Army Of Darkness

This month's song is an old song of mine. It's been kicking around since my wife and I first met 100 years ago. The original inspiration for this song was an "Army of Darkness" movie poster in our first apartment together. This song has always been a long, meandering, self indulgent display. I always liked it but it clocked in at just over six minutes. I never used it for the Calendar Project because I was never able to cut it down ,even though I knew it needed it. When your the sole architect of a song, editing it down is tough. I don't think a song can ever be considered "done" but I know when one isn't complete. Collaboration truly helped this song become refined.

Bluesman Jay and I have been working on allot of music together. We are playing in a blues band together as well as doing the Calendar Project. The experiment of doing a whole year with one consistent collaborator is proving to be very fruitful. After a solid practice with the band Jay and I headed back to the house and I taught him the song. We did a million takes while whittling the song down to something better than what we started with. The end result is a live track of my best friend and I having allot fun singing a sad song.

I've had it in my head for a long time that I wanted this song to follow "All That I Got." After we posted that tune in January I knew this songs' time had come. It's nice to finally hear them back to back.

Pictures and videos of the music making process can be found on my Facebook and through rockbarber.com- shameless plug.

Enjoy~

Army Of Darkness

All That I Got

The first month of a new year and I'm already finding the project difficult. This is a song I've had for years. I've always had a very clear vision for this song. I have saved this tune because I have always seen it as the first song on a CD, the first song in a live set or a January Calendar Song. I pictured it being very folk. A sparse recording with a live feel. I wanted the song to serve almost as an intro to the song I plan to do next month.
I've been toting collaboration as a guaranteed "super fix" of my stuff. This year started off as a lesson that that is not always the case. No fault of Bluesman Jay's of course. The song has been around so long and I had such a clear vision of how it sounded in my head. I think this song would have been more suited for a calendar year I do solo. There was no way of conveying what I was thinking to Jay. It's hard to describe a sound. He tirelessly reworked the ending several times and we still ended up scraping it. His harmonica is great, his vocals are great and his guitar playing is great. We just couldn't get that F***ing outro.
My initial take was slow. I play a bum bass note. I goofed the lyrics. The reality however, is nobody ever heard the song in my head. Nobody will think it sounds "off" because I'm the only one who ever heard it "on." Bluesman Jay did great. The other lesson is I need to enjoy what it became, even if it wasn't my original vision. The end product is still a nice Calendar Song. I'm ready for a years worth of lessons collaborating with my best friend. I'm posting this song in it's new "realized" virsion because it tought me a lot. Not just because it's the end of the month and this is "All That I Got."

All That I Got

The Calendar Project 2011

Year Five!
It's hard to believe. Time really does move very fast. I want this year to be special. I really thought 2009 was great. That year I collaborated every month and it made for a better project. My favorite parts of 2010's posts were other peoples contributions. So quite simply, to make 2011's Calendar Project special I need to collaborate.
I don't want to just rehash 2009. I need to collaborate differently this year. Having said that this years approach is to collaborate with the same person every month. I will share the project this year. I'm giving my partner equal creative control. By staying open and given my collaborator an equal voice I'm hoping to get a better product in the end.
I also want to show more of behind the scenes. Using the rest of the website I plan to post videos and pictures of the process. That includes writing, recording, and correspondences between us.
My collaborator had to be somebody that not only do I work well with but someone who has a vested interested in the Calendar Project. My partner this year has appeared on every year of the blog. I'm excited to announce that this year the Calendar Project will be a joint effort between myself and none other than...
drum roll please...

Jeremy "Bluesman Jay" Halsdorff

Jay will bring not only his music sensibility, which includes his skills as a producer, arranger, song writer, guitar player, vocalist, harmonica player, and drummer, but also his deep commitment. Our 30 year old friendship is at the heart of this collaboration. His involvement renews my drive making a monthly deadline possible for the fifth year straight. I'm looking forward to the best Calendar Project ever.

Judgment Day

Another year over. Hard to believe. We have so much to be grateful for this year. I enjoyed doing the project. I'm so glad to have had Bluesman Jay, Mama Kate, Uncle Anthony and the kids for helping me out. I said I wanted to keep going not because of my "streak", but because I wanted to keep music part of our life even as life became more demanding. The Calendar Project has kept music in our house for the last four years.
This months song is an old song of mine. Maybe one of the oldest songs I've written that I still play regularly. I love this tune. I think of this as a true folk song. It's been around so long I don't remember writing it. My wife however, does.
I knew that the basis of the song had to be a live performance. I tried recording a complete run through of the song what seemed like a hundred times. I exhausted myself and had to walk away from it. The next day I left work to come home for lunch. I gave a quick try at recording it and got this take. I'm finding you can't force this thing.
I have thought of using this song several times before for the Calendar Project but it never felt quite right. I'm glad it found it's home in December.
Thanks for listening this year. I have high hopes for next year and I'm looking forward to getting started. Happy New Year!

