Etcetera Thesis Music’s blog

Well, I've been running this blog for my supposed band for the last two years now, and so far, I'm the only one who has bothered to contribute. I'm also just about the only person who reads this journal. Seems that, despite Vox having some kind of community, it's not a very big one, and I haven't had any success in attracting readers. So I've decided that this experiment isn't working. I still haven't worked out a plausible replacement, but I'm figuring int he future, i'll just make music posts from my new personal wordpress blog, at Lee Edward McIlmoyle.com instead.

I'll leave this stuff here as archival material, but I may or may not replicate it on my personal blog, or perhaps start my own music blog and host the stuff myself, once I find a widget that pleases me. I figure, if I'm going to write in a blog that nobody reads, it might as well be on my own website, where at least I can set up th tools mroe the way I want, and project a more professional atmosphere.

Anyway, to anybody seeing this, hope you found something here that amused or charmed you. Via Condios.

Well, I fell off the wagon again. I was working on a song, but got discouraged and eventually just stopped working on it again. I want to say that I'll be done soon, or that I've been quietly rehearsing the parts in the meantime, but the fact is, I haven't touched it since I tried doing a different vocal harmony take a few weeks back. Haven't rehearsed or recorded any of the other parts. I can barely hear them in my head at this point.

Basically, the song turned out to be a little more up and chipper than perhaps the lyrics called for. Leaves me with the problem that I don't hear another melody for those lyrics. It's a decent enough melody, and I should do something with it. I just can't seem to convince myself that I'm headed in the right direction. The only person I have to sit and talk stuff like this over with is rarely available to me, and basically told me to figure it out myself. I really need to start talking to more musicians again.

Anyway, I have to write a song for a project I'm working on, and I only vaguely have that one in my head, so I don't know what's going to happen with it.

I can't tell you how frustrating it is, being so detached from the music that used to just flow like water through me. Sometimes it rushes through so fast I have to run to keep up, but so much of the time, it just eludes me.

...and I haven't had much to say.

I was thinking about some songs the other day that I still haven't completed. things like You're Right and Keep On Going were flitting through my head while I was running errands. I also thought of a variation on a number I've been quietly wrestling with called Broken, and I also started thinking of something that sounded new, if a bit serious. I suspect a part of me is struggling to express itself, and wants to use music to do so. Sadly, I've been busy or distracted so much of the time in the last handful of months that I've made no progress, and every attempt at music makes me cringe at how rusty I've become. I was never a very disciplined musician, but I used to be able to figure stuff out. Now I'm just fumbling around blindly.

I hope this changes soon.

Okay, so I missed a month. Thing is, musically, I kinda ran dry after having had such a burst of musicality back in December. Somehow, I just haven't been able to get back into that mode of thinking and working. I ran afoul of my own lack of discipline. I needed a keyboard part for one of the songs, but I've allowed myself to get so rusty on keys, and I never was that well trained to begin with, so I couldn't get the part together. I'm still trying, but I only go at it sporadically, and then give up after one or two run-thrus with little progress. It's not a tough part. I'm just not a very good keyboard player anymore. This needs to change.

The good news is that I'm starting to think musically again, so something might start happening again shortly. However, I have other things I'm supposed to be working on, so I can't say when.

I need to get into some set routines. Maybe when Dawn is back at work, I'll make some changes in how I run my day.

Lee.

Back in the mid 90s, when I was seriously trying to turn myself into a songwriter/composer, Etcetera's friend Wendy DePaulo (who was engaged to Gary Falkins for ages) and I had been hanging around a fair bit, and she decided to play me some music made by a young man she knew from the school she worked at here in Hamilton. I was immediately impressed, but she made it clear that he had 'his own thing' going on, and wouldn't likely be interested in joining Etcetera. His voice is this mellow alto, and his piano playing was quite warm and technically impressive. Wendy ended up letting me keep the cassette for some reason, and I take it out every once in a while and play it.

