Unfinished Business, Let's Do An Opera!

Unfinished Business

We finished last weeks song, went with a solo btw, and right away we went back creating a new song. It will be the final song in a 5 song set about one relationship. And I have to admit writing this has been really amazing. I have never done something so interconnected over this length of a composition.

It's almost Rock/Opera-ish, but not so deliberate as that genre usually is. The whole thing for this piece came about as we went. I didn't sit down and say "let's do an opera!" 

I was brainstorming about what to do with the first song. And I had this vision of high school type love song and putting this singer in that situation. 

What did he think? How would he act? Were they together? Would they break-up? and a hundred other questions...

And from that I started to create a personality, for the lyrics, a voice and a point of view and eventually a world for these songs to exist in. Then as I did the second and third, the songs just built off of each other. And this relationship became such a center piece that I had to see through.

One song explains the relationship, one is about the break-up, one is about a trip to Las Vegas he takes to think, one is a revelation that he has when he is there, 

So at the fifth and final one will be the resolution. Where our characters end on a "hopeful-desperate" emotion. The most exciting thing will be to add in the female character's voice. We will be bringing in a guest-vocalist for that. Honestly if we were to add in more songs than the 5, I would probably have her come in earlier in the story, there is so much good story there, getting her perspective, but that's up to the future who knows?

So I want to retain that desperation of the blues but have this be a more positive piece still? I think that's how I want this to go but it's all in development which means re-writes can happen at any second.

Jaime and Abe just finished the drums and keys and today I'll probably be working on bass, and then my vocals for the next few days. 

Then after I get all this done, I'm celebrating by seeing The Force Awakens. 

So no spoilers...

till next time

-rene

ps. as always if you want to talk you can reach me on this blog, facebook and twitter

To Solo Or Not?

Back in the studio today, finishing up the mix of a song. Nightly. A solid groover that I could just vibe with all day. I mean this song really is on a new plane of grooving.

Really happy about it. Just need to work out the bridge and have several options, and as you can tell from the title of the post, one of them is maybe a solo...

 

I have a hate/love relationship with solos. Fun to play, but unless the melody is both substantially connected to the song and inventive fluid then I get lost.

 

One of the biggest tenants of early Hacienda was no long solos. We had a less is more approach to everything that carries on today. Lately we haven't putting room for solos in the songs because they were moving so well with out them, but on this new one, it feels like there is room. So why not?

We will run through a few things. See what happens!

Next week we are starting on the last song for our EP with
Larry G(ee). And it's gonna be great.

This whole project with his is definitely different than our normal music (different but connected like long lost family) and that has been infinitely helpful for me as a writer to work with Larry and explore this new territory.

I'm a little bit foggy cause we spent all day yesterday working on our calendar for next year - so glamorous.  Anyway, word of some SXSW activity is coming in, so if you guys are around I'll be filling in details about it as it comes.

Till next week

much love

-rené


ps. as always if you want to talk you can reach me on this blog, facebook and twitter