new album...the process

HI EVERYONE AND THANKS FOR KEEPING UP WITH ME OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS AS I FINISHED UP THIS ALBUM FOR THIS NEW PROJECT OF MINE.

IN SEPTEMBER I MOVED TO REYKJAVÍK, ICELAND. IT WAS MY PLAN WHEN I ARRIVED TO START A PROJECT. I HAD NO IDEA WHO I WAS GOING TO BE PLAYING WITH AND ALSO WHO I WOULD BE RECORDING WITH (BECAUSE I HAD NEVER DONE ANY RECORDING ASIDE FROM MY LITTLE BEDROOM DEMOS) .  SO I ARRIVED, AND FIRST THINGS FIRST I DECIDED TO SCRAP ALMOST EVERYTHING I HAD WRITTEN BEFORE I HAD ARRIVED HERE. I KEPT 2 SONGS…ONE I HAD WRITTEN JUST A WEEK OR TWO BEFORE MOVING AND ONE THAT I HAD WRITTEN A FEW MONTHS AND HAD MIKE KNOX WRITE SOME PIANO FOR. OTHER THAN THAT, THESE WERE ALL WRITTEN BETWEEN OCTOBER – JANUARY .  SO IF YOU DID NOT KNOW , AN ICELANDIC WINTER IS VERY DARK.  ICELAND IS CONSTANTLY GOING FROM ITS LIGHTEST DAY OF THE YEAR (SOMETIME IN THE SUMMER) , TO ITS DARKEST (SOMETIME IN JANUARY). THE SUN WOULD NOT BE FULLY UP TIL AROUND NOON AND DOWN BY FOUR IN THE AFTERNOON. SO I BECAME VERY USED TO NOT SEEING THE SUN.  THIS ACTUALLY I BELIEVE HELPED ME SEE THINGS THROUGH A BIT MORE. USUALLY I AM THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT GETS ABOUT 85% DONE AND LEAVES THINGS FOR A LONG TIME…BUT I KNEW I WANTED TO GET THIS OUT AND DONE SO I HAD TO BUCKLE DOWN AND START FINISHING THINGS. THIS PROJECT WAS ALL ON ME.  SO , I WAS TRACKING DEMOS ON GARAGEBAND…JUST USING A GUITAR , A SHITTY MIC, AND MUSICAL TYPING ON MY LAPTOP…I STARTED SENDING DEMOS TO MY FRIEND ANDREW SCHEPS WITH THE IDEA IN MY HEAD I WOULD EVENTUALLY NEED TO FIND A STUDIO AND SOME OTHER PEOPLE TO PLAY. WELL THIS ALL CHANGED. ANDREW THOUGHT THESE DEMOS SOUNDED REALLY GOOD…AND THAT ALL I NEEDED WAS A BETTER MIC AND WE WOULD BE ON OUR WAY. AND SO IT BEGAN…

