intent of content

Hey, look at that, like a cat out of a hat. I'm a poet and didn't even know it. Dr. Seussing, keeping it loose and, trying to find my flow, like I'm putting on a show. I suppose with the non-prose, that I find myself writing, it's insightful to a site full, of the words and thoughts of an artist, about to make it, in an industry which you'll see is wide open, to hopefuls, such as me, to be free, of the grind, which only takes up... all of my time, when I have more to offer, even just to sit here, and rhyme. So there you have it. My debut poetry. It's funny how you can have fun like that if you put your mind to it... 'So what' (a great Miles Davis tune btw) are the intentions and non-contentions of Melodic Dirt's blogging, in a world that is connected, by an internets... entertaining informative belongings? Well I suppose I'd have to mention the intentions of the music, and not the content which you're thinking, 'when is this guy going to stop his rhyming?' ...Almost there folks, I think I'm getting frazzled with the bedazzling rhythmic rhyming, enticing while inviting you, into this hypnotic state you'll find, as you listen, to the music, of Melodic Dirt's song-ing. Melodic Dirt's music, is not resulting, from a bands collective efforts. It's the result of a mans influences, throughout his journey of all sorts, of melodies, and rhythms, put forth by people of worth. Though I've been a part of a few music groups over the years that have undoubtedly contributed to the development of this music, I am a solo artist. Lately, the thought of how this music came together, has hit me in a profound way. Likely because the music has affected me in a profound way. At the age of 39, there has hopefully gone into this music, half a lifetimes worth of life experiences and music collaboratives, all brought together in 7 recent months, of diligent persistent work, to put forth, 7 songs of worth. I do think of this as work, but in a profound passionate way. Because if I don't do it, I have no sense of worth. That's not to say that people who aren't driven to do things like this are not valuable. It's just a curse that I have to do this before I'm driven around in a hearse. (Though I may be cremated because it seems more fitting to burn in hell, and yes I do think this world we live in can be hell.) I like what I do, and how I do it. In fact I love it. I don't just do it because I have to do it, I do it because I want to do it. Why do I have to do it you ask? Because I've devoted my life to music and being a musician. I can't just throw it all away. I couldn't just let myself become a has been and all washed up. In fact the music of Melodic Dirt is the best I've produced so far. It is bad-motherfuckin'-ass (to implement a very useful kind of Cliff Burton-ism), and don't really care about anyone's 2 cent cheap shot vomit they can launch at it. In fact with inflation, a cut throat critics 2 cents worth ain't even worth 2 cents. It's probably worth only 1 penny and they plan on stop making those soon anyway because it costs more than a penny to make a penny. Maybe some day your great great great grandkids can show up on an episode of Pawn Stars and get a dollar for a collectable penny. Who knows. My point is that I believe in what I do and how I do it, period. So the intent of content for Melodic Dirt's blog is to be entertaining, insightful and informative for anyone who has the time to check it out. 2014 will be the debut release year for the music. Likely it will be released in the beginning of the year. I have just tied up some loose ends with the vocal work and can't help to think to myself, 'I hope it's done because... I'm done'. I mean I've spent probably 5 out of the 7 months working on this towards developing the vocal work. It's been fun, challenging, rewarding and grueling. That's not to say the guitar work is not of quality because it is pretty legit IMHO. It's just that I ripped through the guitar work in a short period of time. All in all, and although I didn't work on or isolate one song per month, it will have taken me 7 months to complete 7 songs including the overall sound production of it all. I plan on doing some videos playing through some guitar parts of Melodic Dirt because I think there will be a lot of guitarists that would like watching that sort of thing. Through years of being rhythmically involved as drummer in different types of music situations, I can pick up the guitar and jam out some cool stuff, mainly lower stringed sort of stuff. What you'll hear with Melodic Dirt is a rock sound with jazz-gothic undertones. It is pretty wild to say the least. I feel I've brought together the different elements I've had the pleasure to be a part of and spent time listening to. See you on the flip side soon...

