preview of my band's debut album (update, album is out!)

wreckitrandy
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wreckitrandy 8/13/2014 7:12pm
8/13/2014 7:12pm
Not bad at all. If it were me, I'd cut the intro of 'Need a Change' way back. The bass is too up front in the mix I think. The vocals need to come up a good bit. Sometimes when you work on a song for a while, you know the lyrics so well it's easy to hear them when you can't really hear them. I couldn't hear the verses well enough. The guitar solo could be shorter as well.
In 'Movin-On', the second part of the tune is a bit too disjointed. It could be an entirely different song. I dig the concept though. It put me in the mind of way Kansas structured their songs just a bit. The girl sounds better than she did on the live vids you posted a while back.
Keep digging man. It takes nerve to put your stuff up for everyone to take a poke at. I admire your boldness. Good luck to you.
davis224
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davis224 8/13/2014 7:39pm
8/13/2014 7:39pm
Nearly every critique you came up with was brought up by us, and dealt with, haha. We cut the intro in half from what it was, we hemmed and hawed about the bass level, and ended up just cutting it down a smidge just through mastering rather than remixing. We decided it helped set the 12 bar blues part apart from being monotonous/same as everything else. We thought about turning the vocals up a bit, but the lower vocals fit the mood of that part of the song. We tried to stay away from overbearing vocals on the whole album, keeping it less pop more rock and roll. I originally wrote that song as more of a long, open jam, but the rest of the band helped me whittle it down from a giant jamfest into more of a concentrated song. So the guitar solo is much shorter than I had it originally, and just one going over the two progressions, rather than 2, one on each progression.
I totally hear what you're saying on Movin' On, we had struggled with the arrangement for a couple years, never playing it live because we never could find an arrangement that worked, the song was either really short without it, or too repetitive if we just added more verses/choruses. We finally hammered that arrangement out one night before we went into the studio, it definitely cuts the song in half, but we feel it still "flows" somehow. Then for the ending, we decided to go, "fuck you, we're not flowing anymore." Thanks for the opinion, the fact that you picked most of the same points we did earns you some points, even if we went a different way with it, haha.
thecolonel610
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thecolonel610 8/13/2014 8:21pm
8/13/2014 8:21pm
As a drummer, I tend to get hung up on nit-picky stuff that drummers do. Other than the little stuff I really like it. Keep it up and very admirable to put it up for critique.
steed 2.0
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steed 2.0 8/13/2014 10:40pm
8/13/2014 10:40pm
Feels like it could benefit from being rolled around in the mud for a while

"we hemmed and hawed about the bass level, and ended up just cutting it down a smidge just through mastering rather than remixing" already tried digital to analog tape and back

The Shop

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davis224
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davis224 8/14/2014 3:35am
8/14/2014 3:35am
Yup, it was mastered on tape
Crash82
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Crash82 8/14/2014 5:26am
8/14/2014 5:26am
First song was awesome! i don't think the bass needs to be turned down the drums need to be turned up! I could hear the verses just fine. I was really really digging movin on until 3/4 through it was like it ran out of gas, then on the end I though it was going to get back to kicking and it left me hanging I guess because I thought the first part of the song was so great. That being said you can't please everyone and I could listen to it tomorrow and feel different, so i say stick to your guns and make the music you want. I totally dug this music it no lie I will be buying your record! I like how you could actually hear what everyone was playing, I would go see y'all live also for sure.

* My cousin played with Kansas, Kerry Livergreen and Pat Travers so i am pretty much the expert here!
jndmx
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jndmx 8/14/2014 7:30am
8/14/2014 7:30am
Very nice!

Stuff sounds good, just clean enough on the digital but had a little of that tape warmth.
Good sound on the guitar/bass mix with the drums and I love the tone on the singing.

Liked Movin On more than Need a Change but both sound good. You can hit two different markets with those tunes, smart.

I spent the better part of 15 years singing and playing in rock bands and have some experience in the studio.....too much time will kill you....lol.
Sometimes going with your gut on the choices is the right way to go but man it is hard when every little decision can be done and undone and then redone....that's the curse of digital recording, you have to force yourself to say "it's finished!".
davis224
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davis224 8/14/2014 3:08pm
8/14/2014 3:08pm
Crash82 wrote:
First song was awesome! i don't think the bass needs to be turned down the drums need to be turned up! I could hear the verses...
First song was awesome! i don't think the bass needs to be turned down the drums need to be turned up! I could hear the verses just fine. I was really really digging movin on until 3/4 through it was like it ran out of gas, then on the end I though it was going to get back to kicking and it left me hanging I guess because I thought the first part of the song was so great. That being said you can't please everyone and I could listen to it tomorrow and feel different, so i say stick to your guns and make the music you want. I totally dug this music it no lie I will be buying your record! I like how you could actually hear what everyone was playing, I would go see y'all live also for sure.