THE FIRST SONG I WROTE AND FINISHED FOR THE PROJECT IS CALLED “BECAUSE WE HAVE TO”. I RECALL SITTING ON MY COUCH, PLAYING AN A MINOR CHORD AND HOPING TO STUMBLE SOMEWHERE AND I DID…LITERALLY WITHIN THE NEXT 2 MINUTES THE CHORD PROGRESSION FOR THIS SONG WAS DONE.  I WALKED OVER TO THE COMPUTER, OPENED UP GARAGEBAND AND SANG A MELODY OVER THE PROGRESSION I HAD JUST CAME UP WITH.  I THEN BELIEVE I SENT IT TO MY FRIEND SCOTT FROM POOR BAILEY. HE APPROVED SO I KNEW IT WAS A KEEPER J  I’D LIKE TO EXPLAING SOMETHING BEFORE I MOVE ON…I HAVE A VERY “DRUNKEN” STYLE OF WRITING. I AM NOT SAYING I AM DRUNK WHEN I WRITE, I NEVER AM, BUT THAT MY STYLE OF WRITING IS VERY MUCH LIKE A LONG, DRUNK WALK HOME FROM A BAR. A GUY LEAVES A BAR VERY DRUNK AND STARTS HIS JOURNEY HOME…OVER THAT WALK HE STUMBLES UPON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS…HE LAUGHS..HE RUNS…HE GETS SCARED..ETC…THEN HE GETS HOME. IN THE MORNING HE WAKES UP AND HE HAS NO IDEA HOW HE GOT THERE. WELL THAT IS KIND OF LIKE MY SONGWRITING. I PICK UP AN INSTRUMENT, STUMBLE AROUND ON IT…THEN NEXT THING I KNOW I AM SENDING THIS SONG TO ANDREW TO MIX. THIS HAPPENED TO ME FOR ALMOST EVERYTHING ON THIS PROJECT.  OK , WELL BACK TO THE SONG….I HAD THIS IDEA OF THIS VIDEO IN MY HEAD. A GROUP OF CUBAN REFUGEES FLEEING ON A BOAT TO COME TO THE STATES. ON THEIR WAY THEY ENCOUNTER BAD WEATHER,  AND THEY ALL DIE. A HORRIBLE THOUGHT , I KNOW….BUT IT JUST CAME TO MY MIND WHEN I WAS LISTENING TO THE MUSIC AND MELODY. SO I DECIDED TO WRITE BASED ON THAT.  THEN THE REST WAS JUST ADDING BACKROUNDS AND LIL KEYBOARD PARTS AND THAT WAS IT …THE SONG WAS DONE.

THE NEXT SONG I REMEMBER WRITING WAS “HELP ME” . I WAS SITTING AROUND…ON MY COUCH AGAIN, PLAYING MY GUITAR.  HUMMING AND PLAYING,ETC……I STARTED PLAYING THIS PROGRESSION WITH NO PICKING OR STRUMMING. JUST SPACED OUT GUITAR CHORDS AND A MELODY KIND OF WEAVING THEM TOGETHER.  THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED….OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS I RECORDED A FEW DEMOS OF THIS SONG, FINALLY DECIDING ON ONE TO BE THE “REAL” VERSION.  I BELIEVE THIS IS WHERE I SHOULD INTRODUCE MY FRIEND ARNI. ARNI LIVES HERE IN ICELAND, AND I HAD CONTACTED HIM ABOUT POSSIBLY HELPING ME OUT WITH SOME PROGRAMMING.  THIS WAS THE FIRST SONG HE WORKED ON FOR THE PROJECT. YOU WILL NOTICE HIS PART COME IN ABOUT HALF-WAY THROUGH THE SONG. 

I ACTUALLY SAT DOWN WITH THE INTENTION OF WRITING ABOUT EVERY SONG…BUT THE FACT IS I DON’T REMEMBER THE WHOLE PROCESS AND LOTS OF IT WOULD BE RATHER BORING. SO I AM GONNA STOP..HAHA. I WILL HOWEVER LIST THE TRACKS AND WHAT IS ON THEM J HERE WE GO..

NEXT IS “JUST A HABIT” …THIS SONG WAS ONE I WROTE BEFORE I LEFT AND HAS MIKE KNOX PLAYING A RHODES ON IT.

BERGÞÓRUGATA – I WROTE THIS SONG AT THE KITCHEN TABLE ONE EARLY AFTERNOON. I FOOLED AROUND WITH THE PROGRAMMING FOR A BIT THEN SENT IT TO MY FRIEND ARNI. HE TOOK OVER THE PROGRAMMING FROM THERE. 

CAVES- THIS IS A SMALL, PRETTY INTERLUDE FOR THE ALBUM…THIS SONG ORIGINALLY HAD A VERSE…AND THIS WAS THE CHORUS. I DECIDED TO SCRAP THE VERSE AND JUST REPEAT THE CHORUS AND TURN IT INTO AN INTERLUDE. I REALLY LIKE THIS PIECE….EVEN THOUGH IT JUST REPEATS AND REPEATS.

