Canadia Beats

Having just released Beg Steal and Burrow I was looking for my next challenge, so I decided I’d give National Solo Album Month (NaSoAlMo) a go. All I have to do is write and record a solo album of at least 29:09 in length during November. That couldn’t be too hard, right?

I had the best of intentions last year, but only ended up writing three or four songs. What I did do was write a 50,000 word novel. It’s possibly I was trying to do too much.

Follow my NaSoAlMo efforts at Kul Wahad.

I’m happy to report that the first of four tracks I’ll have to write over four days to get back on track came with some surprise harmonies, and a second guitar part. I was intending to keep everything very simple, just guitar and voice, to get things done on time, but I won’t complain when more occurs to me.

Another song in open G tuning. It turns out a lot of songs are. I know this because I keep working out how to play things when I’m trying to write.

Broadly speaking I’m now at 40% of my goal, and based on today’s date I should be at just over 43%. Getting caught up, though.

‘Next year’ [Bandcamp]

Here’s the third song written for NaSoAlMo, a moody jam in open G tuning with a capo on the third fret. With the first two songs I’d written I started out by ‘researching’ the lyrics, writing pages and pages of material on what each song was going to be about before stripping it back to just the lyrics, and massaging them into some newly minted music. This song, however, began when I started playing around with the open tuning. I came up with the main hook, then had to go back to the page and work out which song this would be, and then work out some lyrics.

I always find it quite frustrating trying to fit a lyric idea to music, especially music I only just made up. Add to that the fact that I’d just had minor surgery on a cyst on my eyelid the morning I wrote this, and when I recorded it on the 6th my eye was all goopy, and I couldn’t stay focused on the screen. It was monstrously annoying, and probably part of the reason that I wouldn’t do any more work on the album until today, the 12th.

‘Building a fire’ [Bandcamp]

My first recorded song of the month, the second one I wrote. I actually got this one recorded on the 4th, but recorded it really late at night and couldn’t be bothered getting this blog together before I slept. It was written on ukulele because I was trying to write it late at night having finished work at 8pm on Tuesday 3rd. I figured a uke jam would be a more sensible things to try when cramming late at night.

It was recorded late in the evening on the 4th, having finished work at 8pm that night as well. Because of the way the month fell this year I actually worked the first four days of this month, but they were remarkably productive. It was the few days after where things got a little spannery.

‘Not enough fingers (I was so sure)’ [Bandcamp]

Last November I took on the challenge of NaNoWriMo and wrote a 50,000 word novel. It’s not complete, it’s not necessarily good, and it’s actually never even been read. But I did it. I should put up my certificate to celebrate, for reals.

Of course, I’m not much of a novelist, what with being more of a songwriter and all, so this time I thought I’d try NaSoAlMo instead. That means I have to write and record at least 29:09 or new music (one cover allowed) between November 1-30. Hooray for challenges!

I’m keeping them simple and just focusing on getting it done. That means very little in the way of overdubbing and arranging. It’ll mostly be voice and instrument, a listen to what all songs go through before they’re done. I hope you like it, and I hope maybe you learn something about my songwriting. I’d like to learn something, too.

The album is going to be called Kind of an Endless Sky, which I thought something was called once, only it wasn’t. So I got to keep it all for myself. Lucky me. The album is to have twelve songs in total, which means I’ll probably get more that 29:09 worth of music in the end. Each of the twelve songs is about a year in my life or something from that year. That way I never sit down and go “oh, I have nothing to write about!” Instead I’ll say “but I don’t want to write about that!” Then I’ll write it anyway.

I’ll post anything I get recorded here at Kul Wahad, and I’ll keep track of percentages completed over on my NaSoAlMo profile. Come join me on my magical voyage of songwritery. Hoorah.

Announcing the choice poster for the gig on November 18:

For the complete radcore experience you should confirm your attendance over on Facebook.

Be rad to each other.

Last night I went on my first poster mission in what must be about two years, rocking up and down K Road with Caitrin and Ryan from Stirrers sticking up Canadia EP release party posters, and flyers for the free Stirrers gig tonight at Whammy. If you see one of these bad boys on your travels give it a high five, will ya?

Courtesy of missdenoma

Courtesy of missdenoma.

Just finished the tracking for Beg Steal and Burrow and not a moment too soon. I feel like I’ve been working on this EP forever, and it’s finally all wrapped up. All that remains is editing, tweaking, mixing, sequencing, mastering, artwork, pressing, etc, et al., and on into the future. I’m hitting my stride on some self-imposed deadlines, so everyone please pat someone on the back.

The EP as it will be has six songs: ‘Other Side,’ ‘We’re Leaving,’ ‘I Often Follow,’ ‘Let Me Know,’ ‘Augustine’ and ‘Let’s Pretend.’ ‘Let’s Pretend’ is brand new (a few days old). ‘Augustine’ has gone the instrumental route, and ‘Other Side’ has turned into a duet with a guest vocalist. The point is BAM! it’s wrapped up. Nothing else goes to (metaphorical) tape.

Rehearsals have started for the release party, too, with Blair McPhee on guitar, Rachael Botur on bass, and new blood Will Wood of Skyscraper and The Electric Nomad on the drums. The gig should be somewhat of a buffet assortment of Canadia treats from the new EP, from One Dog Clapping, and probably even a few not yet record songs, so prepare yourselves.

The artwork is coming together as well. Hannah JV took a sack full of cameras out and about this weekend and shot a buttload of film and flash card. The film goes in to get developed tomorrow, and when the prints come back we’ll start piecing this thing together.

So that’s my news, you guys. It’s 12:39am and I should sleep so I can face things like getting up early on a Monday morning, the first of daylight Savings, and acting like I know what I’m doing at work.