* My cousin played with Kansas, Kerry Livergreen and Pat Travers so i am pretty much the expert here!
Thanks! We knew when we played Movin On live, during the last half we would start to lose people towards the end, we made it such a surprise ending so it would snap them back into paying attention, with a surprise ending like that usually they just have a kneejerk reaction to cheer. I'll be sure to post back on here when its ready for purchase, I'll be putting another song or two out in the weeks before our release party.
davis224
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davis224 8/14/2014 3:19pm
8/14/2014 3:19pm
jndmx wrote:
Very nice! Stuff sounds good, just clean enough on the digital but had a little of that tape warmth. Good sound on the guitar/bass mix with...
Very nice!

Stuff sounds good, just clean enough on the digital but had a little of that tape warmth.
Good sound on the guitar/bass mix with the drums and I love the tone on the singing.

Liked Movin On more than Need a Change but both sound good. You can hit two different markets with those tunes, smart.

I spent the better part of 15 years singing and playing in rock bands and have some experience in the studio.....too much time will kill you....lol.
Sometimes going with your gut on the choices is the right way to go but man it is hard when every little decision can be done and undone and then redone....that's the curse of digital recording, you have to force yourself to say "it's finished!".
Thanks, man! If you think those two songs are really different, the whole album is very diverse. It was hard to pick a track listing that flowed, we're a 7 piece band with 5 members that all write songs (only 3 on this album though, another is hopefully coming soon) and even each person can write drastically different songs, we've got a few alt country/southern rock style tunes on there as well, a surf rock tune with 3 words with drunken vocals, and one of mine sounds like you smashed RHCP and Alice in Chains together. We still manage to sound like us on every song though, some people might say we're "confused and can't find a sound", but eclectic and smashing genres together is exactly what we are. We've been called alt country, alt rock, bluesy, but the only label that I can personally approve of is funky alt country blues rock. Sorry for being so wordy and long winded, but I'm really excited for this to finally come out!
davis224
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davis224 10/11/2014 2:50pm
10/11/2014 2:50pm Edited Date/Time 10/11/2014 2:52pm
bump! Here's another song off of it. Pretty excited, should have CD's in hand within a week or two! Official "release" date is November 15, but it may be on Itunes soon, so if anybody that can't make it to the release party Cool wants to purchase it, I can give you the info when it's up and running. PS, this song was inspired by a crash I had (or the feeling after it), so it's got a little bit of moto in it.
https://soundcloud.com/moto_davis_88/fireside-relics-not-quite-right
davis224
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davis224 10/11/2014 2:53pm
10/11/2014 2:53pm Edited Date/Time 10/11/2014 2:54pm
double post
the_wood109
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the_wood109 10/11/2014 5:41pm
10/11/2014 5:41pm Edited Date/Time 10/11/2014 5:48pm
"Need a Change" is tight but your singer is off key a bunch in the first verse and sounds a bit apprehensive throughout the song. Backup vox are tight, and lead guitar sound is spot on.


"Moving on" Drummer keeps it nice and tight in the pocket. Female singer sings with authority, male singer is much better but doesn't cut like she does. Lead guitar is legit, once again. Nothing fancy with the bass player, but he's solid and lays a nice foundation for the song. The transition at the end is a little bit awkward.


The browser doesn't display the name of the 3rd song, but its the best one, IMO. I think it's "take me away." Male singer has more authority and is complemented nicely by female backups. Drums, bass, and lead guitar are outstanding. Bass even gets a few walking parts. The piano is a nice touch, but some of the other instruments sound a bit like default midi sounds.

I would consider giving the female singer the lead and have the male do the harmonizing.
davis224
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davis224 10/12/2014 7:12pm
10/12/2014 7:12pm
the_wood109 wrote:
"Need a Change" is tight but your singer is off key a bunch in the first verse and sounds a bit apprehensive throughout the song. Backup...
"Need a Change" is tight but your singer is off key a bunch in the first verse and sounds a bit apprehensive throughout the song. Backup vox are tight, and lead guitar sound is spot on.


"Moving on" Drummer keeps it nice and tight in the pocket. Female singer sings with authority, male singer is much better but doesn't cut like she does. Lead guitar is legit, once again. Nothing fancy with the bass player, but he's solid and lays a nice foundation for the song. The transition at the end is a little bit awkward.


The browser doesn't display the name of the 3rd song, but its the best one, IMO. I think it's "take me away." Male singer has more authority and is complemented nicely by female backups. Drums, bass, and lead guitar are outstanding. Bass even gets a few walking parts. The piano is a nice touch, but some of the other instruments sound a bit like default midi sounds.

