I was thinking about adventures in music. I'm not sure why, but it might have something to do with the fact that I am close to finishing a recording project (Truth Panel) that's been going on for some time now. And it's going to be rather good. If I say so myself.
I finished the classwork for my M.Mus (Tonmeister program) at McGill. Once you're close to done in any degree program the inevitable question is "Now what?" I finished in 1983 and my dream of being the next George Martin burned bright. Note...George Martin, now Sir George Martin is probably the most celebrated, successful and best-known record producer of all time. I probably don't have to tell you that, but just in case. You know. You're welcome)
So, I sent an armful of resumes to Britain- convinced that being Canadian and well-educated would open doors in just about any studio I went in. Yes sireee, I would walk in and they'd say, "Aren't YOU the next George Martin? We've been waiting for you. We are not worthy. Grovel, grovel, cringe....
Not so much.
I did send letters to various London studios. This was before email, don't you know. Abbey Road (my 1st choice): 1 year later I got a letter saying "Vacancies rarely occur here...." I am sure they have had one or two since then given that it was 28 years ago. AIR Studios (no response), Olympic Studios (no response). The Townhouse (no response). Lansdowne Studios, Advision Studios and everywhere else I could think of where my favourite records were recorded.
One place I sent a letter to was a studio in Scotland called Castlesound- I knew of its existence because of a trade magazine ad showing their Amek console. So I sent a letter there too. Sure enough, I got a charming reply (of course, they're Scottish!) saying that they were considering building a 2nd studio on the premises and I was welcome to stop by and visit should I ever come to Scotland.
So I got on a plane. I am not kidding. This was 1983- and I was 24 years old. I have never been one to shy away from an adventure. Not then and not now. Besides, my aunt and uncle lived not too far from the place and so free lodgings were assured. And my aunt is a terrific cook. ..
The engineer/owner, Calum Malcolm, who is unquestionably one of the most brilliant engineers I have ever encountered, played masters of his new project, The Blue Nile's A Walk Across the Rooftops. I had to admit that it was as good as anything I had ever heard. I realized it might take me a while to become George Martin after all. So after a few days of chatting and listening to mixes, and hanging out at the studio- and the pub- and making lots of tea, the inevitable happened.
"I've got Big Country coming in next week. Would you like a job for a week or so? I need a lackey"
I sighed and decided right there and then that the pedicure and facial would just have to wait.
A Scottish band, who were #8 on Billboard, the cover of Rolling Stone and a few months away from playing on the Grammy's was nothing to be sneezed at. Calum was also dazzling as he was intent on sending them back to London with a very positive impression of what could be recorded in Scotland. And I was a pretty good lackey too. Mostly I kept quiet and watched intently. I got to make a tape loop (hey this was 1983 you know...) and do playbacks for the band while Calum went to the bog. It was nice to rub shoulders with a band who had clearly "made it" but in true Celtic fashion, they were very realistic and humble about it too. And I got some fabulous new expressions to use too. One of them came into the control room after a take and said, "Right, Dave....Gee' it to us louder than FUCK!" I never learned how loud FUCK was at McGill. But I sure found out. It was loud; marvelously loud. Deliciously loud.
It must have gone well, because after the time there the band invited me to come down to London to see them record down at RAK Studios with Steve Lillywhite. I am sure they invite every studio tea boy, but who was I to quibble? Besides, I had applied for a job at RAK- and it's just down the street from Abbey Road.
The adventure continued. And so will I. Don't you hate the teaser?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Good, The Bad and the Sad
I haven't blogged in a little while because I had my kids staying with me so it was a busy time. But lucky you, I am back- broke, and on the wagon.
This afternoon I just finished a voice over for a corporate video. It was a serious topic (involving death), so I had to sound suitably sombre- kind of like being a mortician. Wait....isn't that what we now call a funeral director? I'll have to look back at one of my Six Feet Under DVD's. Whatever. So this morning I was perfecting my lugubrious look and slightly clammy handshake. I think I got it right- the handshake and the look I mean.
Anyway, I actually did the music for this video- a heartfelt piece of hopeful sadness (that's where I got the idea for the handshake...) The client wanted to be in on the voice session, which is fine by me. She said, "Oh you're the one who did the music too!" Indeed. And, I went on to tell her, I was the cameraman, the editor, built all the sets and wrote the script too! Laughs all around! I really am so damn funny sometimes!
