Once again, I took part in the RPM Challenge: record a CD in 28 days (or less).  Last year's efforts on my part yielded my first ever full-length, Monochrome in Technicolor. I recorded it using a PDA and an external 4 track digital recorder. I was able to sell a few copies (mostly downloads) and I got a few Honorable Mentions at some songwriting contests on SonicBids.  I didn't promote the CD half as much as I should have or could have, and I still have about 70 copies left in my garage (should anyone want one. :) ), but, all in all, not too shabby.

This year, I changed things up.  I did the whole thing on my recently purchased Asus EEE 1000HD netbook.  I also purchased an external audio device that records up to 24/96 and a couple of Korg Nanocontrols. One is a keyboard, the other is a recording control device.  I also bought a battery powered external mixer in which i could plug mics and instruments.  Nice upgrade, no?

I also changed up the style of music I did to almost straight up acoustic, with some backing done using strict drum and bass beats courtesy of my Fruity Loops - excuse me, FL STUDIO - software, and recorded the whole audio mess on N-Track.  

So, how did I do?

Initially, I was disappointed.  I'm guessing it was the mic I was using to do my vocals (I was too lazy to hook up a condenser mic, so I just went for the Shure 57 and 58 Beta mics I had lying around and wailed into those), or the levels I was recording the guitar (I did the whole thing direct in, rather than micing the guitar to either the whole or the fret), but i just experienced an AWFUL lot of hiss while listening to some of the tracks.  Also, it took me a LOT longer to program those spare backing tracks than I anticipated.  By the time I was done, I had only twelve days left to record guitar and vocals.  This didn't give me a lot of time to do vocal warm ups or to effectively learn the songs by guitar.  So, I think the project suffered as a result.  Lots of wonky stuff done on first take. Also lots of reverb and chorus effects applied due to some panicy attempts on my part to hide some flat notes.  

However, I've allowed the items to be unleashed for public consumption and ridicule.  Initially, the booty was exclusive to my blog, but folks were having a hard time listening to the songs on there, so, against my better judgement, they are now on my Soundclick page:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_music.cfm?bandID=343






This is the only "social" site they will be on until I redo them all (or most of them). The playability should be easier. So far, the feedback has been, well, better than expected.  I've been pretty humble about this, since these recordings represent my first attempt to record myself playing guitar literally since my senior high school days.  Thankfully, noone who's given me feedback so far seems to be paying attention to that, and actually are focusing on the songs (well, and also the vocals, but then again, these will be redone, at some point).

So which ones are happenin' and which ones are not?

Jodie - feedback for this one seems to be pretty good.  Lyrics are winning out.

Letter to Amy - This was my attempt to try on some North mississippi All Stars type of country blues.  It ended up sounding WAY too R&B for that.  I've got nice comments on my voice here.  This is also one of the most personal songs I've written, but if you don't like it, I would understand.

Lost Everline - This track has gotten the most thumbs down of any on the CD, so far.  Understandable.  I hadn't finished writing it when I started recording it, so it's got a "not really feeling this, need to rush through" kind of quality to it.  I also wrote this about a crazy ex-coworker of mine.  Hadn't really thought about her in a while, and it kinda shows. :(

John, What the Hell Were You Thinking - feedback on this one has been mixed, but veering on the pretty good, someone even telling me that this was my "niche".  I went for a poppy feel on this one, to kind offset the rather nasty lyrical content contained therein (for those of you wondering, this song was based on an incident in my life where I almost had another run-in with this evil putabitch (God, do I love that word) from back in the day who just about ruined my work rep and life in various ways.  Yes, his name really was John.  The last name, however, is a secret, and the secret shall remain eternal, unless he shows up here to comment, which I sincerely doubt he will).

Jeanie and Her Inner Rock God - People like everything about this song except for the bridge.  Yes, I agree, the harmonies at the bridge suck, and it was an instance where I was flat so much of the time, I threw on a bunch of effects to hide that fact.  Apparently it didn't work. Back to the drawing board.  Incidentally, this song is NOT based on anything that went on in my life, but was inspired by some of these women I knew who sang or played in bands, and had to work through these issues of male band members wanting to sleep with them.  Can you blame me for wanting to go solo?

Hurry Up and Dream - I wrote this for my honey! (awwwwwwwwww).  This was my attempt to do a cocteau Twins-type of dream pop piece.  Lots and lots of echo.  Again, I'm really flat here, trying to do the soft voice thing, so I threw a crap of reverb and chorus on it.  Le sigh...I got kudos for production on this, tho'.  Go fig.

How Badly Do You Need A Lover? - This is my token country song. This is probably the most generic piece of crap I've ever written (or close to it, anyway).  But again, people seem to really, really like it.  Again, I used the exploits of an ex-coworker for inspriration in the lyrical content (if anyone from my current job is reading this, this is NOT about anyone in the office.  fagetaboutit!).

Too Many Ghosts - I was channeling Larry McMurty when I wrote this. Another one people like. I got a lot of comments r.e. cowpunk, or metal country.  Tres cool, no?  Again, I need to redo the harmonies in the choruses and the bridge.  

Mythical Haters - This song, is, hands down, the best reviewed on the CD. People LOVE this!  Once I clean this up and do a better job on the guitars, this is going to be a "single". as well as another calling card for me at those songwriting contests. BTW, for the old MP3.com and AA.com denizens who might be reading into this, this song is NOT about my experiences with FT (God bless him), but was inspired by a comment left at this blog: http://angryaussie.wordpress.com, where a commentator asked Angry Aussie "Who are these mythical haters that you speak of", after one of his atypical rants about trolls on his YouTube channel.  Can you tell I spend too much time on the internet?

Back to Aromas - Yet another song about an experience from my life.  This is about the time my husband and I gave away our belongings and decided to spend a few years traveling about in an RV.  Our first stop was Aromas, CA, and this song was my commentary on life there.  Folks seem to like this, although, yeah, that instrumental in the middle may have to go.  I also need to work on my higher range a bit.

Rosebud Came A Dreamin' - after all that acoustic, I ran back into electronica, and, so far, the result is yet another thumbs down from the listeners.  I had the lyrics lying around.  I needed a CD over 35 minutes long. So there you go.  I'll probably ashcan this one.

So there you have it.  I won't be commercially releasing this particular CD, as I have plans for the songs on it to appear on other projects.  And those other projects will probably have to be strictly sold as downloads, as I don't have the money this year to do a full CD run.  

Did I mention I still have inventory? ;)