3.25.2006

Gumbo of mumbo jumbo: Part II

(Hhaaayyaahhh!! Everybody was Kung-Fu fighting)



I really made this just for me to look back, remember and relate... I thought of sharing this with you... It will be confusing and won't make any sense unless you hear the CD and want to know everything that I did. Other than that it's what I call Gumbo of mumbo jumbo...

1. Streets: Percussion on intro, outro-section. .

2. Savvy: Percussion and shaker on chant.

3. What I Dreamed To Do: Band backing vocals with radio sounding panned either left or right. B-3 choruses chords on: “Well if it feels good yeah yeah”- what I’m I to do” end piano chords right after “do” . Piano comes again on chorus “If you see my and my guitar I’ll …” and maybe during solo: No percussion but add: Tambourine after first verse and end the start of 2nd verse, solos. Chords: pre-chorus CCCC GCCG DCG, Tambourine after first verse and end the start of 2nd verse, solo.

4. Day By Day: B-3 sounding different though, Try Larry’s backing vocals with main and No Percussion. Chords on verse:E-B, D-A, pre-chorus: E… G-A

5. Mary Jayne: organ B3 sounding on verses only. Chords:Dm-Am (GCEA)

6. It’s Not Me: Dark intro, w/piano: Talk box, lynch mob preset, from Motif and Piano, ooooo's and ooohhh's sounds on chorus only and ending maybe for more color on “please forgive my sins” ending with Piano melody… (Dm-C-G-Dm)-(Dm-C-Gm-Dm) FAD w/SITAR… vocal multiple delay effects on“If I find a room” verse. Piano part with slide guitar and march snare.

7. Liv: shaker, only on choruses…

8. There’s a Hole In My Heart: organ – B3 on Am(GCEA) or “Heart” and (ACFA) other” Heart” and pre- E-D-Am.

9. Satan’s Alley: congas through out the song with shaker...


10. Earth Blues: Backing vocals of the band...”Every Body” and "Love-Love Love" Band only... I didn't do any backing on this one...

11. Manic Depression:
Nothing to be done here...

Update on CD: The beginning of the end is the end...



Tuesday, March 21, 2006:

I left for the studio and got there around 11:00 am and worked till maybe 5:30pm. We recorded and fined tuned a couple of backing and main vocals by adding harmonies. Then as it got closer to 3:00pm, I add acoustic parts on few songs. I used a Yamaha LLX6 (Dave Navarro signature) and a Yamaha Compass 12-string. Vocals on my part where done by the end of day and the next session was for the band to record there backing vocals and percussions.

Thursday Morning around 5am to 6am:

I wrote a chart that I will post. To map out where to record and on what parts on what songs... If that makes any sense... I had about two hour sleep. I was just to hyper and re-thinking the whole day's plan, for my goal that day, was to finally finish the recording process...

Thursday, March 23, 2006:

I made it to the studio around 10:15am and I brought with me, my Yamaha MOTIF ES 7, Jerry Jones Sitar and a Fernades Strat for if just incase I need to fine tune something that I might have missed.The whole morning till about 4:00pm Peter and I worked on adding some B-3 organs sounds on some tracks. Nothing fancy just simple chords to add some bluesy texture that would enhanced some of the songs. Peter did all the organ stuff which did come out sounding very nice, big and full... The only thing I did was the weird eerie background noises on the into of "It's Not Me". Which were a couple of presets taken from the Motif ES 7.

The "It's Not Me" plan:

On that song I was thinking of adding a piano part using the same chord progression of "It's Not Me" and then me adding a small guitar line that would compliment it. Well Peter played this beautiful piano passage with chords and melodies using a Yamaha S08 and then the Erie Yamaha Motif sound effects was placed in the background. Those parts end right after the beginning guitar line of "It's Not Me"

Well............I couldn't touch it or add anything to that piano intro. It sounded soo good... I asked Peter to play the same thing after the song ended and he did. So now with a new ending new piano part of "It's Not Me" A marching snare drum was added and a slide guitar part that was plugged directly into the mixing board and were recorded. Peter suggested in adding a slide guitar part instead of just fucking around with the same old same old... So Peter played me and idea using a glass bottle and started playing a slide passage melody. I got the slide placed it on my ring finger and started playing my own thing and touch. We recorded three takes and the second one was the best and you'll hear that take on the CD. It's about 30 seconds and it's in the same vain as "... And The Vampires Made Love" .

6:30pm:

Larry got there first and setup and then David and Jack... The band did backing vocals on "Earth Blues", "What I Dreamed To Do", and "It's Not Me". David had to leave and so Larry did extra vocal duties on "Day By Day" .Larry did have trouble on congas and bongos. He only played percussion drums on outro of "Streets". Jack played percussion drums on "Savvy", "Streets", "Mary Jane" and "Satan's Alley" and shakers and tambourine was used also.

Session ended around 10:30pm with everything that needed to be record was done finally and so mixing will be the next journey which is booked April 4, 2006 at 10:00am. Till then.... ~JCM

3.15.2006

Main vocal tracks are done.

(Respect my athor-i-tah!! Ya tree-hugin' hippie!!)

Well almost anyways... I need to finish two more songs... "What I Dream To Do" and "It's Not Me". I had to adjust myself the first couple of hours but every went smooth after that. The next thing is for the band to do some fill-in backups and I need some chords fill-in of a piano and a B-3. I need to schedule the next session... JCM

3.13.2006

The new and the old "Streets" song.



