While the winding path that is 2020 has not led us to destinations envisioned at the start of the year, it has provided some opportunity for creativity. Steve and I originally hoped to be wrapping up work on Steve Blonski and Our Forefathers right about now, but instead we’ve got a different album to drop. After displaying a focus and dedication uncharacteristic of our usual endeavors, Blonski and I have put a bow on the second Ear Buds EP.
New to this album: overdubs! Unlike Volume I, Steve and I agreed to lay down some tasteful additions to a few of the songs. We stayed away from the “wall of sound” approach and instead looked to incorporate subtle harmony or even a balalaika or pan flute.
The Ear Buds have finished writing and recording demos for the latest EP. The original goal was to have final recordings ready for mixing and mastering by the start of September but time and power outages and going back to school during COVID makes fools of us all.
A week or so ago Blonski and I met virtually to listen to the demos and talk lyrics. We decided it only made sense to do so while slaying hordes of undead nonsense in Diablo III. Naturally we recorded it.
We’ve got pieces of two songs laid down for the final album and hope to get moving on the rest in the coming weeks. More info as it comes…
Despite a lack of posts and varying levels of quarantine, Small Glowing Pig has a handful of projects in the cooker. Let the updating begin!
First, in late spring, Jefim, Steve, Devin, and I began writing some new tunes. Steve, Jefim, and I recorded a bunch of ideas and we’ve laid down partial tracks for six songs – two from each of us. Most of the bass, rhythm guitar, and percussion are done and there are vocals on two of the tracks. The progress has slowed a bit in the last month, but hopefully more will come of this at some point.
Next up, Steve Blonski and our Forefathers has not been abandoned, but is on a recording hiatus. One of our goals with the project was to get the instrument recording sounding the way we wanted and then take a few weeks to lay down each instrument in a sonically consistent and cohesive way. With COVID mucking up any chance at consistency in the short term (and long term?), we’ve decided to wait on this a bit rather than compromise on sound.
In the meantime, Steve and I have started writing for the next Ear Buds EP. Our timeline has us finishing up the demos of the new songs in the coming week and then taking August to record the proper versions of each track. We’re also planning to change the formula a bit. There will still be a few songs that we write and “pass off” to each other for full re-recording, but we’re also going to record some tracks and have the other person build off of them to complete the song. It should result in an album that’s a little more varied than the stripped down original. If all goes according to plan, we’ll have a release ready in September.
Finally, here’s the mp3 version of the General Pancakes show from a year ago at The Cue in Danbury. Enjoy!
It turns out, “not at work” does not necessarily mean “on vacation”, but even so, I have squeezed in some time in the last few weeks to finish writing, recording, and mixing the second Vacation album.
For this set of songs, I tried something different. It began in the fall when Steve lent me his Peavey amp and a giant cabinet. Once I set it all up in my basement, I had the loop pedal running guitar and bass through separate amps. I’d make up a simple guitar part, lay down a quick bass line, and then jump on the drums. It amazed me how much more fun it was playing along with a real bass amp than when running both instruments through the guitar amp.
Inspired, I began coming up with parts. I’d force myself to lay down A and B sections each time I played. After recording over 20 song ideas, I went through them and culled the less interesting ones. Below are three that didn’t make the cut to the final album.
After settling on eight that I liked, I began recording each as produced songs using Reaper. The idea recordings that became each track on the album are below.
This idea would later become track 1: A Room Apart
This idea would later become track 2: Break 2
This idea would later become track 3: Figure Out Who I Am
This idea would later become track 4: Stay Outside
This idea would later become track 5: A Figure on a Window
This idea would later become part of track 6: Break 7
This idea would later become part of track 6: Break 7
This idea would later become track 7: To Do List
The lyrics and melodies were, as usual, the hardest part. I decided to make the lyrics personal and heartfelt – something that I don’t often do. I didn’t scour Wikipedia for fun topics, but instead tried to find big important things and small moments that resonated with me. I ended up with songs about applying for new jobs, playing hide and seek, and simultaneously thinking about missing my dog when she passes away and my daughter when she grows up. For many of the songs, I ended up “stopping” working on them rather than truly finishing them. As often happens, I’m left hating some of the words and feeling indifferent about many of the melodies.
I started recording the album during my winter break at the end of 2019 and finished it during the COVID-19 lockdown of March and April 2020. I don’t know how the tone of the album fits across both of those “vacations” – but it is what it is…
Amidst a backdrop of toilet paper shortages and Lebanese shawarma, Blonski and I met to hit some drums and think really hard about the sounds that came out of the computer afterward. One of our goals with Going Down in History is to take our time (maybe not this much time…) with the recording process. With this in mind, we spent months recording demos of each song. Our next step is to get the right sound for each instrument as we record them.
First up is drums.
Just imagine the drum sounds that made these bars dance around…
We set up the kit in Blonski’s new studio room, muted the toms, and placed the mics. Here’s a tour:
Next time we brave the distopian COVID-19 lockdown, we’ll record drums and scratch bass for one or two tracks. Updates forthcoming… -Mike
Since last November four fifths of Black Velvet have been meeting once a month to catch up and run through as many of the old tunes as we can handle. There been as many rusty half finished song attempts as surprisingly competent renditions.
We don’t have any grand plans, but we do want to set aside a day each month to play some rock and roll. Below you’ll find a couple of recordings from November and December.
November – BanditosNovember – What Lies AheadDecember – Trippin on a Hole in a Paper HeartDecember – In the Meantime
Thanks to Blonski for recording and mastering these tracks.
This past Friday I pulled out Blonski’s purple bass and his fat Peavey amp and rocked and rolled at Rockville High School’s Band Aid concert. I’ve played with a few other teachers in my middle school at our talent shows for the past five or so years, but when Jen’s son suggested we take our show on the road to the high school, we though, “Why not?”
Thanks to Jen Roggi on vocals, Judy Thompson on drums, and Ryan Kupferschmid on acoustic guitar. We had a blast and hopefully we’ll do it again next year.
Two quick updates… First, General Pancakes debuted at The Cue in Danbury last month. Steve, Jim, and I hung out with family and friends, played songs by Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and Lionel Ritchie, and dined on exquisitely smoked pig and cow parts. The delicious footage can be found below.
Will there be a second show for the General? We’ll have to wait and see!
On the recording front, Steve Blonski and our Forefathers has been making progress in spurts when we have time. We’re nearly finished recording a complete demo of the album, but there’s more work to do. Once we finish that, our plan is to take our time getting the recording sounding right so that it all gels together well. More info when it comes…
Until next time, keep partying, karamuing, and liming.
I was originally planning to put the demo tracks for Volume I of Ear Buds up about a month after the EP released, but here we are and it’s November already. That happened fast…
In any case, these are the original demo tracks. We passed these to each other a year or so ago and then took another few months to learn them, practice them, and record them.
In other news, we’re in the thick of writing the next album. We’re finally getting around to an idea Steve had probably a decade ago for an R&B album about the founding fathers. Who else could be more qualified for this endeavor than the two of us? We’ve written parts of seven songs and are at the point where we can arrange them and fill out lyrics and melody. The goal is to have some demos laid down in the next few months so that we can practice and then record before/during the summer of 2019. Hopefully we’ll have more to talk about soon!