Today I was in the mood to put on the cassette and play it to my wife while she woke up, as his music of that period has a largely pastoral, relaxing quality I knew she'd enjoy. It made me think that I'd like to rip some of teh tracks and post them here for other people to listen to. However, as I'd never met Liam and didn't know how he'd feel about that, I decided to go surfing first and see if he hadn't already done such a thing. As it turns out, he has:

Corwyn MP3s

Now, there are a number of tunes from that cassette that he hasn't included on that page, and I haven't yet found a more comprehensive site. So I might still rip and post a few tracks here, just because I enjoy his music and would like for a few other people to hear some of it, and as well, because the cassette has a touch of tape his, and a digital track with a bit of sound polishing might last me a while longer than this poor cassette, which won't last forever.

One thing I did learn in my surfing is that apparently he was a fan of Marillion, a band that Gary and I are enormous fans of ourselves. It does make me wish I were a stronger musician, so that I could better attract the talents of such a musician as this. A talent like that would be a real asset, and would probably get me off my ass and back in the game a little more seriously. I'm still dicking around writing pop tunes, and haven't dared to chase after my more progressive interests in a long time.

Anyway, when I've ripped the cassette to digital form, I'll probably come back to this post and link a few songs he doesn't have up on the Timelss Sun page.
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Incidentally, Liam, if you ever come across this post and decide you don't want your music here, I'll understand and take them down again. I MAY, however, record a cover tune or two and post them here. Some of your songs fairly scream for a rock arrangement to my ears, and I'd love to see if I could turn out something for at least one or two of them. Obviously I won't be selling them, and proper credit will be given to you, naturally.
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Gary started a blog here some time ago, but of course he never updates, because he'd rather dick around on Facebook. He posted a track or two over there, as I recall, but he just kind of left it at that and said no more.

Then I'm scanning the internet to see if I can start a new all-encompassing blogsite under my own name, and come across this: http://www.reverbnation.com/thesisetc

At first I thought, alright, who's been stealing our tracks and passing them off as theirs. then I read the band description and realized it was Gary.

Anyway, I read the song list, but couldn't play any of the tracks because I guess that site's functionality isn't all there. However, I COULD download tracks. I have most of Gary's solo stuff on my hard drive already, but there was one recording I'd forgotten:

Gary Falkins - Music of the Night

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Now this was recorded at Karaoke one night, by burning a disk directly though the sound board equipment. I'm pretty sure I never recorded any material this way. However, Gary had been working to master this very operatic track (from Phantom of the Opera, one of his ex-fiancée's favourites), and bravely took a swing at it. And now you kind folks get to reap the rewards. :)

Sine we're here, I might as well play you a couple of his demos, one of an unfinished tune he never (to the best of my knowledge) bothered to copy the lyrics down for, and the other a piece of music we've been planning on putting on a new album for the last while. The unfinished number ('I Can See Why', which I titled for him, since he hadn't done so yet) was written and recorded entirely by Gary, and the latter (originally titles The Downside, but these called The Dark Age) was first composed by Gary, who then asked me to write the lyrics (which I sang a melody for as we worked it out) as an ode to the survivors of 9/11. Then he and his ex-fiancée rewrote and finished up the lyrics behind my back, and I've been bitter and defeated ever since.

But at least you folks can enjoy the music. Here. See if I care. Go on. Turn him into a superstar! Leave me in the dirt! With the worms and the grubs and shit! I don't care! I really don't!

Lee.

Okay, so it's my birthday, and I'm in an immense amount of pain. My wife, who is sick as heck today, has nevertheless slavishly made for me a very decadent chocolate cake. Christmas was swell, despite our infirmities, and I received some very nice gifts, including that great new Genesis biography, which I tore into right away.

Now, to celebrate my birthday, I've decided to release Time Passes By in its current semi-demo form, even though it's intended for Project Download. The impression I've gotten is that the ladies are not going to use it, so I figure there's no point in waiting. I would like to direct folks to the Project Download LJ Community, which I think is still an excellent charity for a very worthy cause, despite the troubles they've had in recent days. Please visit their blog and download the simple, safe text file, which will help go towards getting Erin the neurosurgery she needs.

Without further ado, here's the song:

01 - Time Passes By (demo)

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I wrote a new song for Erin at Project Download; a bratty little punk pop number called You're Right. Dawn says I was too wordy. She's right as usual. Anyway, I uploaded the vocal demo, so here it is:

03 - You're Right (vox demo)

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