I am a lazy blogger. As I write this I can’t help but think I could be writing an arrangement, composing, or practicing my guitar right now. I don’t hate blogging, far from it. I actually like to take a moment to reflect and see where I’m heading as an artist and where I’ve been. That being said, look how infrequently I update this site. Yikes! Someone dropped the ball. So here I am, making up for lost time. I have a lot to talk about, so settle in folks. This is going to be a long one.
First off, I finished up another original piece for guitar/violin/8mm film. Once again the very talented Christopher Harn edited the footage for me. This piece, entitled “The Dead of Winter”, can be found on my latest release The Suite Acoustic. This is one of two tracks that feature the lovely Melissa Waterhouse on violin:
But enough about that! My last blog post was also about an 8mm film based on an original composition from my album. “WHERE ARE THE COVERS?” you might ask.
Not to fear! I have plenty of them, as well as a ton more already written and being rehearsed as we speak!
First off, I covered “Somewhere Out There” from the film “An American Tail” for solo classical guitar:
Compare to the original:
This one really brought me back. I had seen it as a child but I had forgotten about it until Dan Harmon’s brilliant show “Community” featured the song in an episode. I re-watched the movie after that and, wouldn’t you know, it still holds up! So that sealed the deal for me: I had to arrange this tune for solo guitar.
This is the first video I have ever done with a new piece of equipment in my guitar arsenal: The Fishman Aura Spectrum DI. I live in an apartment complex where things can get noisy. Noise means takes getting ruined. Lord knows my neighbors have ruined take after take after take as my mics pick up their screaming, yelling, and general thrashing about (seriously, why so much thrashing?). Not to fear! The Fishman Aura Spectrum DI takes the crummy sound of my undersaddle pickup and makes it sound more like a mic. The undersaddle pickup doesn’t register my noisy neighbors, just the sound of my guitar. Now I can do takes for hours without fear of my neighbors ruining my videos! It doesn’t sounds as good as a mic but I gotta tell you it is 90% of the way there. I’ll take it! I’ve been using it for my live sound as well and it rules! This device gets rid of the horrid “quacky” sound of the undersaddle pickup—-the comparison is like night and day. The Fishman Aura Spectrum is amazing, I love this little contraption!
Moving on! So, Nick Lanzer, who usually does videos with me, has been busier than ever. Sadly he does not have the time to invest in these videos like he used to. Instead he’s off doing irresponsible, reckless things like pursuing a degree and a career. What a weirdo! But he did have time to strap on a Canadian mountie hat and play “Happy” by Pharrell Williams:
Nick arranged this one so credit goes to him. He did a bang-up job! It’s a bummer he’s not going to be around much in the coming months but he’ll be back eventually. You know, once he stops doing this stupid school-and-a-career thing. Why do that when you can post YouTube videos? He’ll snap out of it, trust me.
And now, last but not least, my tribute to the film “Love Actually”! Yes, before Andrew Lincoln was cutting off the heads of zombies in the famed series “The Walking Dead”, he was wooing married women with hand written signs. If you don’t get any of the above references you really need to get out more. Both the film “Love Actually” and the series “The Walking Dead” are on Netflix streaming and there’s no reason for you to have not seen them yet. Get to it people! And enjoy this commonly requested wedding song. Be sure to stay tuned to the end for a special tribute to Andrew Lincoln in “Love Actually”:
So there you have it people! Wedding repertoire! Pop music! Animated film music! An original composition! Am I machine or what? Oh, not yet. Sure, I’m more machine now than man, twisted and evil, but there’s so much more coming. So much more in store. I will unleash it upon you all soon! (*mad scientist laugh MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!*) Thanks for watching and, as always, stay tuned to my YouTube channel for more updates!!!
