicking on the images to the left or right or on this link: Can't Stop the Rain.

For this tune, I added a clean rhythm guitar track and a echo-y, distorted lead guitar track.  I tried to keep my playing to a minimum during the "verse" sections to allow the beautiful piano and bass playing to come through. During the "chorus" sections, I stayed close to the chord progression in my lead for most of the song, although I stretched out a bit at the end.  

But other than taking time to learn the progression and changes for my rhythm, this still ended up being a bit of a "jam" piece in that my lead is a first-pass recording. I definitely hear some things that can be improved, but overall, I think it worked out pretty well.  I enjoy the wistful feel of the song that Marceys put together and it was fun to play over.

Thank you very much for listening!

Can't Stop the Rain #2

I was also inspired by the title and music to come up with another 50-word story. I haven't heard back* on the last two stories I submitted (mentioned in my Create52 post #1) to Tim Sevenhuysen at FiftyWordStories.com, so I'm not sure if I'm going to submit this one. Actually, since I'm sharing it here, I probably won't, and will send Tim two different pieces a little later in February.

But I hope you still enjoy it:

==========

Can't Stop the Rain

The rain falls, and I'm forced to remember.
 

Watching through the rivulets streaming down the window as you left that morning, I had no idea that you'd never return.
 

Still, I've tried to move on.
 

On sunny days, I've even stopped thinking of you.
 

But I can't stop the rain.

==========

*NOTE: 1/29/2015 update: Since originally writing this, I have heard back from Tim on one of the two stories ("I'm Alive"), and Tim published it at FiftyWordStories.com today!  I'll have more to say about this in Monday's Create52 post, but in the meantime you can check out this 50-word sci-fi story HERE.

Thank you very much for stopping by and taking part in my ongoing Create52 effort.  I really appreciate it!

Create52: #2 -- Back Out / Out Back

So this is January 12th -- the date of the scheduled second entry in my Create52 weekly blogging event. I hope the new year is treating you well so far, and I thank you very much for taking the time to stop by my blog,

Let's get right to today's offering:


Back Out

Since I started last week's Create52 post with a confession, how about I do it again:

I have to admit that in the past, I might have backed out of something like this by now. I mean, my intentions are great, and this is something I really want to do, but there are still 51 more entries to make! And it takes a lot of time and commitment to regularly create new things for this blog.

Yes, there have been times where, in spite of my best intentions, I might not have stuck with it.

But you know what? This time I am.

I'm still creating new things and not backing out. Instead, I'm getting back out here with more to share. And I confess I'm feeling pretty good about that.


Back in the Outback

Today, the first thing I want to offer you is a musical piece. It's a wikiloops jam I call "Back in the Outback."

I took a very cool Australian-themed track made by wikiloops user, "jamlady," looped it twice to make it longer, added bass, and then laid down three tracks of guitar on it -- one spacy, distorted, and full of delay; one a chiming rythym; and the last one a lead that one wikiloops commenter said was something between Mark Knopfler and David Gilmour.

I think I would probably have to agree -- I guess I can wear my influences pretty blatantly at times. :)

This might not be your normal verse-verse-chorus kind of song, but I hope you still like it.  Take a listen and see what you think,

You can click on the image, my "StratoRaptor" icon, or HERE to check it out.


Out Back

And for a bonus offering for this Create52, I'm serving up another small sample of my writing -- a new piece of poetry I created especially for this blog post.  I took the phrase, "out back," and let my imagination wander, and this is what I came up with.

It's a bit of free verse.  There is no particular rhyme scheme, although there are a lot of rhymes in it. I hope you like it -- it's a bit different from my normal writing:

======

Out Back

Out back, I hear the children play;

The swings swoop and sway, their chains creaking

amid the laughter, and young voices shrieking

with delight.

Chasing after each other, they frolic in a choir

of giggles and whoops as they swing ever higher;

A timeless sound.  I hear it every day, unless it rains,

until the quiet of the night.

Out back, I hear a few muffled clinks

from a swing, hanging by the links of its broken, rusty chain.

No laughing refrain – the choir shall not sing again;

not here any more.

The swings are banging, un-ridden in the wind.

A gusty blast, and one thinks of voices past,

of laughter I no longer hear. At the end, I remain here,

wishing for before.

======


Thank you so much for visiting, listening, and reading! See you next week for another Create52 entry!

2014 Wrap Up: BOTB Results, Update, Music, and More

Today is my last post of the last month of what will soon be 'last year,' and there are a few things I would like to wrap up before taking a break for the Christmas holiday:

Deja Vu Blogathon

First off, let me offer a sincere "Thank you!" to all who visited and commented on my Deja Vu blog post. I really appreciate all the kind words.