finishing up vocals

I'm not perfect... I'm a perfectionist.  Melodic Dirt is very imperfect, but in a perfect sort of way.  I've been spending most of my available time developing the vocals for the music of Melodic Dirt.  The extra time put into this is shaping up nicely and I can't wait for people to hear it in it's entirety. Basically I got sort of a rock thing going on but melodically I have different influences.  "From where" you ask?  How about legendary jazz musicians.  I did after all spend most of my college years delved into jamming and gigging music along the lines of John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Jackie McClean, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef etc... Rockwise, I've followed artists such as Deftones, Korn, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, STP etc...  I guess I have found myself emulating people like Dave Grohl or even Sully from Godsmack.  "Why" you ask?  Because I have spent most of my music 'career' as a drummer.  I got some cool bragging rights to things as a drummer that are fun to talk about over a good draft beer.  But lately I've been feeling like everything and my whole life has led up to Melodic Dirt.  And although I will not be a singer/guitarist simultaneously as a performer, I do have some decent rock guitar skills. I truly do believe that it will become a household name while remaining dark, tweaked, beautiful and sometimes eclectic.  I really have honed into laying down some melodically beautiful and dirty music.  It has a rock foundation with jazz/gothic under/overtones. I can't wait for you to hear it.  I hope it will affect your lives as it has affected mine.  There is sort of a before and after sense of being that I get from listening to it.  It's kind of quirky in a distinct original way.  For me, listening to it affirms that there is something out there that is unexplainable.  That there are other realms of being and consciousness that do exist beyond our normal everyday perception. "When" you ask will you be able to check it out?  Soon... I'm hoping to have it all wrapped up and ready to go by early 2014.  7 songs, under 30 minutes.  Get ready for Melodic Dirt.  See you on the flip side soon.  For more insight into this Indie Grunge Rock with Jazz Gothic undertones phenomenon, check out the intent of content article.  

re-amping guitars, working on vocals

Probably one of the most important decisions I've made early on in the music creation process of Melodic Dirt, as a solo recording artist, was to record the guitar tracks clean into Pro Tools recording software. By utilizing software plugins after the fact, I was able to create while hearing distortion, but not obligated to the distorted sound, while the raw recorded guitar tracks were clean.  Sounds a bit confusing but let me explain why this was so important. Before recording the guitar tracks for this project, I hadn't picked up the guitar in about 3 years prior to this.  Though a little rusty at first, I had all this pent up kinetic creative energy that was waiting to be unleashed on the guitar.  This energy and excitement was all captured once the record button was hit.  Basically, the guitar track recording process was:

1. pick up the guitar and plug it in
2. jam out a guitar riff and develop it a little
3. hit the record button and hope for the best because I was always open for 'things to happen' that were unplanned, a kind of improvisation that was always welcomed because sometimes that's where the really cool stuff is at

So what's the deal with recording clean but listening to the software plugins distortion?  Well, I did not have all this really cool analog hardware gear at the time of laying down the guitar tracks.  At the time I was all about having bragging rights to not spending lots of money on pro audio gear and getting the biggest bang for my buck with software.  But after realizing that the sound was not really all that great, though not too bad, I realized that I needed to up my game.  Most importantly, that my guitar work justified the extra added expense.  I felt that it was worth it.  I was really getting into what I was doing and believed in the results of the ideas I was recording.  I knew that there was something there, and it would be a solid foundation for laying down some of my best work ever. I used a decent monster cable, and the EMG's were sweet.  The strings, funny enough, were strings that I strung onto the guitar about 3 years prior, but I hadn't really played them at all since.  They remained rested nicely, loosened up a bit with the guitar while in storage in the guitar's hardshell case, because I knew I wasn't going to be playing it for a while.  I guess the strings could be considered as old but new.  So with the story of resurrecting my Schecter 7 string Hellraiser from it's coffin now disclosed, let's keep on point with the re-amping discussion. After I had 7 tracks recorded with the guitar and was stoked with the results, well... the playing and the ideas anyway, is when I realized that I needed to up the ante with regards to the guitar sound.  But did you think I was going to forfeit the energy and excitement of the original recordings?  Hell no!  That's when I discovered the genius invention of re-amping guitars through nice pre amps.  Thank effin' god! I truly believe this was a major factor in the end result of why Melodic Dirt sounds the way it sounds.  I played my ass off on lesser quality software distortion but was then able to re-amp it through nicer sounding gear.  That was part of the reason for calling this 'Melodic Dirt'.  I liked the quality of my ideas and playing but not so much the quality of the sound.   I did re-amp over and over again to dial in just that right sound.  It definitely was trial and error with regards to the Mesa Boogie Rectifier anyway.  And though I'm not completely sure, I may record the same way in the future.  Because hey, what if I record through this hardware gear but realized after the fact that I wanted the knobs to be tweaked slightly different after the fact than how I recorded it? I mind as well record clean using software distortion plugins after the fact just in case.    So maybe I could record clean through the Great River MP-500NV pre-amp initially, then re-amp through the Rectifier after the fact to fine tweak the sound later on. I also used the Great River MP-500NV pre-amp for laying down the vocal ideas also. Rupert Neve's tape emulator also yielded some really nice analog vintage warmth and silky saturation to the overall sound of Melodic Dirt as well. I intend on writing more about the music production in future articles.  For now this should provide insight into the how and why's of what was done and when.

Debut release coming this fall!

So far with the 7 song debut release of Melodic Dirt the following is complete: 

• guitar tracks (7 string electric) 
• bass tracks (5 string electric) 
• drum tracks (beats sequenced using BFD - big fucking drums) 

 what's being worked on currently?

 I have the melodies and rhythms worked out for the vocals and am currently working on the lyrics.

 it's sounding good and can't wait to release it, stay tuned!