God Lives Underwater Forum

I got around to tweaking my version of LONELY AGAIN! The vocals aren't as muddy and the whole track cleaned up a little more. stop by my site and check it(and my other music) out!
www.soundclick.com/plastinum

it will be up on myspace as well but right now the old version is up until they get the new one processed

www.myspace.com/plastinum

ok well lo and behold myspace got something processed in a reasonable amount of time...and I don't have a big record deal or wear spinnign jewelry! so anyways the new version of LONELY AGAIN is up on myspace too!

cool man

Love the direction this song is going in. I was listening to this on headphones, and the beginning where the sound goes right to left is slightly jarring. Perhaps a light fade between transitions. Otherwise, it's fantastic.

I also had the opportunity to listen to some other tracks, most notibly "no one said that" which is nothing short of genius. You ought to think about that one for the tribute too. Even though it's not a GLU song, it gels nicely with the point of the tribute which is, essentially, a David Reilly memorial.

Good job!
-JSL

JSL ..wow..I am honored someone would think the song is great! thank you for listeningand thank you for the feedback..I think money and fame and other things aside anyone who writes music does it to touch someone or have some kind of effect on them..to know a song meant something to even one person is the whole reason that songs are written.
I agree with you on the jarring between the 2 guitars..sometimes it is a difficult thng to find a happy medium when mixing a song..you want something to stand out but then it over powers another thing etc etc. I did a bit of a fade on it but then it still cuts in abruptly and i actually adjusted the volume on that guitar but then the bass sucked it up and it got lost in the reverbed guitar..I am always struggling with getting a good balance and I figure that song will get tweaked a few more times.
As far as "no one said that" goes it is definitely one of my more prouder moments in song writing. I was Talking to Dave about it last year when I came up with it initially and had the first demo of it and it was funny because the first lines are "I wake up" and he mentioned "here we go now" started out the same way lyrically and he offered some feedback on tweaking the guitars a bit and said he dug the mellow vibe of the tune. I thought about changing the lyrics but he said to keep them..it's a shame he passed (in so many ways it's a shame) because he considered me to come play guitar and do backup vocals on the live sets he was going to do..I dunno if he ever picked anyone or not but he invited me to come up to Philly and stay a few days and jam and see if we gelled. I would love to have the song on the tribute even though it is not a Reilly/Glu song I think it does capture something of that vibe and even though the lyrics are not to dave of course they (and the music) are inspired by his music and style which in one way or another is evident in all of my music.
but either way I am glad someone enjoyed the song and thanks again for listening

I'm glad you enjoyed the feedback. You deserve it.

It's cool you're investigating the guitar transition. It sounds like quite a hurdle, musically, to resolve. I don't write this kind of music, so I have no idea the work it would take for a change. I tend to talk out of my ass sometimes. So it's cool you took the suggestion seriously.

I enjoyed both tunes greatly, and intend to listen to the others as soon as I can surface from all the time my stand-up is consuming. What little time I have left after working full-time, that is. Aye me. In a perfect world we should be allowed to take all the time we want to just create, dammit!!

As for the tribute, it's really Randy's project, but I intend to give as many suggestions as I have the breath for. The work he's done organizing it is quite exceptional, but as I've worked on epic things like this before, I understand the desire for whatever help you can get. That's my experience, anyway.

Glad you found my MySpace page. Toss me a line when and if you create new material, or update existing material. I'm eager to hear what you come up with next!

-JSL

yeah I always take feedback seriously..I mean if you don't try to fix what listeners don't like then they won't like it of course...doing comedy I am sure you always analyze what works and what doesn't and take constructive criticism and try to tweak your act/set. Sometimes it is hard to notice things like that (flaws in a song/performance) because you do it over and over..I work on a song and sometimes by the time I am finished playing all the instruments, programming stuff and then mixing it all I hate to admit it but I am just done with the song..I don't even hear it anymore..I just hear that one flaw I don't like or that the mix is even..kinda ruins music for you because you don't listen to it without analyzing the hell out of it.

ahhh if only we were free to pursue our creative outlets 24-7. I am the same way..between a full time job (sometimes 18 hour days and out of town travel) I dont find a lot of time to create and you can't really just sit down and go "ok I am gonna write a song now" you have to be in the mood and actually have a little time to get into it and get your mindset right and actually work on it...that aside from art and all the other things I do or even just practicing guitar or whatever to keep my chops up.

yeah I checked out your page and your sets you have on there and it's good stuff..I used to take acting lessons and do some stuff and people do not realize how hard it can be to go on a stage and perform...especially comedy. Drama or anything else can evoke a wide range of emotions but comedy focuses on only one response and you either get it or you do not..the other difficult thing is when people see other forms of entertainment they do not always know what to expect but seeing a comedy/comedian they go knowing they are going to laugh and it can be a hard thing to warm up an audience..people love to see other people fail!
anyways again thanks for the feedback and let e know as well when you get new stuff up on your page.

You're so right about the comedy writing. When I come up with new stuff, and it usually happens when I'm walking around daydreaming, I'll start giggling like a lunatic. Every step from the point seems to squeeze the comedy like wringing a sponge.

Step1: Get the bit down on paper. Step2: Trim all unneccessary bridge material. Step3: Rearrange jokes so the funny part comes at the end of the sentence rather than the middle. Step4: Work on timing. Step5: Commit the entire bit to memory so the acting seems natural and conversational. Step6: Practice in front of multiple audiences. Step7: Retrim. And on, and on, and on, and on.

Try laughing at any joke at that point. When it ceases to be funny, how in god's name do I improve it? The answer is, I need FEEDBACK. And not just "I like this" or "I don't like that" or "That was funny". That stuff is okay to hear, but I need artists to really hit it with a monkey wrench to kick-start my creativity again. Any ego at that point is a gross hinderance.

So if you really need a really close ear, sign me up and I'll try to dismantle the thing. You can do the same for my comedy if you like. And by the way, thanks for checking it out.

As for the 24/7 thing... I hear ya. In a David Reilly interview, he talked about the mechanics of carefully using his advance so he didn't have to do landscaping during the day. That comment shot through me like an arrow. You see because right now, at this moment, I have to get back to designing ENCYCLOPEDIAS!

Really.

-JSL

Like I pointed out on the other post but I think your song Lonely Again needs a bit more bass... I did the first cd of the tribute to see the order of the songs and your song will be second... Its goes great after listening to the intro.... Let me know if you can send me another one with more low end... THanks....

more bass! This songs perfect it just sounds kinda quiet.

There's a louder, more bassy cleaned up version of the song (which by the way you have listed as alone again instead of lonely again on the tribute page oops) at my soundclick page for download..it's www.soundclick.com/plastinum btw please list me as Industrial Strength Messiah..not plastinum..if that's all cool..had a little name change recently