Seriously, though. it was nice to get to do the VO- and have young Ty (a very talented young man who is becoming quite the jack of all trades) man the board. Usually I have to do that too. Not this time. Just the music and the voice over. The last VO I did was for an Islamic Cartoon (The 99) on which I am a regular character. An evil doctor or something with a slightly mid-atlantic accent. Yes, kids, I can do it all. Call me and I'll make you a deal on music and VO and a mix. Really. I'm not kidding.
So I was reminded of something while doing the session. (I am reminded of things in bizarre ways all the time. Usually something dirty...but not on this occasion) In a studio I once worked in there was a Dolby 5.1 mix being done for a TV special. The mixer was a very talented but extremely taciturn fellow. He had a 'tude probably due to the fact that he has been stoned for most of the last 28 years. Or maybe it's just when he isn't baked that he's an asshole. One never knows. But the guy can mix. Just keep him away from the clients.
The show in question began with a very large airplane coming from behind as it lands. This mixer, whom I will call "Eddie", set up the 5.1 deliciously well. You sensed a rumble and then felt the jet coming from behind you and then over your head. It was fabulous. The room shook and you physically felt the air from the speakers push you as the plane touched the ground. The men in the room- including one of the clients listening to this playback for the first time- collectively exclaimed a chortling "FUUUUUUUUCK!" (or at least I said that. I'm pretty sure the other guys did too, and we all felt the need to change our underwear right after.) The one woman, notably the other client. turned and said, "I don't like it. It's too loud".
It was as if the air that had been in the room was now completely sucked out. We guys, for whom 5.1 was invented, who grew up genetically pre-disposed to making cool mouth sounds for cars, machine guns, planes, bombs and fast boats were devastated. But my main worry was Eddie. I was waiting for him to erupt in indignation, and it wasn't going to be pretty. I feared for the woman's safety with her being seated no more than 5 feet from a rapidly simmering engineer. I was praying NOOOO! Don't tell her what you are really thinking! She's the CLIENT!!! To Eddie's credit. He said nothing. or not much anyway. I heard some mumbling; and maybe words like 'fuck', 'douchebag' and 'Chevrolet'.
The remaining playback was an exercise in turning down every cool effect over the course of the 48 minute show. All of them. Every time. The other client tried to explain that it was a good mix- and would play well. But we had all been spanked. And not in a good way. We were done. Eddie left the room, still mumbling ('nosebleed',,,'dickhead'...'republican'...), leaving me to do the dirty work. Oh yes. I was the hatchet man. And I tried every trick I knew to avoid the inevitable: do nothing and pretend you did and maybe they'll "hear" the non-change as a change. No; Carry on a distracting conversation about the Maple Leafs while you work and not pull things down as much as they wanted. No; Press a button (with great gusto and ceremony) that's not connected to anything. No; We were defeated.
That was then.
So today, humbly, gently and with suitable regret I read the sad words to my sad music. Maybe I can stick a plane in there somewhere...
This afternoon I just finished a voice over for a corporate video. It was a serious topic (involving death), so I had to sound suitably sombre- kind of like being a mortician. Wait....isn't that what we now call a funeral director? I'll have to look back at one of my Six Feet Under DVD's. Whatever. So this morning I was perfecting my lugubrious look and slightly clammy handshake. I think I got it right- the handshake and the look I mean.
Anyway, I actually did the music for this video- a heartfelt piece of hopeful sadness (that's where I got the idea for the handshake...) The client wanted to be in on the voice session, which is fine by me. She said, "Oh you're the one who did the music too!" Indeed. And, I went on to tell her, I was the cameraman, the editor, built all the sets and wrote the script too! Laughs all around! I really am so damn funny sometimes!
Seriously, though. it was nice to get to do the VO- and have young Ty (a very talented young man who is becoming quite the jack of all trades) man the board. Usually I have to do that too. Not this time. Just the music and the voice over. The last VO I did was for an Islamic Cartoon (The 99) on which I am a regular character. An evil doctor or something with a slightly mid-atlantic accent. Yes, kids, I can do it all. Call me and I'll make you a deal on music and VO and a mix. Really. I'm not kidding.
So I was reminded of something while doing the session. (I am reminded of things in bizarre ways all the time. Usually something dirty...but not on this occasion) In a studio I once worked in there was a Dolby 5.1 mix being done for a TV special. The mixer was a very talented but extremely taciturn fellow. He had a 'tude probably due to the fact that he has been stoned for most of the last 28 years. Or maybe it's just when he isn't baked that he's an asshole. One never knows. But the guy can mix. Just keep him away from the clients.
