performance video, 30 March 2016

Last night I performed "Waste", "Voice in the Distance", and "Talk" at O'Sullivan's in Escondido, CA. (This is a regular venue for me now):




For such an easy song to play on the guitar, "Waste" is hard to get solid live. I'll keep at it! On the other hand, "Talk" turned out extremely well in this recording.

- Emily

performance at Mr. Peabody's - 21 March 2016

Last night I performed at a more "professional" open mic in Encinitas. By more "professional", I mean that the sound system and hosting service was more sophisticated than previous venues:



Unfortunately my video recording did not work. It only captured the audio track. Strange.

I waited to play here until I was more experienced, since better musicians and a better sound technician show up at this venue, and I wanted to make a good impression (which I did).

The vocals had reverb added to them, which helped my voice a lot. The only problem with the sound is the buzzing you hear. This is due to the fact that we don't know how to ground an iPhone to the PA. I'm going to research this issue today--may have to buy a better interface or better software.

I took my brother's advice and banged on the guitar during the chorus of "Talk". More precisely, I hit harmonics at strategic points. (He said I needed to be more animated during this section that I currently only sing, because the guitar part is too hard to play and sing over at the same time--although I'm working on it!).

Still getting used to the seventh string. You can hear that I occasionally hit the wrong string because I’m still not 100% certain where I am. This is also because I'm working on not looking at the guitar while I play, since I want to instead face the audience and need to sing directly into the microphone.

Ran into trouble with the Depeche Mode cover. Apparently it could be legally considered "karaoke" since I’m using pre-recorded tracks, despite the fact that they are my tracks and I changed the instrumentation significantly. Therefore the host does not want me to play a cover again using an iPhone. (Had I just played a cover on a guitar it would have been fine--i.e. no pre-recording). So I need to learn more of my own songs to play at this venue again. I think this is going to be an ongoing issue with future venues as I move up the local music "food chain".

Soon I'm going to experiment with filtering out the bass in my voice with filters (to "feminize" my voice). I’ll post a recording of this attempt as soon as I do it.

new song and recording: "In My Element"

This new, original song is called "In My Element" and was written in March 2016. The recording and lyrics are given below. Tablature and composition notes will be posted as soon as I finish them.

Recording

Tablature

Tablature for this song is posted at:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzqNzl6eyl0MdlR4VXluT0FqN3M/view?usp=sharing

Lyrics

They call it "ships passing in the night"
We were more like ghosts, and quite buzzed
A flash of intimacy, overt sensuality
Not the love I'm looking for, but exactly what I needed

I find I'm in new company
I find I'm in my element
Out of the intellect
And into the fire

Passion and validation make a volatile mix
And when you love a stranger you might as well get it elsewhere
A flash of intimacy, a bold exchange
Not the love I'm looking for, but exactly what I needed

I find I'm in new company
I find I'm in my element
Out of the intellect
And into the fire

I'm reckless to the core
And I wouldn't change a thing

Live Performances

• 30 May 2016 at Mr. Peabody's in Encinitas, CA
• 31 May 2016 at 1st Street Bar in Encinitas, CA
• 1 June 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA
• 7 June 2016 at the Ché Café Collective in San Diego, CA
• 9 June 2016 at Aztec Brewing Company in Vista, CA

performance video, 16 March 2016

Filmed at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA. Played "Voice in the Distance" and "Talk", with an audio montage in the middle. The percussionist from the house band joined me on stage:

new song and recording: "Voice in the Distance"

This original song is called "Voice in the Distance" and was written during the summer of 2007. I recorded this version in February of 2016, now that I have decent recording equipment. The recording, lyrics, tablature, and composition notes are given below.

Recording

Tablature

Tablature for this song is posted at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzqNzl6eyl0MYi1ORHJlMmMyckk/view?usp=sharing

The code that generated this PDF is at https://github.com/emw314159/tracks

What I Wrote It About

I'm not really sure what this song is about. I was slightly depressed during a Willamette Valley summer when I wrote it, and pensive. Either the seasonal field burning had started or was about to.

