What's in a name?...

Just so y'all are aware, the Long Road to Rock is really only the name of this blog, not the project Cam and I have committed ourselves to. In fact we're in the process of defining our identity as a musical project and the toughest part of that is finding a name. A name that will stand out in the listeners' heads, a name that will (to paraphrase Mark Wallberg...) "cut like glass".

The idea is to come up with 5 to 10 names we're willing to consider and then pick the best of the best. By all means if you have any ideas, dear reader, simply comment on this post or message us on facebook and let us know your thoughts.

In the mean time, we're getting together for a 3rd time tonight. We've decided on 4 songs we're going to focus on. The titles are as follows: Josephine, Fireworks, Maybe someday and Headway.

From here we'll work out a clear structure, backings, dynamics and accents for these tunes and move on to the next 2 tunes. The goal is to have a good 7 or 8 tunes to record in the new year. This recording will be bare bones vocals and acoustics but will be the catalyst to form a full band with bass, drums and keys (... and any other percussion, wind and string instruments that come along).

As for shows, well we have to get something finished first but we are in beginning discussions to help decide how we want to launch this project. Perhaps a very small friends and family show that we podcast on the net? Maybe we'll simply hit a couple open stages to start. It's all open and undecided right now.

We have a couple more audio clips for you to check out to see how we're doing and where we're going.

Here's a sound byte of one of Cam's tunes that feature yours truly on backings:

Josephine

This one is a tune I've been writing about getting back together and playing again:

Headway

Here's an interesting little note, in a past post I mentioned that I hadn't ever written anything in drop D tuning... well I still haven't. When I wrote this, I made a mistake. I wanted to tune to drop D and ended up tuning to G instead. But sometimes little mistakes like this work out for the better, because the song Headway was born.

Stay tuned for a report on the outcome of tonight's rehearsal. Cam and I are keeping a keen eye... on the long road to rock.

Company on the road...

Things couldn't possibly be looking more positive on the long road to rock. You might notice that Cam's visage has graced the banner of the blog. T'is true, although nothing is for sure and certainly never lasts for ever, Cam and I have agreed to make a go of this and since there is a strong level of commitment on his part as well, he absolutely deserves a spot on the marquis!

Looks like Tuesday December 2nd we'll be getting together to go over some more tunes that are -a creepin' n' a crawlin' up in our heads. I've done my homework too. With the help of my trusty voice recorder and an awesome Mac program called Garage Band, I've been able to work on melodies and backings outside of the "tete a tete" environment.

Olympus WS-110 & Garage Band

In the last post, you got to listen to a couple tracks we recorded as we taught each other some basic song structures. But now, using Garage Band, I can use those sound bytes to get an idea what these tunes might sound like further down the road.

Take a listen to these 2 songs that each feature a different level of completion and you'll see what I mean.

This one came from me and features 1 verse and 1 chorus of finished lyrics:

Song 1 - Enough

This one came from Cam and features a basic melody and concept:

Song 2 - Fireworks

Stay tuned next week for more sound bytes and maybe some pics or video footage too.

Things are runnin' smooth... on the long road to rock.

Picking up speed...

Tuesday night went far better than I could have even imagined. After receiving a positive feedback from Cam regarding the direction I was hoping to travel musically, I was excited to get started. But after Tuesday night, I'm more pumped then ever to get this show on the road.

Two hours went by far too fast. After tuning our guitars, we set them down and chatted about old times, past experiences, drank a few Red Stripes, (Cam's favorite beverage), and began to hammer out exactly what we're both hoping to get out of this project. Sound wise and style wise we were both pretty much on the same page and then we picked up the ol' music makers and proved it.

Cam's official choice of liquid inspiration

We each had a bunch of tunes we were working on, so we took turns playing show and tell while teaching each other the basic structure.

I don't want to give away everything before these songs are finished, but this blog is, in point of fact, a device to track the progress of this project so here's 2 sound bytes from the jam; one of my songs and one of Cam's.

Cam's untitled song

My untitled ditty

We're going to spend a little time going over the 5 or 6 recordings we came away with on Tuesday and we'll be that much closer to completing some tunes we'll be proud to share with the masses.

Yep, things are certainly picking up speed.... on the long road to rock

The meeting...

It is finally official! Cam Clark and I will be sitting down the week of November 24th to chat about a new project and begin hammering out a sound that, we hope, will please the music listening populous.

This is a huge jump forward on the long road to rock. This meeting / jam will be a catalyst to something that, I hope, will be bigger than ourselves. Cam and I agree on some key points about song writing. The main point being: back to basics. Straight forward songs that can be played both acoustically and electric. Classic tunes you want to hear when your relaxing at the cottage, heading out on a long road trip or just kicking back with a beer after a long day at work.