I would consider giving the female singer the lead and have the male do the harmonizing.
The 3rd song is "Not Quite Right". By other instruments, do you mean the organ, electric piano, and harpsichord? They are all sounds off of our key player's Nord. I think it actually has a very realistic B3 sound, but the harpsichord part, cheesy sound is what the goal was, haha. Had to keep it in line with the song title! As far as singers go, the female singer was a late addition to the band, and the other male singer you hear is the main songwriter, so obviously he sings a lot, but we are all in agreement that she is the best, so we're working more and more parts in for her as we go along. I'm the lead guitarist, so thanks for not criticizing anything I did! Laughing Thanks for giving it a listen!
peelout
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peelout 10/13/2014 12:48pm
10/13/2014 12:48pm
i dig it too, really liking "Not Quite Right"
davis224
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davis224 10/13/2014 3:40pm
10/13/2014 3:40pm
Also, I just had this thought. As far as I know, Not Quite Right is the only rock song in existence to have a prominent harpsichord solo. I'm calling Guinness right fucking now...
davis224
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davis224 10/13/2014 3:44pm
10/13/2014 3:44pm


watch and learn kids, mother is about to rock your faces off.

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Foghorn
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Foghorn 10/13/2014 6:29pm
10/13/2014 6:29pm
Ran it through the new sound system turned up. I'm diggin it! I'm a rhythm guitarist myself but just a campfire hero. Some good feedback from others.
davis224
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davis224 10/15/2014 2:20pm
10/15/2014 2:20pm
Foghorn wrote:
Ran it through the new sound system turned up. I'm diggin it! I'm a rhythm guitarist myself but just a campfire hero. Some good feedback from...
Ran it through the new sound system turned up. I'm diggin it! I'm a rhythm guitarist myself but just a campfire hero. Some good feedback from others.
Thanks! I'm currently accepting donations for new archtops, care to donate one for the next album? Just think of all the exposure!
davis224
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davis224 10/21/2014 3:24pm
10/21/2014 3:24pm


CDs arrived today, super pumped!
davis224
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davis224 11/24/2014 6:18pm
11/24/2014 6:18pm
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/firesiderelics
Preview and or purchase the entire album right here! So glad that this is finally out. Our release show went well, got lots of compliments on the CD! If this is spam GuyB, feel free to nix it.
davis224
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davis224 11/24/2014 7:17pm
11/24/2014 7:17pm
Crash82 wrote:
First song was awesome! i don't think the bass needs to be turned down the drums need to be turned up! I could hear the verses...
First song was awesome! i don't think the bass needs to be turned down the drums need to be turned up! I could hear the verses just fine. I was really really digging movin on until 3/4 through it was like it ran out of gas, then on the end I though it was going to get back to kicking and it left me hanging I guess because I thought the first part of the song was so great. That being said you can't please everyone and I could listen to it tomorrow and feel different, so i say stick to your guns and make the music you want. I totally dug this music it no lie I will be buying your record! I like how you could actually hear what everyone was playing, I would go see y'all live also for sure.

* My cousin played with Kansas, Kerry Livergreen and Pat Travers so i am pretty much the expert here!
If you still like it enough to buy it, I'd love to hear your favorite after you've heard them all! We've had each song picked by different people as their favorite, I think "Vanished In the Hills" will end up being the #1 pick off of the CD though for most people
olddude
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olddude 11/25/2014 8:49pm
11/25/2014 8:49pm
Congrats Davis. This Old guy gives it a "Dig It"
davis224
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davis224 11/26/2014 2:08pm
11/26/2014 2:08pm
Thanks! Did you listen to the whole album, or just the 3 songs I had already posted, if you don't mind me asking? If you got the album, which song did you like best?
wreckitrandy
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wreckitrandy 11/26/2014 8:15pm
11/26/2014 8:15pm
I liked 'Lies' and 'Moving On'. Very diverse. Musically, I think you're a good bit more proficient than your vocalists. I liked the different tones you were getting. What's in your rig?
davis224
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davis224 11/27/2014 7:49am
11/27/2014 7:49am
The other guitar player did a bit more experimenting with other guitars/amps, I mainly stuck with my own guitars and amps. I mainly played through my Orange Dual Terror with matching 2x12 cab, Les Paul, Telecaster, and strat. On Vanished in the Hills, I played through a Fender Champ amp with my Les Paul, and on Lies I played my strat simultaneously through my orange and a 80's era (1981?) Marshall JCM800, with an electro harmonix phase shifter. By far my favorite tone on the album! The lead at the end of Movin On, and the end of Out In The Fields was a "Way Huge Swollen Pickle" fuzz pedal and MXR Univibe to give it that big, pulsating sound. Oh, and on the outro solo to Lies, the suddenly fat sounding guitar is the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge on my Strat. The other guitarist mostly played his Gretsch Electromatic through his Vox AC15, but also used his Telecaster, then tried out a 72 strat, 68 Les Paul custom, and assorted vintage amps (fender, Marshall, mesa boogie) and even plugged in direct on Vanished In The Hills, much to his objection. We kept the scratch guitar and they just grabbed the Fender Champ for me, they wanted to capture the song in that exact moment we played it first in the studio. Thanks for the compliments!

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