Judgment Day

I Don't Want To Change

I've been kicking this song around since the beginning of the month. I like playing it. I like singing it. I felt good about it so it became a November. My son told me I should write a song about how I do want to change. The funny thing is, I thought I had.
The subject matter was inspired by my brother. I've always said that he is my mothers best work. He is just the sweetest person but he's always been pretty guarded. I always felt like he was keeping us all at an arms length away. He has recently become more open with the family. He's sharing with us his thoughts and feelings. Watching the sweetest person become more open is like watching hot fudge get added to ice-creme. Your seeing a good thing get better.
As I watch my younger brother make these changes I wonder if I'm past the point of no return. I've become very set in my ways. I don't like leaving home. I don't like altering my routine. I don't like "new." This is a trait that has always bothered me in older people. I am 29 years old. It's a little early for that.
I've said before the November song is for thankfulness. My wife said, "I thought this month is supposed to be your God song?" I think it is. In a backhanded way I'm thanking God that I have the ability to change before I'm dead.
Seasons, faces, music, recipes, nature, underpants, styles, every thing changes. Whether we like it or not we do too.
My Uncle Anthony helped me record this song. He got to my house at about 4:30 and he didn't leave until almost 11:00. He was a real trooper. Take after take, he hung in there. He's half of everything you hear in this song. I'm thrilled to finally get him on the Calendar Project. It was a new experience recording with a musician I've long admired. It just goes to show you, change is good.
I Don't Want To Change

P.S. Special Thanks to Bluesman Jay who I woke out of bed so he could help me post this last minute despite technical problems. Your the man Jay. Thanks sooo much.

Angels and Demons

It's kind of a funny month "Calendar" wise. The atmosphere in our lives here at home is optimistic. I am ready to capitalize on the power of thought. I have been vigilant in my thinking. I want to be sure that my thoughts are advancing me and I feel they are.
I needed chairs for the barber shop. The waiting chairs I had where beyond ugly and they where hard on the seat. I put my thoughts to work on how great the new chairs where going to be. I was grateful in my thinking because I was positive they where in my future. Something small and trivial like chairs, but they were the focus of my thoughts. Driving home from the barber shop- four doors away from our house-exactly as I imagined them- was 6 FREE waiting chairs. My thoughts had been heard, and I was grateful.
Something small and trivial like chairs.
The universe doesn't care if our thoughts are big or small. We can wish for big things.
That's what makes it a funny month "Calendar" wise. The vibe of this song is very pessimistic. I don't feel like this song represents my mind right now at all. I don't feel torn between good and evil. It's just something I made up. So I decided to go trick or treating as a pessimist. I enjoyed half empty bottles of beer all night.
Angels and Demons

Lemonade (for Ginny)

Here's how it happened. I was sitting on the porch with my guitar and harmonica holster. I was strumming though Craigy's greatest hits when Virginia came on scene. She proceeded to talk my ear off as two year-old's do. She then became upset that I had stopped playing. She began demanding another song. "Hurry hurry, song, hurry play a song." I quickly began playing. I dropped my pick into the guitar because she always grabs my hands when I'm playing and that worked it's way into the lyrics. A minute and forty seconds later my little ditty must have satisfied her because she didn't require anymore music from me. She went off to wreak havoc elsewhere as I smuggly basked in having just finished my first ever song made to order.
The rest of the month I didn't work on the Calendar Project because I knew I had this little song in the bank and it would take no time to record. Of course with only one day left before the end of the month I realized I needed to get to work. When I recorded it I wasn't exactly satisfied. At a minute and forty seconds I felt like maybe I was phoning it in. Although I liked the song, and I've posted short songs before, I didn't want to fall in the trap of just coming up with song snippets and calling it a month. I decided to push myself and come up with another movement for September.
I was brainstorming ideas for a song but I wasn't coming up with anything. Ginny kept saying "juice, juice." I was getting frustrated. "Stop saying juice, I'm trying to think of a song." The little bell went off in my head. Juice, moose, goose, loose, obtuse this song writes itself. I wanted to use the word caboose because it's a funny word but I couldn't squeeze it in organicly. I chuckled as I was writing it so I knew I was on to something good. I said the word "fiddle" in the tune and Bluesman Jay wouln't allow me to say fiddle in a song without adding one. With only hours to go before the deadline I sent him the track and he added the spice the song needed. Virginia provided the inspiration for this song so this one is hers. I love you kiddo. Hope you like your song.
Lemonade (for Ginny)