Lyrics

Silence
On desolate days
Field smoke in the air
A filter of black haze

It was a long cry, out in the wilderness
A shadow, and a voice in the distance

Silence
In desperate times
Running backwards
Running the same old line

Composition Notes

This is the first rock song I make use of synthesizers in, mostly to enhance the bass. I like the result.

The intro is heavily chromatic, influenced (intentionally) by NoMeansNo. I use parallel fourths in the low register—instead of power chords—to get a grittier sound.

The verse instrumentation is simple by contrast. I wanted it out of the way for the vocals.

During my live (one person) performance of the song, the chorus guitar part played from a recording and I emphasize it with power chords played live while singing. This is because the guitar part is too complex for me to play and sing at the same time.

Live Performances

• 9 March 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA
• 11 March 2016 at Lush Lounge in Vista, CA
• 16 March 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA
• 18 March 2016 at Lush Lounge in Vista, CA
• 21 March 2016 at Mr. Peabody's in Encinitas, CA
• 23 March 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA
• 24 March 2016 at Aztec Brewing Company in Vista, CA
• 30 March 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA
• 31 March 2016 at Aztec Brewing Company in Vista, CA
• 2 April 2016 at the Gopher Hole north of Escondido, CA
• 3 April 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA
• 10 April 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA
• 24 April 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA
• 25 April 2016 at Mr. Peabody's in Encinitas, CA
• 27 April 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA
• 28 April 2016 at Aztec Brewing Company in Vista, CA
• 9 May 2016 at Mr. Peabody's in Encinitas, CA
• 15 May 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA
• 7 June 2016 at the Ché Café Collective in San Diego, CA

new song and recording: "Waste"

This new, original song is called "Waste" and was written in March 2016. The recording, lyrics, tablature, and composition notes are given below.

Recording

Tablature

Tablature for this song is posted at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzqNzl6eyl0MN1BUTTVzQUhCNXc/view?usp=sharing

The code that generated this PDF is at https://github.com/emw314159/tracks

What I Wrote It About

Processing some heartbreak and lovesickness.

Lyrics

I've had better days
This one went completely apeshit
In shock about how much was wasted
In shock about how much was lost
I've had better days

Trying to turn the page
Turn the mind
Turn my imagination
Trying to turn the page and walk on by
But I can't turn my heart

This hope seeks recognition
Connection, resolution
And it's more about the love I want to give
Than that I want to receive

I've had better days

It's when you pray for a better resolution
But don't care what it is
And you're appalled at how much was wasted
And desperate for what was lost
I've had better days

Trying to turn the tide
Turn the mind
Turn the outcome
Trying to turn this thing around
But I can't turn my heart

This hope seeks recognition
Connection, resolution
And it's more about the love I want to give
Than that I want to receive

Unrequited love is such a waste
Unrequited love is such a waste

I've had better days

Composition Notes

I make heavier use of synthesizers (arpeggiators) than ever before, layering multiple arpeggiators starting at the same pitch over each other. In the low register this adds significant bass to the song. In the high register this creates the effects that I counterpoint the lead guitar with. The interesting thing about the arpeggiators in the high register is that if you hit two notes simultaneously, the effect isn't both notes playing in parallel, it is some unpredicted combination of oscillation between the two notes' individual arpeggiation. I don't know if this is a software bug or actually intended, but the effect is cool!

I use a five string bass and a seven string guitar to get the low notes. This is my first time composing with a seven string guitar and I really like it.

Live Performances

• 18 March 2016 at Lush Lounge in Vista, CA
• 23 March 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA
• 24 March 2016 at Aztec Brewing Company in Vista, CA
• 30 March 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA
• 31 March 2016 at Aztec Brewing Company in Vista, CA
• 3 April 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA
• 10 April 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA
• 24 April 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA
• 25 April 2016 at Mr. Peabody's in Encinitas, CA
• 28 April 2016 at Aztec Brewing Company in Vista, CA
• 9 May 2016 at Mr. Peabody's in Encinitas, CA
• 15 May 2016 at the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, CA
• 7 June 2016 at the Ché Café Collective in San Diego, CA
• 20 June 2016 at Mr. Peabody's in Encinitas, CA

second and third performances

Both performances were "open mic nights", and both in coffee houses. I prefer playing in bars since I like tequila better than lattes. However, the advantage of a coffee house is that one of my under-21 musician friends can see me perform.

