Waiting for the Now -- 12 Inch -- Audio

The first imprint of the 12-inch single for "Waiting for the Now" just arrived.

Free Song -- San Francisco (Don't You Wanna Go?)

Taking a page from the Chuck Berry book of songwriting (if you make a song about a city, you have a chance to gain at least [n = population of that city] fans), I began penning this homage to the Golden City more than a decade ago. The bridge was only completed in the last year, however, as part of the "Song for Sunday" project, which led to this acoustic performance.

This song always had the feel of a 90s indie rock track to me, so that was the direction I took this recording. I even had aspirations of trying to ape Wayne Coyne for the vocals, but my alterna-whine was nowhere near on point, so I opted for a more subdued, pouty approach instead.

As far as the production goes, this was all done in Reaper.The guitars were done with a Slick SL60 run through Izotope Trash. The drums area modified (and at times dissected) Cyclick loop with individual hat and cymbal hits added in, and the bass is the CM303 bass synth run through CMFuzz trying to sound like an actual bass guitar.

(And yes, I know that "crazy little funny zig-zag street has a name--Lombard Street, for those who don't wish to Google it. In case the AAA rhyme scheme and general tone here don't make it clear, I was aiming for an endearing simplicity in the speaker's worldview.)

Free Song: "Home Tonight"

This is another #songforsunday song that I've re-recorded with full-ish production.

It's an attempt at a swaggering little chug-along rock track about one of life's oldest frustrations. Of course, I suppose it could also be the theme song for Uber. It was recorded and assembled with with a Slick SL59 guitar, the CM303 bass synth, the Computer Music's Motor City drum sample pack by Cyclick, and a healthy dose of Izotope Trash.

 Here's the original acoustic version.

Free Song: "Waiting for the Now"

Here's a free fully produced track from the #songforsunday experiment. I recorded the live acoustic video version a few weeks back.

It's a pretty straight one-and-a-half riff rocker, featuring a guitar run through Izotope Trash. The bass is the CM303 bass synth making use of CMFuzz, and the drums are assembled from Cyclick's Motor City samples for Computer Magazine.

Song for Sunday No. 17: New Temptation

Here's my #songforsunday No. 17, a study in the suggestive power of unclear pronoun reference. Started writing this maybe 20 years ago. Finally wrote a second verse this week.

Song for Sunday No. 16: You Won't Be My Girl

This week's #songforsunday is coming on Monday because no one really cares and I never much liked this song. But here it is, another countryish heartbreak number.

Song for Sunday No. 15: Everybody Loves to Forget

I began writing this song more than 20 years ago. But for two decades all I had was a first verse, a bridge and a chorus. I always thought, "Oh, the rest of this will be easy to write." So easy, apparently that I didn't even bother to try until a few days ago.

And yes, I'd already like to re-write at least two of the verses...

Song for Sunday No. 11: All Over Now

Tried to write a sad song.

Song for Sunday #5: The Easter Mystery

Since it's Easter, I tried to write an Easter song for this week's #songforsunday. This one attempts to tackle that age-old Easter mystery: What's a bunny got to do with an egg?

Song for Sunday #2: How to Shine

This is second edition of my Song for Sunday Challenge (to record an original song each Sunday for as long as I can). For good or bad, I think I was heavily influenced by Donovan when I was writing the lyrics. My goal was to try to come up with a fairly straight-forward, sincere folk song. Full lyrics below:

How to Shine

If you sing me to the wind,
paint me against the night sky,
and bear me like a grin,

then I, I'll spill you full of youth,
hold you like the memory
of some forgotten truth.

And we'll rise with the tide
that wells in your eyes
until we teach the darkness how to shine.

So please make my voice a prayer
that echos echo across the roof tops
and tears the thinnest air.

I, I'll trade stars your eyes for light
and keep you like the promise
of some everlasting night

when we'll rise with the tide
that wells in your eyes
until we teach the darkness how to shine.

I'll keep living for tomorrow
so you won't die for yesterday.
We can't beg, steal, or borrow
for what we've already paid.

But we, we'll hold till the last spark
dies among the embers
and leaves us cold and stark.

And we'll carve our lips into the sea
kiss our curses to the sunrise
and let every nothing be

until we rise with the tide
that wells in your eyes
and finally teach the darkness how to shine.

Nobody Just Like You -- Free Song

This is another demo track from the "Be One Instead" project--a sound track fro a children's book about a flea who wanted to be everything. The main elements of the song are an acoustic guitar, piano, filtered drum loop, vocals, keys, and some filter sweeps.

Don't Ever Run out of Why

This is another acoustic children's song for the ongoing "Be One Instead" project. "Be One Instead" is a children's book about a juggling flea who wants to be everything, becomes a real-estate tycoon, and builds a highrise on the moon before discovering his true calling--himself.

Functional Life-Form Logic

An ambient electronic number inspired by Phaeleh's recent producer masterclass in Computer Music 189. I even threw in some of the Robot samples from the issue. I made this in Reaper using Alchemy, ADM Audio Realism, KV331 Synthmaster, and AMB Electrabass.

It's Alive

I'll Always Be Your Way Home -- Video

High-rise on the Moon

Another song from the "Be One Instead" project. Be One Instead is a children's book about a juggling flea who wants to be everything, becomes a real estate developer, and has to build a high-rise on the moon before he realizes that the only place where he could truly be everything was home.

This song sits right at the center of the story.

Take Your Time

New recording of old children's song--for use in the "Be One Instead" project.

Take Your Time by Matt Getty

It's All Right

It's All Right by Matt Getty

Having a Ball

Here's a little a capella loop experiment I did a few weeks back with VoiceJam:

It's amazing what you can do with an iPod.

Nobody Just Like You (Version 2)

Here's an alternate version of Nobody Just Like You. I went for more of a steady droning feel here (compared to the peppy first version). I think it fits the song better, though I'm still not sure the vocoded electro take is really the way to go with this.