Today, Plum Shark had a pretty good rehearsal, working on new songs for a future 3rd record. But like any practice or live show, you've got to take some and leave some... New songs are taking shape, the groove is really, really good, but most are unfinished, and playing them is still a bit rough at times.
However, listening to demos of these new songs is amazing, as there is a good live feel, and emotions are there for sure. Unfortunately, this is something that is really hard to transmit when multi-tracking in the studio.
Related to that subject, I remember reading an interview with ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, who was talking about doing music to "capture the feeling". With that comment he referred to how a good jam might sometimes lead to an impressive connection between musicians that cannot be described and that you cannot reproduce even if you liked to.
Well, the few new demos we recently recorded give me that feeling, and I just hope that we will find a way to share all of this through the finished product...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The Art of Balance
A crowded room, distorted guitars, some reverb, and suddenly, a horn section comes in. Then, the chorus, with heavy, distorted guitars on the right. All vocals on the left. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which segues right into "With a Little Help...".
Looking back at this album summarizes, I guess, the Beatles. Memorable songs, pop, experimental, always touching. But what's interesting with this album is that the compositions are, for the most part, simple. Arrangements are simple. Yet, everything is so effective.
And, production wise, everything sounds good. As a guitar player, I am amazed by the guitar sounds, which, most of the times, is razor sharp, piercing through the mix, but never taking too much space, except when it shines, for the occasional dirty guitar solo (listen to "Fixing a Hole" or "Good Morning..." for perfect examples (the latter in which the guitar solo is dueling against the horn section... amazing)).
Actually, I guess that the success of this album lies in its balance. The songs flow one into another, the sounds are often quite different from song to song, but still, something connects them perfectly together. The best example is "Within You, Without You", that just features sitar and percussions... yet, this song fits amazingly well in the context of the album.
To me, that is what good rock music is all about. You've got to push and pull the listener, reach for some different textures, but in the end you've got to keep it interesting and arrive with a finished product that sounds as a whole. And that is an art in itself. The art of balance.
Looking back at this album summarizes, I guess, the Beatles. Memorable songs, pop, experimental, always touching. But what's interesting with this album is that the compositions are, for the most part, simple. Arrangements are simple. Yet, everything is so effective.
And, production wise, everything sounds good. As a guitar player, I am amazed by the guitar sounds, which, most of the times, is razor sharp, piercing through the mix, but never taking too much space, except when it shines, for the occasional dirty guitar solo (listen to "Fixing a Hole" or "Good Morning..." for perfect examples (the latter in which the guitar solo is dueling against the horn section... amazing)).
Actually, I guess that the success of this album lies in its balance. The songs flow one into another, the sounds are often quite different from song to song, but still, something connects them perfectly together. The best example is "Within You, Without You", that just features sitar and percussions... yet, this song fits amazingly well in the context of the album.
To me, that is what good rock music is all about. You've got to push and pull the listener, reach for some different textures, but in the end you've got to keep it interesting and arrive with a finished product that sounds as a whole. And that is an art in itself. The art of balance.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Death by Digital Distribution
This week, we again woke up on Monday morning to the sound of a new Nine Inch Nails album, (yes, again: remember the 2-disc instrumental album Ghosts I-IV released a few months ago). Thus, without any kind of promotional plan, Trent Reznor uploaded his latest work, "The Slip", on http://www.nin.com/, this time as a free download for all NiN fans. How great is that?
In recent months, Reznor has really shaken things up for the record industry by embracing digital content distribution like no one else before. His business plan is simple:
1)Distribute for a small fee (or for free ) your music.
2)Make your fans happy.
3)Offer well-made physical products and limited edition packages at relatively low cost (10$ for the 2-disc album "Ghosts").
4)Go on tour and make profit over merchandising.
And for Reznor, it payed off, with 1.6 millions dollars going into his pockets after only one week of the release of "Ghosts". That is more than enough to pay for packaging, web hosting, recording, etc. and it obviously is a huge margin compared to the few percents artists make on record sales these days (actually said to be under 5%).
And to finish this big f*** you to the industry, Reznor chose to distribute both his new albums through peer-to-peer torrents, which have been as the devil by record companies.
