So over 6 months after the first update/post I was reminded this blog exists. Off to a fantastic start aren't we?
Basically the last few months have pretty lazy, only 3 new songs done. However more vocals have been recorded by a good friend of mine Gary Duddy. He did vocals on a track called "Blind", turned "silence takes me away" into a duet, and did vocals on "New Day for the Dark" which thanks to the magic of technology somehow deleted half of the vocal takes we have done for it.
However the new tracks have really taken shape and are further redefining the band's sound, bringing more orchestral elements in, having guitars heavier than ever and upping the standard for what get's past the demo stages.
Once again I can also say there are plans to play live (even though this was also said in the last blog, those plans never came into fruitation). This could be a fun challenge as the studio tracks have on average 5 guitar tracks overdubbed, 3 keyboards parts, bass, vocals, backing vocals and drums, and we are bringing this live with 1 guitar, bass, drums and vocals. It will probably take a few practices to work this out, but the songs are being rearranged accordingly and hopefully it will give a rawer heavier live sound.
Also, more radio spots coming up soon.
Thats it for now, enjoy
John
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Monday, 8 March 2010
Blog it up a.k.a The 3 minute rule a.k.a the pilot
So I finally decided to start keeping blogs because things are picking up, and I quite frankly have nothing better to do with my time.
I originally planned to do a blog to follow the development of the recordings for New Day for the Dark, yet I did not... meaning I do not have as much to post about as I would like as there are 13 songs finished for it. (Not intentionally 13 due to the band name, but a happy little coincidence that made me smile). To be exact there are roughly 30 demo tracks done and floating around in various stages of completion, but these 13 tracks will be the focus and therefore saved from the graveyard of lost songs.
There is a good range of tracks, for a 2 and a half minute ballad "Chance" to the 12 and a half minute "The Journey Far Beyond"
I must admit I am very proud of the fact there is only 1 song under the 3 minute mark because it appears a lot of starting bands hit the 3 minute wall with tracks being 2:55 and 2:59. I have no idea how or why this happens. I record other bands too, and its always a good feeling when they also pass this 3 minute boundary, there is a sense of brotherhood and companionship. Another member of the "We write songs over 3 minutes" Crew.
I am not saying of course all bands should aim to drag songs out, in fact a number of my songs are getting shorter as the early tracks were all around 5 or 6 minutes, sometimes longer, while now they are averaging 4 and a half to 5. This does not mean I suddenly got lazy, in fact I like to think of it as the writing getting more streamlined and to the point. Then again, I could be lying, who knows!
This entry may seem long winded, but that is entirely because the band was formed exactly a year ago, and yet its only taking shape now. Its funny how life works.
After a year of hunting and looking for people to perform live, in the space of 2 weeks, not only did I get a great opportunity (which I will not discuss in case it falls through as many things in life tend to do) But I also found a marvelous cast of musicians to perform in this theatre of insanity. Quite the development indeed.
In other news my Ibanez is almost fixed again. I took it for a set up to get the intonation fixed and got it back with the Floyd rose lowered because the guitar tech decided "It would be easier to play" pfft. Who needs easy? One does not play a Jem for easiness
Oh, and apparently Gate XIII was mentioned on the radio earlier due to charting on www.nicharts.com and in a few weeks we should be on DCUfm a dublin radio station with interview and us actually knowing about it. Isn't it marvellous?
I originally planned to do a blog to follow the development of the recordings for New Day for the Dark, yet I did not... meaning I do not have as much to post about as I would like as there are 13 songs finished for it. (Not intentionally 13 due to the band name, but a happy little coincidence that made me smile). To be exact there are roughly 30 demo tracks done and floating around in various stages of completion, but these 13 tracks will be the focus and therefore saved from the graveyard of lost songs.
There is a good range of tracks, for a 2 and a half minute ballad "Chance" to the 12 and a half minute "The Journey Far Beyond"
I must admit I am very proud of the fact there is only 1 song under the 3 minute mark because it appears a lot of starting bands hit the 3 minute wall with tracks being 2:55 and 2:59. I have no idea how or why this happens. I record other bands too, and its always a good feeling when they also pass this 3 minute boundary, there is a sense of brotherhood and companionship. Another member of the "We write songs over 3 minutes" Crew.
I am not saying of course all bands should aim to drag songs out, in fact a number of my songs are getting shorter as the early tracks were all around 5 or 6 minutes, sometimes longer, while now they are averaging 4 and a half to 5. This does not mean I suddenly got lazy, in fact I like to think of it as the writing getting more streamlined and to the point. Then again, I could be lying, who knows!
This entry may seem long winded, but that is entirely because the band was formed exactly a year ago, and yet its only taking shape now. Its funny how life works.
After a year of hunting and looking for people to perform live, in the space of 2 weeks, not only did I get a great opportunity (which I will not discuss in case it falls through as many things in life tend to do) But I also found a marvelous cast of musicians to perform in this theatre of insanity. Quite the development indeed.
In other news my Ibanez is almost fixed again. I took it for a set up to get the intonation fixed and got it back with the Floyd rose lowered because the guitar tech decided "It would be easier to play" pfft. Who needs easy? One does not play a Jem for easiness
Oh, and apparently Gate XIII was mentioned on the radio earlier due to charting on www.nicharts.com and in a few weeks we should be on DCUfm a dublin radio station with interview and us actually knowing about it. Isn't it marvellous?
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