NOBODY ELSE- THIS SONG I HAD WRITTEN JUST A COUPLE WEEKS BEFORE I LEFT. IT  ALMOST MADE IT ONTO THE LAST AS RECORD WHICH IS COMING OUT SOON. BUT WE ONLY HAD A DAY AND A HALF IN THE STUDIO SO WE DIDN’T HAVE THE TIME TO START GETTING IT ALL TOGETHER. I HAD THIS BEAT , I LOOPED IT…HAD THIS SIMPLE CHORD PROGRESSION. WROTE A MELODY AND LYRICS. ADDED SOME INSTRUMENTS AND BACKROUND VOCALS…AND THAT WAS IT..IT WAS DONE.  I DID WRITE AROUND THE LINE “THERE’S NOBODY ELSE” …WHEN I WAS JUST MAKING UP A MELODY ON THE CHORDS I KEPT SAYING  THAT LINE OVER THE CHORUS. IT FIT…SO I KEPT IT.

PATIENCE- I WAS WALKING AROUND THE HOUSE, MY GUITAR DROPPED TO D..PLAYING AND HUMMING. STUMBLED UPON THE VERSE OF THIS. I GRABBED MY IPHONE AND RECORDED THE IDEA SO I WOULD REMEMBER. THE NEXT DAY I PULLED OUT THE MIC AND GUITAR AND LAYED IT DOWN IN GARAGEBAND. BY THIS TIME I HAD OBTAINED A MIDI KEYBOARD FROM MY FRIEND ARNI…SO I NO LONGER NEED “MUSICAL TYPING” . DID A FEW SMALL KEY PARTS AND IT WAS DONE.  MY FRIEND ANTON AND HIS BROTHER LEWIS WERE KIND ENOUGH TO WRITE SOME STRINGS OVER THE SONG. I AM REALLY HAPPY THAT I GOT FRIENDS FROM HOME TO BE A PART OF THIS IN SOME SMALL WAY J

“ACOUSTIC SONG” – THIS IS THE ONLY SONG ON THE RECORD FEATURING THE GOOD OLE’ ACOUSTIC GUITAR. THE MAIN REASON WAS I DID NOT HAVE A GOOD MIC TO RECORD AN ACOUSTIC , SO I WAS JUST PLUGGING MY GUITAR STRAIGHT INTO MY COMP (THANKS RADIOSHACK FOR THE ADAPTER) .  BUT SINCE I HAD OBTAINED A NICE MIC…I FIGURED I WOULD GIVE THIS SONG A GO. I HAD THIS CHORD PROGRESSION AND THIS MELODY FOR A FEW WEEKS…AND IT JUST SEEMED UNFINISHED…BUT I RECORDED THE IDEA AND SENT IT TO ANDREW. I RECEIVED AN EMAIL SAYING “BEAUTTTIIFFUULLLL, IT IS DONE!” THE PROBLEM WAS THERE WERE NO LYRICS. SO IT WASN’T DONE AND I WOULD NEED TO RE-RECORD IT. THE VERSION I HAD SENT ANDREW, I RECORDED OLD SCHOOL STYLE. I JUST SET UP THE MIC IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM AND JUST SANG AND PLAYED GUITAR. THEN I ADDED SOME BACKROUNDS AFTER…AND THAT WAS IT . SO, I HIT UP MY FRIEND SCOTT ALLBRIGHT. I TOLD HIM I HAD THIS SONG AND I HAD NO IDEA WHERE TO GO WITH LYRICS. IF YOU HAVE NOT CHECKED OUT HIS BAND “POOR BAILEY” YOU NEED TO…SCOTT IS A FANTASTIC WRITER. SO ..ANYWAYS…I SENT HIM THE SONG AND HE WROTE THE WORDS FOR IT.  THEN I TRACKED THE SONG AT HOME IN MY KITCHEN IN THE SAME STYLE…SENT IT OVER TO SCOTT AND HE SANG ON A VERSE ALONG WITH ME. DONE!

TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT- ONE MORNING ARNI SENT ME THIS LIL LOOP HE HAD WRITTEN A FEW YEARS BACK. IT WAS ABOUT 1:08 LONG. I  LISTENED AND SANG ALONG COMING UP WITH A MELODY. I THEN TOOK IT INTO MY KITCHEN…SET UP MY GUITAR AND KEYBOARD AND STARTED ADDING INSTRUMENTS AND LAYERS TO THE SONG. THEN I FOOLED AROUND WITH THE PROGRAMMING A BIT AND ADDED SOME LAP PERCUSSION. I THEN SPENT AN HOUR ON THIS IDEA I HAD FOR LYRICS…RECORDED THEM , SENT IT TO ANDREW, HE WENT THROUGH AND DID A BUNCH OF TWEEKS ON THE PERCUSSION (WHICH IS RAD NOW) AND THAT WAS THAT…I THINK THE SONG IS NOW 8:00 LONG.

THE PAINTER- THIS SONG WAS NOT GONNA MAKE THE RECORD. IT WAS A SMALL IDEA I HAD WRITTEN A FEW WEEKS AFTER BEING HERE. BUT I HAD NEVER TRIED TO DO A PROPER RECORDING OF IT. I SENT ABOUT 2 HOURS ONE QUIET MORNING DOING SO…THIS IS WHAT CAME OUT. MY FRIEND ANDREW SCHEPS RECEIVED IT AND ADDED SOME GLOCK AND BRASS AND WORKED HIS MIXING MAGIC…AND THAT WAS IT…DONE.

PUZZLE- ONE DAY I WAS BORED AT HOME AND DECIDED, I AM GONNA WRITE A SONG ON THIS LIL MIDI KEYBOARD. I STARTED WITH THIS LOOP OF A PROGRESSION. THEN I DECIDED IM GONNA START WITH A MELODY AND THEN START ADDING DIFFERENT MELODIES ONE BY ONE TIL IT IS JUST A BUNCH OF VOICES DOING A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT MELODIES. THEN I ADDED SOME KICK DRUM, ETC…AND THEN IT WAS DONE ON MY PART. I SENT IT TO MY FRIEND ARNI, HE ADDED SOME PROGRAMMING…SENT IT BACK. SONG DONE.

INTRO TO ALBUM – I ACTUALLY JUST DID THIS SONG HE OTHER DAY. IT WAS TITLED “FIRST SONG OF SUMMER ALBUM” . I SPENT A HALF HOUR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER . THE NEXT DAY I WOKE AND GAVE IT A LISTEN. I DECIDED IT FIT REALLY WELL WITH THE ALBUM AND KIND OF TIED THINGS TOGETHER NICELY…SO I DECIDED TO ADD IT.

HAHA, I AM NOW TIRED OF TYPING…I JUST WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND DECIDED I SHOULD START ON THIS…AND NOW I AM DONE. I REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOY THE ALBUM AND THIS SMALL DESCRIPTION OF IT…I PLAN ON WRITING ANOTHER RIGHT WHEN THE ALBUM OFFICIALLY COMES OUT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS.

THANKS TO MY FAMILY…MOM, DAD, HEIÐUR, ÚLFUR, ERIN, LAUREN, ANDREW SCHEPS, SCOTT ALLBRIGHT, ALICIA CAMPBELL, MIKE KNOX…ALL MY HOMIES BACK HOME., ALL MY NEW FRIENDS IN ICELAND.

I KNOW I HAVE FORGOTTEN A LOT…SO THAT IS WHY I WILL BE WRITING A NEW ONE THE DAY THE ALBUM IS OUT. 

ENJOY!!!