It was also great getting to visit all the posts of the many bloggers who participated.  I tried to visit every single blog in DL's Linky-List, and I commented on most of them.  The only ones I didn't comment on were the ones who hadn't put up Deja Vu posts at the time of my visit. So if you did so late in the day and I missed it -- I apologize.  But I DID actually visit your blog at one point looking for it.

I just didn't keep a record of which blogs didn't have a post up so I could go back later, and I confess I'm too lazy to go back through 75 blogs again looking for the ones that posted late.  :)

Fianlly (and especially!): "THANK YOU" to my writing buddy Don 'DL' Hammons for hosting the blogathon -- It was a lot of fun to do between my last Battle of the Bands (BOTB) entry and its results post.

Battle of the Bands Results

...And speaking of Battle of the Bands:

The results from my December 15th Battle of the Band (BOTB) post did not end up anywhere as close as I thought it might be.  I took a lot of time going through tons of videos of "God Rest ye Merry, Gentlemen" on You Tube before deciding on the two that I ultimately chose, and I thought I had two worthy contenders.  Truthfully, I did expect the Phil Keaggy and Kim Hill version to win, simply because it was much closer to a traditional interpretation of the song, but I thought the Pillar version might get a few more votes and make it competitive.

Personally, I really like both versions, but for different reasons.  I like the energy, moody ambiance, and guitar of the Pillar version. There are some excellent dynamics in this take, from quiet and spacy to high-energy, although the growl/scream at the apex of the build-up is a bit much.

But I also find it interesting that although Pillar is nowhere near the "traditional" version of this song, it is one of the few versions I found on YouTube where they do more of the "traditional" verses, including the second verse with the often misunderstood line, "The which his mother, Mary, did nothing take in scorn." Most versions skip this verse, as the Kim Hill and Phil Keaggy cover does.

However, I do love the guitar, bass, and flute and haunting vibe of the Keagy / Hill version. There is still a cool mix of old and rocking-new in this version, but with a much more 'traditional' vibe. And of course the guitar playing is wonderful.  So in the end, I find myself in much the same position as several other voters -- I like the Pillar version, but I'm voting for Keaggy and Hill.

So my vote adds to their landslide victory, with the final tally:

-- Pillar: 2
-- Keaggy / Hill: 11

I guess Christmas brings out the traditionalist in me, too.

Battle of the Bands Update

...And while we're on the topic of the BOTB:

I'd mentioned before in my results post from my December 1st BOTB that I have some upcoming changes planned for my blog.  But I have to confess that I've also been all over the map as to how these changes will impact my participation in the BOTB going forward.  Honestly, I've waffled between deciding to quit and deciding to stay many, many times over the last month.

But, in the end -- despite my assurance to Stephen McCarthy in the comments of that BOTB results post -- I've finally decided to step aside from the BOTB  -- or at least for a while.

It was not an easy decision -- I have really enjoyed taking part, and I will definitely continue to vote on the other BOTB blogs on the 1st and 15th of each month.  But I will not be making any BOTB posts myself in 2015 (or at least that's the plan as of now).

My blog is titled, "The Creative Outlet of StratPlayer," but in the BOTB posts, I'm really offering nothing creative of my own -- I'm just sharing videos of other people covering songs and asking you to pick which one you like best.  It's fun -- I do enjoy getting to comment on the music and give background on the songs, and even trying to interject some creative stuff into my BOTB Results posts.

But, truthfully, the Battle of the Bands posts are not quite in line which what my blogging intent really is.  And that creative intent is what I want to refocus on for 2015.

So, with regret, I am announcing that I will not be hosting BOTB posts in 2015...

Create 52

...But speaking of my creative intent for this blog:

In 2015, I will be trying something new on my blog -- a thing that I'll be calling "Create 52."

Under this name, I'll be making a new post on Monday of each week with at least one new creative piece I've created -- music or writing, mostly, but who knows what all may end up here? 

As I mentioned above, my intent is to refocus my blogging energy to highlight the thing I create, and also renew my efforts to actually creating on a regular basis.  So as part of the "Create 52" push, I will be increasing my writing efforts as well as generating music on a regular basis.

I'll explain more of what I'm going for with my first "Create 52" post on Monday, January 5th, but for now I will say that I'm definitely looking forward to this refocused effort on creating and blogging.

I hope you will enjoy what you see here in 2015!

Music: For the Fun of It

...And speaking of creating:

Let me close out 2014 with one more musical offering -- it's not a Christmas song, but you can consider it a small Christmas gift.