In the end, you've just got to applaud his efforts, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
Oh... and by the way, his new music is great. A more mature and melodic NiN, just like he has been hinting at with Year Zero. And I just love the 2 songs / 12 minutes instrumental break before the last song of the record.
Of course, the only thing I wonder is how someone could achieve this and be profitable without already having an existing fan base. That's a chat I really would like to have with Reznor, as this DIY (Do-It-Yourself) work ethic that he promotes is something that I found important and that I have tried to respect with Plum Shark as it enables you to put the music in front of everything else.
What is funny is that it seems the industry just kills itself by promoting all these artists that put music far behind their list of priorities, but I guess it has always been like that... just look at the old adage of Sex-Drugs-Rock'n Roll. To paraphrase Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta in a recent interview (for those who know him... who's better to comment on integrity and DYI that this guy?!?), notice how the Rock'n Roll part comes last! That is sad, but it just says it all...
And now, concerning real music, I have been hard at work, these past few nights, on digital editing of the songs for Plum Shark's second album, and let me tell you, it will be good. We really believe in these songs, and can't wait to get this album in your hands.
I hope we will be able to figure out something cool to do about digital distribution, and I already have a few ideas with which I would like to go forth... I'll keep you posted.
In recent months, Reznor has really shaken things up for the record industry by embracing digital content distribution like no one else before. His business plan is simple:
1)Distribute for a small fee (or for free ) your music.
2)Make your fans happy.
3)Offer well-made physical products and limited edition packages at relatively low cost (10$ for the 2-disc album "Ghosts").
4)Go on tour and make profit over merchandising.
And for Reznor, it payed off, with 1.6 millions dollars going into his pockets after only one week of the release of "Ghosts". That is more than enough to pay for packaging, web hosting, recording, etc. and it obviously is a huge margin compared to the few percents artists make on record sales these days (actually said to be under 5%).
And to finish this big f*** you to the industry, Reznor chose to distribute both his new albums through peer-to-peer torrents, which have been as the devil by record companies.
In the end, you've just got to applaud his efforts, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
Oh... and by the way, his new music is great. A more mature and melodic NiN, just like he has been hinting at with Year Zero. And I just love the 2 songs / 12 minutes instrumental break before the last song of the record.
Of course, the only thing I wonder is how someone could achieve this and be profitable without already having an existing fan base. That's a chat I really would like to have with Reznor, as this DIY (Do-It-Yourself) work ethic that he promotes is something that I found important and that I have tried to respect with Plum Shark as it enables you to put the music in front of everything else.
What is funny is that it seems the industry just kills itself by promoting all these artists that put music far behind their list of priorities, but I guess it has always been like that... just look at the old adage of Sex-Drugs-Rock'n Roll. To paraphrase Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta in a recent interview (for those who know him... who's better to comment on integrity and DYI that this guy?!?), notice how the Rock'n Roll part comes last! That is sad, but it just says it all...
And now, concerning real music, I have been hard at work, these past few nights, on digital editing of the songs for Plum Shark's second album, and let me tell you, it will be good. We really believe in these songs, and can't wait to get this album in your hands.
I hope we will be able to figure out something cool to do about digital distribution, and I already have a few ideas with which I would like to go forth... I'll keep you posted.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Let's Break the Ice... With Some Megadeth!
After thinking about it for some time (and being pressured about it by some people), I finally decided to start blogging. Of course, I will talk about what is going on with my band, Plum Shark, but also about plenty of other things related to music in general (mostly rock music, by the way).
Just for the heads up, Plum Shark is currently recording its second album. We hope to finish recording in June, to mix in July. Of course, I will keep you posted in the next few weeks about this process.
For a start, I thought I would talk to you about the Gigantour concert that took place in Quebec City this week. The heavy metal festival took place last Monday, at the Pavillion de la Jeunesse, a brand new venue just beside the Colisee. This arena seems perfect for smaller shows, exactly what Quebec City was missing for medium scale rock and metal events. However, they were not prepared for such a beer-drinking crowd, as there clearly were not enough toilets in the building!
As always, metal does well in Quebec City (must be something in the water or maybe a side effect of our extreme winters, I don't know...) and the show was sold out. Not all bright lights in the crowd, mind you. What's funny in most metal shows is that punks usually get inline at the venue by 14:00 to start boozing. Thus, at 16:00, some guys are already getting rowdy. Imagine, then, what it looks like at 21:30, just before Megadeth... There are always a few guys that end up passing out before the main event (which is all too predictable). Thankfully, most people know how to behave.