March 4^th I played at the Lush Lounge in Vista, CA. Here is a bad cellphone video of the performance. I can see that I need more practice:



The improvement of this show over my last performance, which you can see in the video, is that I'm now "moving" with the music. In my first show I was so nervous that I remained stiff.

March 5^th played at La Costa Coffee Roasting in Carlsbad, CA. This performance went a little better than the night before since I’m getting more experience.

What I learned from this show was not to have the microphone stand too high, since I need to be able to look down to see the guitar. However, it also says I should practice not looking at the guitar more.

From this point out, I'm only going to post performance notes for notable performances, where either I learn something new, or get a great video or photo.

new song and recording: "Pearls to Swine"

The song is called "Pearls to Swine". I wrote and recorded it in March 2016. A recording, tablature, lyrics, and the composition notes are posted below.

Recording

Tablature

Tablature is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzqNzl6eyl0MT0ZFSlUzQmJWbzQ/view?usp=sharing

Code to produce the tablature PDF is at https://github.com/emw314159/tracks

Composition Notes

My primary "design goal" was to create tension--strategically. For example, consider the last two measures: I end the song assertively but without the expected final downbeat and without the expected harmonic rhythmic resolve. This leaves an uncomfortable finale. I also use a lot of asymmetry in the non-vocal parts and the fill/transition durations to enhance tension, but not so much asymmetry that I lose the audience.

To use tension successfully in a composition you also have to release it. That is what the verse instrumentation does; it also gets out of the way for the vocals. The chorus instrumentation is a little tenser, but not as much as possible due to stable rhythms, symmetry, and chord changes.

The chorus is the only time in the song I intentionally use chord changes. There are probably chord changes elsewhere in the tune, but I haven't analyzed it and it wasn't on my mind while composing. Instead I was thinking chromatically, especially for the introduction.

Regarding the introduction, it took me as long to write and record it as the rest of the song combined.

Unusual for me, and like when I drafted "Talk", I wrote the lyrics in under an hour. Typically I'll spend days on the task. Like "Talk", I didn't use rhymes. There is only one metaphor--"pearls to swine"--and it is not a complicated one. Naturally it is a common reference to the New Testament.

The bass instrumentation is unique for me: I used two electric basses simultaneously in the second verse and all but the first chorus. In these choruses the bass use is separated by an octave. However I also added one and then two simultaneous synth bass arpeggiators in the second and final choruses, respectively. So this tune is bass heavy and a bit "muddied". I like the effect; we’ll see how others do, and more importantly, how well it works through a PA system.

The guitar use is sparse. I designed it so that the guitar player can sing at the same time. This person is most likely going to be me, and most likely how I'll manage a live performance singlehandedly. See here for an explanation of how I've successfully used this setup before.

I used additional arpeggiators in the high register, sometimes simultaneously, in the final chorus to add harmonic layers. I also used synth effects at the beginning. I'm not 100% happy with these effects and want to learn better tools for creating the sounds I envision in my head.

Lyrics

I gave you kindness and respect
You threw it back in my face
I cast you my pearls
You ground them into the floor
Now I just want to stop wasting time on you
Now I just want to stop loving you

But how can I walk away from how I feel?
How can I choose not to care?
How can love go so badly?
How can love go so badly?

This is not who I want to be
Stuck with feelings that go nowhere
Stuck in a tired pattern
Casting my pearls to swine
Now I just want to stop wasting time on you
Now I just want to stop loving you

But how can I walk away from how I feel?
How can I choose not to care?
How can love go so badly?
How can love go so badly?

This is not who I want to be
This is not who I want to be

Live Performances

• 23 May 2016 at Mr. Peabody's in Encinitas, CA
• 24 May 2016 at 1st Street Bar in Encinitas, CA
• 25 May 2016 at O'Sullivan's Irish Pub in Escondido, CA