Those who are familiar with The Urban Street Scandal, a project Cam and I were both involved in, might be asking how this project will be different. For one, it's been almost 4 years since we played together and we've since found ourselves wanting for a very different sound. Whereas TUSS was a collective that regularly showed off their individual talents within songs, this new project would incorporate more of a unity, stepping outside of ourselves and looking at a song as a whole. The Sam Roberts band is a fantastic example of this kind of song writing.

Since TUSS, Cam has recorded his own solo project called: This Dark Season is Reborn. Among other brilliant things, on this disc, Cam has really explored his voice. To me this is paramount to the sound you will hear when this new project bears fruit.

Cam's solo album: This Dark Season is Reborn

The timing is perfect since I just finished up as lead singer for Easy Way Out where I learned to step back and share centre stage. Although EWO was a completely different beast, the thought process behind writing as a vocal duo, rapper or not, is still quite similar.

Sharing the stage with George Reefah as part of Easy Way Out

Needless to say I'm looking forward to working on solid harmonies and backing vocals when we trade off within songs. It may be presumptuous to say the music will be great, but Cam and I are old friends and I believe I can safely assume the experience, itself, will be.

In the mean time, I'm still writing on my own so that I have a tickle trunk full of material to pull out on that first inaugural jam. Here are 2 more gibberish based song ideas, that I will hopefully have completed next week.

Song 1: untitled

Song 2: Untitled

For now everything is coming up clear skies... on the long road to rock.

Off to a show...

So the meeting I was hoping to have with Cam Clark and Al Branton still has yet to become a reality. Everyone is so busy, getting together has proved a difficult task. This makes me a little nervous, as the project itself will require a commitment of time. However, I don't feel comfortable seeking out musicians until I have this meeting with the boys. I know we gel, I know we get along and I know this can be a fruitful experience given the opportunity.

To speed things along, knowing that Al has zero time in his schedule until January, I have asked Cam if he'd like to get together at the Rehearsal Factory once every week or every other week to start hammering out some tunes, which he has agreed to. This is fantastic news however it's still a little tricky since he has a responsibility to the Micronite Filters, for whom he plays guitar.

The Micronite Filters

The MFs released an album this year and it seems they are in full swing to support it with live performances. So not only does Cam have regular rehearsals, but he's got shows. Anyone who's ever been in a band knows that when you run this kind of schedule, adding a second project can burn you out. I'm sure that's a concern of his, but I'm stoked and greatful that he's still willing to begin this journey with me however spuratic the jams may be.

In the mean time, I'm going to check out his band, the Micronite Filters at a cool little spot in Toronto called Mitzi's sister. It'll be awesome to get out and check out the MFs new tunes and to get a chance to have an impromptu chat session with Cam about the project I have in mind. (There's a link in the sidebar to the MFs web page, it's really worth a listen.)

For now, I keep writing tunes. I have this awesome little voice recorder that my wife gave me last christmas. So I carry it wherever I go and record any melodies I have in my head. I then write lyrics to these melodies. (there's a link in the side bar)

Lately, my little 5 month old has really shown an interest in watching me play guitar, so I've been hammering out some tunes with her. I try out a bunch of chords, watch her reactions and sing gibberish vocals over top to generate the melody. Here are 2 of those tunes - one of which I completed writing with lyrics yesterday and I hope to have a rough recording of the full song posted for next week. I thought it might be interesting for you to hear the genesis of the song first:

Song 1:Sweet Torment
"Sweet Torment" Lyrics

Song 2: Maybe Someday
"Maybe, someday" partial Lyrics

Hope you enjoy those even though none of the words make any sense. Just trust that it will all make sense when the songs are properly recorded and posted.

It may be slow going, but I'm still makin' my way... down the long road to rock

Potholes...

OK, so the meeting still hasn't happened yet. Coincidentally, everyone double booked themselves. But this is a small pothole in the long road to rock. We will be rescheduling for a weekend in the near future to sit down, pound back a few pints and manifest the genesis of a sound that's pure and honest.

In the meantime I'm making the best of my day to day work commute by writing words and melodies. With my trusty composition book and digital voice recorder at my side I have no doubt that I look completely nuts singing softly to myself on the subway in order to get the songs in my head onto paper. I call it guerrilla song writing. I honestly could care less what my fellow commuters think as long as I get shit done. You can check the link on the sidebar to read the lyrics I've been coming up with. Hopefully I'll end up with dozens of songs and I can pick the best ones to present to the new band when we start jamming in January. Feel free to leave me with feedback, eventually I plan to post raw tracks there too.