This is another wikiloops jam, but it's one where all the pieces were already in place and I just added a single track of lead guitar. The user 'scrawfrd02' had laid down an acoustic guitar track and then added another track of piano, bass, and other keys, including a catchy little line of pseudo-horns in the background. Then the wikilooper, 'Jaymny,' added some drums (and the intro count-off) to the piece. I found their jam fun and compelling and wanted to take part.

So I added a single guitar track on top of it -- a lead where I tried to not overpower all the tracks that were already there. I used that little 'horn' line as the starting point the lead I added.  I recorded it in stereo with differing delays for the left and right channel, went for a smooth but edgy distorted sound, and tried to put it far enough into the mix so that it blended in without dominating the other parts.

I think it turned out OK for a quick, "off-the-cuff jam" kind of thing. 

Click on the image of the StratoRaptor to the left, the image of Wikiloops track above, or here on THIS LINK to check it out.  Feel free to comment on what you think of it -- I 'm always interested to hear feedback on what worked, what didn't, and on ways to improve.

Thanks for listening!

Merry Christmas!

...And finally, and perhaps most importantly:

I want to be sure to wish you and your family a very, very merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year!!!

I hope your holiday season is filled with love and joy, and that 2015 will be a year of blessings and  great things for you and your loved ones!

See you January 5th!!!

Introspection, Music, and BOTB Results

 

(Rodin's 'The Thinker' -- Image from wikimedia Commons) 

Introspection

I've been doing some thinking lately.

Nothing Earth-shattering; just some ideas about how best to focus and apply my creative impulses and ways to use my limited free time.  I'm not sure if thinking about creativity can be considered creative thinking, but I'm at least trying to be creative as I think of creating new ways to highlight the things I've created.

Got that?

Anyway --  I've made some decisions and set some goals that I want to accomplish in the upcoming new year.   And since my I consider this blog to be geared toward "the creative outlet" of your humble author, all these decisions and goals will eventually impact what you see here. Again -- nothing major, but looking ahead, I want to give you a heads-up that I have some new things planned for my blog.

I'll give you more details on the results of my introspection as we get closer to 2015.

Music

And speaking of introspection:

I recently took a (post-joyful-and-gluttonous-family-feast) free moment on Thanksgiving two weeks ago to download another very cool jam from wikiloops and to lay down a simple rhythm guitar track over it. Then, the next day, I quickly added two more guitars and came up with this piece, I call, "Thanksgiving and Introspection." 

I loved the mix of drums, flute, and keys that "MrAdamOnDrums" had set up in the jam, and found it a very fun thing to play over. I think the result end up being a little spacey and...  um, introspective?

Feel free to click on the link in the title or on the StratoRaptor icon to the left in order to check it out. I'm very thankful for you taking the time today to listen!

BOTB Results 

And speaking of today:

This is December 9th! 

Did you know that 49 years ago, on this day in 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas made its TV debut on CBS???

I've twice used music from this wonderful Christmas special in previous Battle of the Bands (BOTB) posts -- last year for my first BOTB post, and in my most recent one from last week. There, I pitted two live guitar renditions of "Linus and Lucy" against each other.  Gary Hoey played one and Danny Gatton the other.

I'm glad that both versions received some votes, but I'm also not surprised that Danny Gatton got more.  To my ears, it's easily the better version.

Yes, I gladly admit that Gary Hoey has talent -- he has chops galore and does a rocking, somewhat interesting version -- framing the piece with the Hendrix-esque opening and closing riffs, adding room for the bass and drums to add fills, and offering plenty of wah-wah shredding.  But somehow, it just doesn't quite grab me. It feels too pre-canned, too generic, too artificial. From saying the song is, "by Charlie Brown" (I think you mean "Vince Guaraldi," Gary -- Charlie's a cartoon character) to blandly pointing at the drummer during every break (okay -- yes, that's a video criticism, not an audio one, but it matches the effect I get from the lackluster interpretation), it just seems put-on to me. It's like Gary's not really feeling it -- it's flashy, but he's just going through the motions. No, I can't fault his technical ability and respect him for it, but the delivery still seems blase.

