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What's better than coming up with a solo project, doing everything from the groundwork up and cap it with a self serving writeup? Ha! |
ON WHY WASTE DISK SPACE FOR AN ALBUM, WHERE EXACTLY IS THAT CATHEDRAL, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THE STEPS FOR SOLAR DANCING, WHY HIS GUITAR PLAYING IS THE ULTIMATE RIP-OFF AND WHY HE WON'T TRADE PLACES WITH BONO - ALL IN 150 WORDS OR MORE
DIY has come of age. After a long time, I have mustered enough gall to finish the eight track debut, INNER CATHEDRALS - a job I enjoyed doing and enjoyed putting of for a while. While listening to it, I would be best to keep in mind that the album is still a demo album, and isn't written in ink. When an opportunity comes, I would definitely love to do the whole album again with a live band. Some may wonder how come I never did the originals with Nancy Brew, it is simply because I wouldn't want three very unhappy people working with me this time , as Steve Howe would say. You see, the little dictator me rears its ugly head (and mustache) once in a while.
A loose concept ties the materials for Inner cathedrals, which is about life as long travel in pursuit of something that fulfills, commonly depicted in forms of space journeys and discoveries. I have been fascinated with space travel at the time, and still am at an extent. I'm no NASA/ MITT enthusiast, but have learned enough to love and awe things on dark matters, quasars, and neutrinos. 'Inner Cathedrals' would ascribe to the inner sanctuary we find when we find peace with our Creator through grace in the cross, and that worship goes beyond the physical cathedrals we erect.
Orbits (Green remix) is a clean toned foray into a funky old school fusion/ smooth jazz, and I enjoyed laying down the keyboard tracks (clavinet comp and faux-B3 solo) on this one. The melody may remind some of a short reference to a line from Manhattan Skyline (which was also quoted by Santana on one of his jams).
Planet Phulla' Phunk is a groovy track which started as a sound clip demo uploaded at www.philmusic.com's Soundclick Thread. Originally titled as 'Leave it That way', the 1:32 track was shelved for a time until revisited during all Soul's day of 2010. Thank God for holidays, indeed. The main head is inspired by Satch's phrasing and the solos are divided into two parts: the first one aims for the short intricate statements of Scofield while the next pays homage to the Satch/Vai whammy bar phrasing. As the track progressed, the arrangement veered into a slightly different direction, more towards Greg Howe-y fusion.
Venus in Blue is an interesting cut culled from a million influences. Its another keyboard solo that I loved doing, as I was trying hard to draw from Joe Zawinul. The whole vibe was later fusion Miles, and the dom7th chord vamp from Stern (Mike). An old friend and batchmate (Richie Remo ) and I used to jam over this riff. The guitar solos are another story. In the middle of the sessions, the Zoom 707 (So that's why the tone sucks! - tone police department) broke down and I had to finish tracking with the old trusty Korg A4. I thought I wanted to sound like Jeff Beck, or Scott Henderson but found that impossible - I ended up sounding like, unfortunately, me. The drum outro is definitely ho-hum, and this track reeks of demo like quality and horrible tone. I just decide to let it remain as is though, and had to release it before I get OC over the track again for the umpteenth time.
Inner Cathedrals, 9 and An Alien's Sojourn are the album's slower tracks and were a breeze to do. 9, touches into the romantic and lyrical side of guitar playing and is actually the second edit. An earlier version was edited into the recent one with a more focused and concise arrangement. The first melody part was recorded using a borrowed Ibanez nylon-string (Thanks to Joel Bayona). The second head and outro solos, drum tracks and rhythm sections were re-recorded. Inner Cathedrals was originally titled Home, and the ethereal feel was greatly influenced by Pat Metheny's and The Yellowjackets' landscapes. I was pushing for a 'less is more' type of playing, a slightly snarling tone and the fretless solo was done real time on the keyboards. An Alien's Sojourn still comes from the old school fusion vibe and was a challenging track as far as parts and arrangements were concerned. Highlighting three instruments is a very indulging thought - yet indulge I did. The three tracks are homage to my other heroes, George Benson, Earl Klugh, Dave Spinozza and Paul Jackson Jr.
The Solar Dance is a one chord ditty rock instrumental over another groovy bed. Oddly, the intro riff which modulates a half step is inspired not by notes, but by dance steps. One evening in a youth camp I was watching two young people dancing goofy with each other face to face, imitating each other's moves. From a far, I was imagining what music they were dancing to, hence, the wah intro riff.
The last track (and also the last one written) was The Walk. The track started with a chord progression done on tremoloed guitars and was intended to be a bare bones blues. Yet something progressed as the whole sequence fit squarely in a half tempo rock groove. At that time, I was heavily listening to Michael Lee Firkins, and I suspect that I was sublimely aiming for the phrasing and the imitated-slide-effect via the whammy bar. Pastorius' The Chicken is quoted and punctuates the end of the piano solo for fun.
Instrumentals paint different pictures to different people, as opposed to having lyrics . There's less guilt in explaining the stories behind the tracks, a much lesser crime than the time Bono explained (ugh!) some of U2 lyrics. But as to ripping off and generously stealing other people's styles - guilty on eight counts, your honor.
Pencils up, finished or not. Those caught writing at this time will be shot dead. Now pass your papers to the front.
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