Children of Bodom (CoB) and In Flames both had a good response from the crowd. However, I found CoB to be a bit on the flashy side, not displaying enough emotion. They seemed to play for the crowd and not enough for themselves. In Flames were good, but there were not enough old songs for my taste (sadly, the last In Flames album I listened to was Clayman, around its release, while I was in CEGEP). Yet they were good and lighting was really nice: they brought their own lighting rig in road cases that were put behind the band where guitar amplifiers usually are. The result was impressive.
Then, Megadeth. The Almighty Megadeth, that is seeing a second coming with the last two album. It was my fifth time seing the band, and it actually was the best concert I witnessed from Dave Mustaine and Co. I was blown away by the new lead guitar player, Chris Broderick, who might be the best since Marty Friedman (by the way, I have seen 4 lead guitar players in 5 shows, including Friedman). The show was tight and full of energy, as always, and the crowd response was amazing, so much that Dave seemed surprised and honored. I have never seen him smile that much at the end of a concert, while the crowd cheered for him for a good 2 minutes. Best song of the night goes to Ashes In Your Mouth! Already one of my favorites, they just nailed it.
All in all, a good night of metal.
On another subject, I will be recording guitars for our album with Pat this weekend. If it all goes as planned, he'll only have 2 songs remaining to record. We are quite happy with the results so far, and it can only get better. As I said before, I will keep you posted on the subject.
Well, that is all for this "breaking the ice" post. By the way, if you guys want to discuss about something here, feel free to respond by posting some comments!
Cheers,
Charlie
Just for the heads up, Plum Shark is currently recording its second album. We hope to finish recording in June, to mix in July. Of course, I will keep you posted in the next few weeks about this process.
For a start, I thought I would talk to you about the Gigantour concert that took place in Quebec City this week. The heavy metal festival took place last Monday, at the Pavillion de la Jeunesse, a brand new venue just beside the Colisee. This arena seems perfect for smaller shows, exactly what Quebec City was missing for medium scale rock and metal events. However, they were not prepared for such a beer-drinking crowd, as there clearly were not enough toilets in the building!
As always, metal does well in Quebec City (must be something in the water or maybe a side effect of our extreme winters, I don't know...) and the show was sold out. Not all bright lights in the crowd, mind you. What's funny in most metal shows is that punks usually get inline at the venue by 14:00 to start boozing. Thus, at 16:00, some guys are already getting rowdy. Imagine, then, what it looks like at 21:30, just before Megadeth... There are always a few guys that end up passing out before the main event (which is all too predictable). Thankfully, most people know how to behave.
Children of Bodom (CoB) and In Flames both had a good response from the crowd. However, I found CoB to be a bit on the flashy side, not displaying enough emotion. They seemed to play for the crowd and not enough for themselves. In Flames were good, but there were not enough old songs for my taste (sadly, the last In Flames album I listened to was Clayman, around its release, while I was in CEGEP). Yet they were good and lighting was really nice: they brought their own lighting rig in road cases that were put behind the band where guitar amplifiers usually are. The result was impressive.
Then, Megadeth. The Almighty Megadeth, that is seeing a second coming with the last two album. It was my fifth time seing the band, and it actually was the best concert I witnessed from Dave Mustaine and Co. I was blown away by the new lead guitar player, Chris Broderick, who might be the best since Marty Friedman (by the way, I have seen 4 lead guitar players in 5 shows, including Friedman). The show was tight and full of energy, as always, and the crowd response was amazing, so much that Dave seemed surprised and honored. I have never seen him smile that much at the end of a concert, while the crowd cheered for him for a good 2 minutes. Best song of the night goes to Ashes In Your Mouth! Already one of my favorites, they just nailed it.
All in all, a good night of metal.
On another subject, I will be recording guitars for our album with Pat this weekend. If it all goes as planned, he'll only have 2 songs remaining to record. We are quite happy with the results so far, and it can only get better. As I said before, I will keep you posted on the subject.
Well, that is all for this "breaking the ice" post. By the way, if you guys want to discuss about something here, feel free to respond by posting some comments!
Cheers,
Charlie
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