The show in question began with a very large airplane coming from behind as it lands. This mixer, whom I will call "Eddie", set up the 5.1 deliciously well. You sensed a rumble and then felt the jet coming from behind you and then over your head. It was fabulous. The room shook and you physically felt the air from the speakers push you as the plane touched the ground. The men in the room- including one of the clients listening to this playback for the first time- collectively exclaimed a chortling "FUUUUUUUUCK!" (or at least I said that. I'm pretty sure the other guys did too, and we all felt the need to change our underwear right after.) The one woman, notably the other client. turned and said, "I don't like it. It's too loud".
It was as if the air that had been in the room was now completely sucked out. We guys, for whom 5.1 was invented, who grew up genetically pre-disposed to making cool mouth sounds for cars, machine guns, planes, bombs and fast boats were devastated. But my main worry was Eddie. I was waiting for him to erupt in indignation, and it wasn't going to be pretty. I feared for the woman's safety with her being seated no more than 5 feet from a rapidly simmering engineer. I was praying NOOOO! Don't tell her what you are really thinking! She's the CLIENT!!! To Eddie's credit. He said nothing. or not much anyway. I heard some mumbling; and maybe words like 'fuck', 'douchebag' and 'Chevrolet'.
The remaining playback was an exercise in turning down every cool effect over the course of the 48 minute show. All of them. Every time. The other client tried to explain that it was a good mix- and would play well. But we had all been spanked. And not in a good way. We were done. Eddie left the room, still mumbling ('nosebleed',,,'dickhead'...'republican'...), leaving me to do the dirty work. Oh yes. I was the hatchet man. And I tried every trick I knew to avoid the inevitable: do nothing and pretend you did and maybe they'll "hear" the non-change as a change. No; Carry on a distracting conversation about the Maple Leafs while you work and not pull things down as much as they wanted. No; Press a button (with great gusto and ceremony) that's not connected to anything. No; We were defeated.
That was then.
So today, humbly, gently and with suitable regret I read the sad words to my sad music. Maybe I can stick a plane in there somewhere...
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Do the Hustle
I was sitting in a walk-in clinic yesterday. It wasn't for me, but for my daughter who is visiting. She arrived with yet another throat infection and part of the family fun was to spend an hour (luxury by modern Canadian health care standards) in a dirty, germy waiting room. Perhaps that's why I feel a little "off" today. Sure, go ahead. State the obvious: I am a little off. There feel better now? Vultures....
My point was that while I was catching some bugger's anthrax in the waiting room, I thumbed through a Canadian Business magazine that was all about getting an MBA. The stats were all there: how much money MBA's make, what great business leaders MBA's make (especially if they are from Queen's) and how you can live a better life as an MBA. And I thought, "Golly! Maybe if I had an MBA I'd be able to get those 5 new agency clients that I have been seeking!"
Actually, I didn't think that at all. I thought, "Fuck! All the assholes who precipitated the recent global financial disaster we've been enjoying have MBA's." But at the same time, it seemed like getting an MBA would be a good way to reinvent myself. If I thought it would help business I might.
But the toughest thing about making a living in the music business is not administration. Nor is it about making spreadsheets and running around an office with bits of paper and looking grim. The hardest part is actually finding business. I am on Linkedin- something I recommend for everybody, actually. There are a number of group forums with comment threads on "How to get a start in my career as a ...blah blah blah". Maybe I am wrong, but if I thought getting an MBA would help me in my particular business I would do it in a flash. I already have a bunch of degrees. What's one more?
I am reminded of something I once saw in a magazine. It might have been Playboy or Penthouse, because I only remember the articles:
Q- How do you get to the top?
A- You have to start at the bottom.
Q- How do you start at the bottom?
A- You have to know somebody!
True enough! I got my start in film scoring through a friend and high-school teaching colleague. He had a friend (you seeing a pattern here?) who was making his first, low-budget movie. Since I had done some music with this friend- and I was the school's music teacher- and had a small home studio I was recommended. Highly. So I did the gig and it went well. Then this friend-of-a-friend made another movie. And another. And two other film makers who had worked on one of these films made their own- and had heard what I did on the previous films. I got their business too.
The rest is sort of history. The hard part is that the hustle is never over. Even within the last 10 or 12 years things have changed a great deal. And clients have come and gone. and you have to do a lot of different things- write, produce, record voice-overs, mix. There doesn't seem to be a point at which you ever have "too much" business. The hustle becomes more than a bad 70's tune. (awww damn...I am hearing that in my head now. Thankyouverymuch.)