(Danny Gatton -- from DannyGatton.com)

On the other hand, Danny Gatton seems to be riding a wave at a break-neck pace, teetering on the edge of disaster, careening around those frets with heartfelt abandon. It feels like even HE doesn't know what note's coming next.  I picture him smiling with a, "Whoa! Did I just play that?!?!" expression on his face. Maybe that's not the case -- he might have played that ending medley a gazillion times exactly the same way -- but it SOUNDS like it's new and exciting.  It feels to me like he's serving it up with his heart and soul in every measure of the tune. And the playing is exemplary as well, even more-so than Gary Hoey -- Danny's is fast, expressive, and full of nuance, even at blinding speed. Gatton's not just regurgitating the riffs he's drilled into his subconscious through rote repetition -- he's fully in-the-moment, expressing a range of emotion, and having fun with the audience.

Even if Danny Gatton was less proficient on the guitar than Gary Hoey (and I submit Danny is clearly much MORE proficient), I'd still vote for feeling over flash.

So -- just in case you couldn't tell, I'm adding my vote to the Gatton group to seal the win:

Danny Gatton -- 8;  Gary Hoey -- 4.

Thanks for visiting! 

I invite you to come back on the 15th for another Christmas-themed, special Battle of the Bands.

Passing Time: Music, BOTB Update, and Harold Ramis

(Image from Wikimedia Commons)

Music 

It seems lately, I get very little free time, so I'm never at a loss for finding ways to pass the little time I'm given. One of my favorite ways to pass the time is playing my guitar and making music.  I used to pass a lot of time at the excellent jam track site, Wikiloops, but I hadn't visited since July -- there have just been many other things that have commanded my attention.

Last night I had some free time to pass, so I decided to remedy that long absence and do some jamming.  Looking through the wide selection of jam tracks, I found an older track of drums, bass, and keys and decided to add some guitars.  I call the result, "Passing Time".  Click on the images to the left or below, or on the link in the following paragraph to check it out (and I'd LOVE to be able to embed it somehow within my blog post like a YouTube video, but no such luck).

"Passing Time"  was a fun piece to do, and I hope you enjoy it.

Lately, I've passed most of my time musically either learning new songs and practicing for the worship team I serve with at church, or making a recording of my own with a lot of detailed tracks.  This wikiloops track was a return to the old, fun, off-the-cuff jam mentality.  I downloaded the mix by "MrAdam OnDrums" and "Bass-By-Face," played through with it twice to learn the melody line, and then added a rhythm guitar and a lead, both recorded on the first pass.  It was refreshing to be in the moment and let the results stand, and not worry about redoing tracks to tweak them.

Sometimes, time seems to pass best when you're focused on being in the moment, and not looking back or looking ahead.

BOTB Results

Almost a week of time has passed since my last Battle of the Bands (BOTB) post. I featured "Who's That Lady" by the Isley Brothers -- both their 1973 version and their little-known original version from 1964.  I also threw in a version by Santana.

Although Santana did get a vote, I hadn't expected that version to win and actually worried that it might not get ANY votes.  Still, it was such an interesting version of the song I wanted to include it.

But I do think that both the Isley Brothers versions are very good. I'd always loved the 1973 version and really enjoyed the 1964 original once I discovered it. I thought the battle would be tight, and that the original version might even win.

Turns out I was initially right, but then -- as time passed -- I was wrong.  The battle started out neck-and-neck, but then the 1973 version ran away with it.  Myself, I'd really like to vote for the 1964 version -- the sound is smooth, cool, and soulful and I love the organ and guitar, along with the horn break. Against many other songs, I'd definitely vote for the 1964 version of "Who's That Lady?" But in this battle, it would mean voting against the 1973 version, and there's just no way I can do that!  So chalk up another vote for the classic 1973 version with the awesome guitar by Ernie Isely:

Final Tally: Isley Brothers (1973), 8; Isley Brothers (1964), 3; Santana, 1

Oh, and also, in passing, here's an interesting aside:

In that last BOTB post, I started with a reference to Beverly D'Angelo since her birthday was November 15th.  I also managed to find some connections between her and The Isley Brothers, using the National Lampoon movies, "Vacation" and "Animal House." And Harold Ramis was the common link.

Well, guess what?  Today is Harold Ramis' birthday.  Yep -- he was born November 21, 1944. 

But the sad thing is that while we may still be able to pass our time with all the great movies and other work he left us with (like the classic SCTV), Harold's time of passing has regretfully already passed -- he died earlier this year (February 24th).

So let me help pass some more of your time by remembering the passing of his passing. There are several "Harold Ramis Remembered" videos out there that I found to do that with, but here's one that I liked:

Spend some of your passing time, passing the time by watching some of Harold's work.

And afterwards, if you've passed some much time passing time that you wonder if your time of passing has passed, here's another Harold Ramis "Moe Green" SCTV clip to help you out:

Thanks for visiting and passing some of you time with me! I really appreciate it!