The song "Streets" was composed in 2002. I kept it and didn't throw away like many other hundreds of poems, music and lyrics I've written before over a 10 year span. It was a great feelin' in a sense that I finally got it. I wasn't ashamed of showing and expressing my creation, to the band, family and friends, that came from my heart, mind and soul.
It was written in Corpse Christi, TX and inspiration came from just watching the TV - 10:00 O-clock night news. See and hearing all the crimes, hate, and how fast our daily lives have become.


The version of "Streets" right now on Myspace was done very fast and the vocals are indeed scratch vocals that were suppose to be redone on a later time. That's why I cringe everytime I hear it because I could have been so much better... or maybe not because all those tracks you hear for the exception of "Vampires Made Love" were done in 2003. When the band was only three months old and no gigs under The Killing Floor name. Now three/four years and almost 100 gigs later I think we have a better idea and more of a in command sound to all of our songs...


The "Streets '06" will have a heavier sound but not in a D-tuned way either. Here's what I mean... I used a Yamaha AES 520D6 baritone guitar and a Peavey 5150 combo for that heaviness and plus a Dillion flying-V and a Yamaha AES620 SH. So there's three rhythms tracks on "Streets" just to give you an idea. No twangy bluesy strats tones on "Streets"...lol JCM

It pours out...



All of us have different influences and for that reason our music comes out sounding like The Killing Floor. You'll hear our heroes for sure, not as a rip-off or a copy band either, but more like an inspiration. Through out the years I've always call ourselves a blues band. Now I'm not sure if that's right...lol JCM

New Sounds!!




New sounds...
I'm going to the studio and do the vocals finally on Tuesday... All I can say by the way it's going is... It won't sound like anything you've ever heard before... It's not retro or contemporary and it does have lots of styles, sounds and great tones... I'm really excited for the whole world to finally hear it. Till then I'll keep you posted... peace and love to ya, JCM

3.02.2006

A Gumbo of Mumbo-Jumbo! The secrets of...

Here's what I used for the recorded rhythm and leads guitar tracks. I did this mainly for myself for the next recording session, so I can remember what guitar sounds great with what. It's was a challenge keeping a written record of what I was playing at any given time during the recording process. You might find this interesting or maybe just a gumbo of mumbo- jumbo gear talk... I really labored just loading and unloading soo much gear and never mind all the sleepless nights... Anyway, no secrets here... It all here for you enjoy when the new CD arrives...










1. What I Dreamed To Do:
(Right Channel-Rhythm) G&L Comanche
(Left Channel - Rhythm) Yamaha RGX A-2
(solos) Yamaha AES 620SH
(Amps): Peavey Blues, w/Peavey 4x10 Blue Bell Speakers cabinet speakers being mic
.



2. Its Not Me:
(Rhythms and leads guitars): Epiphone Dot - 335 and Jerry Jones Sitar
(Amps): Yamaha DG 100A
(Solos): Epiphone Dot-335

(Epiphone Dot-335)

3. Mary Jayne:
(Rhythm-Left Channel): G&L S500 with Peavey Blues Classic.
(Rhythm- Right Channel): G&L Comanche with a Princeton with a small 10-inch single speaker and a original Ibanez TS808 pedal for grit.
(Solos): Fender Eric Clapton ("Kel-Blackie")

4. Manic Depression:
No over-dubs here!!
Fender 40th Anniver. "Janie" with a Peavey Blues Classic and through my pedal board and done in one take including solo
.

(Fender 40th Anniver. "Jaine")

5. Hole in My Heart:
(Right Channel rhythm): Fender Eric Clapton
(Left Channel rhythm): Fender 40th anniver. "janie"
(Amps) Peavey Blues Classic
(Solos) Fender 40th Anniver.

(Fender Eric Clapton "Kel-Blackie")

6. Savvy:
(Left Channel Rhythm): G&L S500 "Maggie"
(Right Channel Rhyhm): Yamaha AES 620 SH-Sammy Hagar w/toggle switch on middle.
(Middle Channel): Yamaha AES 620 SH lite distortion with neck pickup
(Amps) Peavey Blues Classic.
(Solos) G&L Comanche "Delia"

(G&L Comanche "Delia")

7. Streets:
(Left Channel Rhythm): Yamaha AES 820 Baritone, w/Peavey Blues Classic Amp
(Right Channel Rhythm): Dillion Flying V w/Peavey Blues Classic Amp (Middle Channel Rhythm): Yamha AES620SH- Sammy Hagar w/Peavey 5150 amp
(Solos): G&L Comanche "Delia", w/Peavey Blues Classic Amp and a small Vox Brian May's BMV-1 amp.

(Yamaha AES -620SH "Cabo Wabo")

8. Day By Day:
(One Track Guitar Rhythm): Blue Fender American Telecaster w/Peavey Blues Classic amp.
(Solos) Fender Telecaster w/line 6 DM (distortion pedal on octave-univibe and Dunlop Roto-vibe.

(G&L S-500, "Maggie")

9.Live:
(Left Rhythm Channel): White Burns Marquee guitar
(Right Rhythm Channel): Fender 40th anniversary.
(solos): G&L S-500 "Maggie"
(Amps): Peavey blues classic

(Burns Marquee"Jeri")

10. Satans Alley:
This one was done a little different:
(Main Rhythm Guitar and outro leads): Fender 40th Anniver.
(Intro leads and fills and Outro Rhythm Guitar): Yamaha RGX-A2


11.Earth Blues: Another recorded oddity!!Main guitars recorded but will not be panned hard Left or Right. (Guitars) Old early eighties Ibanez Roadstar w/three single coils. Blue Italia Modulo, two single coils and a P90 single on the bridge. (solos) Ibanez Roadstar (amps) Peavey Blues Classic.

(Italia Modulo "Live")