I've also dragged out my old Applause acoustic/electric. It's an Ovation knock off. It sounds decent enough. It's a round back and really lightweight but I've been neglecting it for years. I took it to Capsule music on Queen st. to get it all cleaned up and set-up. I get to pick it up tomorrow night.
As for the cover band audition, no word yet. Looks like they have one more singer to audition before they make their decision. No worries, I'm in no hurry.

Yeah, I may encounter potholes and obstacles on my journey, but I plan to stay positive and keep moving forward on... the long road to rock.

Moving on...

Getting together to jam is always the best protocol towards finding like minded musicians. Unfortunately it requires a substantial block of time and may only simply delay the inevitable. One of two things are bound to happen: A) you gel and move forward or B) it doesn't gel and you part ways putting you right back at square one.

Although Mr. Jeff Logan is one extremely talented young lad, my jam with him about a week ago led to the latter. It was certainly nice meeting with Jeff and exchanging ideas, riffs and melodies however even after our coffee shop meeting of the minds, it seems we were both on completely different pages when it came down to playing.

Whereas I was hoping to create something basic, catchy and timeless, Jeff was hoping to create something basic, catchy, timeless and in the southern fried rock genre. It seems like a small difference, but it's not. In the past I may have just gone with the flow, but as the saying goes, I've been there and done that and quite frankly, I wore out the Tshirt and have no desire to pull it out of the bottom of my drawer to wear it again.

Well I wish Jeff all the luck in the world in his search for musicians that share his mind set and I have no doubt in my mind that he will find success. For me though, back to the ol' drawing board.

I already have a meeting lined up that I'm confident will lead to a fruitful musical future. On Saturday October 18th I will be meeting with 2 former band mates from the Urban Street Scandal: Bassist extraordinaire Al Branton and Guitar guru Cam Clark. We'll meet exchange our thoughts on sound, style and commitment but, alas, schedules dictate that we won't actually get down to the nitty gritty until January. Colour me excited, though, because it looks like this reunion will lead to some new tunes everyone can groove on.

Mr. Cameron Clark

Mr. Al Branton

In the mean time, I've decided to audition for one more cover band to help line my beat up skull laden wallet with some extra dough. An interesting take on the cover band, only B level hits. Whereas the average band might do Santana's Oye Como Va, this band will be doing Evil Ways. Whereas another band might do Road House Blues, this band would do Peace Frog. You get the drift. The audition was last night, it went quite well and I'm hoping for a call back sometime soon.

In the mean time, things are still looking up on... the long road to rock!

The back story...

I guess a little bit of "what was" would be a nice place to start before I jump into what is...

The Toronto independent music scene is huge! Everybody and their mother seems to be making music in some capacity and categorically flooding the underground music market. It's no surprise that talented musicians end up migrating from one project to another over years of unsuccessful attempts at breaking the mainstream machine or zeroing in on some level of success independently.

After having the good fortune to be a part of several worth while projects, I find myself at the drawing board once again.

The Urban Street Scandal 2002 - 2006

Easy Way Out 2006 - 2008

I began by placing some ads online. Craigslist and the like... Although my ad was very specific with style, age range and commitment, I found the responses to be surprisingly disparate. I was contacted by several bands that quite obviously did not read my requirements and influences. A metal band here, a brit Pob band there, a group from Woodbridge, one from Brampton and even a young lady who acused me of descrimination simply because I was hoping to play with musicians close to my own age.

I grew tired of re-posting ads and frustrated with my search. I began to toy with the thought that perhaps it was time to join the world of cover bands. But after a couple of auditions with cover stalwarts; Blackwell, I decided I just wouldn't be happy unless I was playing my own music.

A session musician by the name of Jeff Logan, real talented guy, emailed me. He's currently playing with a successful group but was hoping to branch out with a project if his own. He sent me some Youtube footage (see below), I sent him my MySpace links and we agreed that we should meet. Jeff even took the initiative to write his own part for a song I had posted online.

Jeff Logan

Jeff playing with Amanda Rheaume

The meeting went well, a loose discussion about our influences, what kind of sounds we'd each like to generate, past experiences, shows we've played... all over a cup o' joe. I certainly left the meeting with a warm feeling, that yes, this could be the start of a very prmoissing partnership.

Since then we've exchanged some music we listen to, some basic tracks we've each started to hammer out and we're booked in for an initial jam on Thursday night to make shure our writing styles and improvisational skills gel.

This will be my final stab at the music industry and I'm happy to report that I can see the light at the end of... the Long Road to Rock!

J