So if you know anyone who is looking, send them my way. I even do bad 70's knock-offs. Or maybe I will just go and get an MBA. Or not.
My point was that while I was catching some bugger's anthrax in the waiting room, I thumbed through a Canadian Business magazine that was all about getting an MBA. The stats were all there: how much money MBA's make, what great business leaders MBA's make (especially if they are from Queen's) and how you can live a better life as an MBA. And I thought, "Golly! Maybe if I had an MBA I'd be able to get those 5 new agency clients that I have been seeking!"
Actually, I didn't think that at all. I thought, "Fuck! All the assholes who precipitated the recent global financial disaster we've been enjoying have MBA's." But at the same time, it seemed like getting an MBA would be a good way to reinvent myself. If I thought it would help business I might.
But the toughest thing about making a living in the music business is not administration. Nor is it about making spreadsheets and running around an office with bits of paper and looking grim. The hardest part is actually finding business. I am on Linkedin- something I recommend for everybody, actually. There are a number of group forums with comment threads on "How to get a start in my career as a ...blah blah blah". Maybe I am wrong, but if I thought getting an MBA would help me in my particular business I would do it in a flash. I already have a bunch of degrees. What's one more?
I am reminded of something I once saw in a magazine. It might have been Playboy or Penthouse, because I only remember the articles:
Q- How do you get to the top?
A- You have to start at the bottom.
Q- How do you start at the bottom?
A- You have to know somebody!
True enough! I got my start in film scoring through a friend and high-school teaching colleague. He had a friend (you seeing a pattern here?) who was making his first, low-budget movie. Since I had done some music with this friend- and I was the school's music teacher- and had a small home studio I was recommended. Highly. So I did the gig and it went well. Then this friend-of-a-friend made another movie. And another. And two other film makers who had worked on one of these films made their own- and had heard what I did on the previous films. I got their business too.
The rest is sort of history. The hard part is that the hustle is never over. Even within the last 10 or 12 years things have changed a great deal. And clients have come and gone. and you have to do a lot of different things- write, produce, record voice-overs, mix. There doesn't seem to be a point at which you ever have "too much" business. The hustle becomes more than a bad 70's tune. (awww damn...I am hearing that in my head now. Thankyouverymuch.)
So if you know anyone who is looking, send them my way. I even do bad 70's knock-offs. Or maybe I will just go and get an MBA. Or not.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Running, Jumping, Standing Still
Writing music for anything is a hurry up and wait kind of thing.
You can find out you have a show to score- and it can be anything- and you wait. And wait. The edit always takes longer than you expect. Much longer. The client wants changes. More changes.
Then finally when it's YOUR turn, You Have 1 (ONE) Day! OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but not much. Inevitably, since you are the last cog in the food chain (sorry for the mixed metaphor) you are right up against deadline. Not much time for revisions, introspection or second-guessing. Better pretty much nail it first time.
I must be an adrenaline junky, because I rather like that.
Oh and one more thing- Murphy's Law #74: If you have planned a vacation, family visit or proctologist appointment you can be assured you will finally get presented with the show to score on that day! yes you can plan that European Vacation months in advance, assured there will be a last-minute panic that will almost require you to cancel. Almost. You just learn to work fast. And that, my chickens, is the key.
A number of years ago I was offered a scoring job on a television series. There were 3 other composers who were given an episode to score- on spec. I don't generally like to to do spec work, but this case was different and I would have screwed my grandmother to get a notionally- broadcast and syndicated TV show to score. Thankfully then, as now, both my grandmothers were dead (and they still are) so I didn't have to live up to that part of the bargain. But if I had to...wait.....naaaah.
Anyway....where was I? Oh yes. I got a show to score on the Monday. I had it done by Monday afternoon. Drove it to the production office for the producers to see. They called back with some changes- which I made and delivered a new version by noon on Tuesday. You will note that this was before the era of putting Quicktime files up online for approvals- I had to copy it all to VHS and bring the hard copy to the producers. Over broken glass. During a hurricane.
Anyway, long story short, it was approved and on the air on the following Friday. I was given another one to do....and later another one....and another one. I found out that the other guys hadn't even handed anything in after 3 weeks. Come on, People, it was maybe FOUR minutes of music to write. We're not talking about emulating Mahler here. I guess they just couldn't get the "vibe", Or they couldn't decide on a snare drum sound. Or maybe they weren't as slutty with their grandmothers as I was willing to be. Whatever the case, the gig became mine.
They don't call it 'scoring' for nothing.
You can find out you have a show to score- and it can be anything- and you wait. And wait. The edit always takes longer than you expect. Much longer. The client wants changes. More changes.
Then finally when it's YOUR turn, You Have 1 (ONE) Day! OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but not much. Inevitably, since you are the last cog in the food chain (sorry for the mixed metaphor) you are right up against deadline. Not much time for revisions, introspection or second-guessing. Better pretty much nail it first time.
I must be an adrenaline junky, because I rather like that.
Oh and one more thing- Murphy's Law #74: If you have planned a vacation, family visit or proctologist appointment you can be assured you will finally get presented with the show to score on that day! yes you can plan that European Vacation months in advance, assured there will be a last-minute panic that will almost require you to cancel. Almost. You just learn to work fast. And that, my chickens, is the key.
A number of years ago I was offered a scoring job on a television series. There were 3 other composers who were given an episode to score- on spec. I don't generally like to to do spec work, but this case was different and I would have screwed my grandmother to get a notionally- broadcast and syndicated TV show to score. Thankfully then, as now, both my grandmothers were dead (and they still are) so I didn't have to live up to that part of the bargain. But if I had to...wait.....naaaah.
Anyway....where was I? Oh yes. I got a show to score on the Monday. I had it done by Monday afternoon. Drove it to the production office for the producers to see. They called back with some changes- which I made and delivered a new version by noon on Tuesday. You will note that this was before the era of putting Quicktime files up online for approvals- I had to copy it all to VHS and bring the hard copy to the producers. Over broken glass. During a hurricane.
Anyway, long story short, it was approved and on the air on the following Friday. I was given another one to do....and later another one....and another one. I found out that the other guys hadn't even handed anything in after 3 weeks. Come on, People, it was maybe FOUR minutes of music to write. We're not talking about emulating Mahler here. I guess they just couldn't get the "vibe", Or they couldn't decide on a snare drum sound. Or maybe they weren't as slutty with their grandmothers as I was willing to be. Whatever the case, the gig became mine.
They don't call it 'scoring' for nothing.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
The New Frontier
I have been meaning to get on with this for a long time.
Not that I am a procrastinator or anything, it's just that it's taken me a while to get my mind around this kind of marketing. if you have found your way here from Facebook, well good on 'ya. I intend to continue to write a blog on music, recording, film music and all the other groovy things I do on a regular basis. It is the way it's done now it seems.
You may have found the Truth Panel stuff. Well yes, I have been working on that project for about a year and a half now, but it's taken that long to realize that my own instrumental music needs a forum as well. Plus, I was born keen to wake up the next day and hear what I had to say, so here I am.
Truth Panel is almost done- and it's been a fun thing to work on. But this year I have 2 (count 'em TWO) film soundtracks to get out and now that I can market this properly, perhaps another New Age project that's been simmering on the back burner for a while now. I will post the new stuff on Reverb Nation, which seems to be as good a place as any. I seem to recall MySpace was once good for that, but it seems to have turned into another marketing thing. So screw it. I will use this. Eventually it will all be tied up to my website, which will also be re-vamped shortly.
Hope you like it. I will try not to be a boring asshole. That's a promise!
Not that I am a procrastinator or anything, it's just that it's taken me a while to get my mind around this kind of marketing. if you have found your way here from Facebook, well good on 'ya. I intend to continue to write a blog on music, recording, film music and all the other groovy things I do on a regular basis. It is the way it's done now it seems.
You may have found the Truth Panel stuff. Well yes, I have been working on that project for about a year and a half now, but it's taken that long to realize that my own instrumental music needs a forum as well. Plus, I was born keen to wake up the next day and hear what I had to say, so here I am.
Truth Panel is almost done- and it's been a fun thing to work on. But this year I have 2 (count 'em TWO) film soundtracks to get out and now that I can market this properly, perhaps another New Age project that's been simmering on the back burner for a while now. I will post the new stuff on Reverb Nation, which seems to be as good a place as any. I seem to recall MySpace was once good for that, but it seems to have turned into another marketing thing. So screw it. I will use this. Eventually it will all be tied up to my website, which will also be re-vamped shortly.
Hope you like it. I will try not to be a boring asshole. That's a promise!
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