Archive for May, 2009
Writer’s Block = Suck
I guess technically it’s not writer’s block. More like recorder’s block. Considering I already wrote the song.
I had big hopes for this past long weekend. mmm… Several long days to break out the ole’ mic and gee-tar and lay down some tracks. What I had hoped would be 1-2 more songs recorded making us that much closer to a finished EP turned into 2-3 versions of the same song and still back at ground zero.
I actually fully recorded 2 versions of the same song, each time thinking “this has got to be it.” I would then, when done, sit back and realize that it totally wasn’t working. If I get some guts I might just play the scrapped versions for you. And the worst of it is this song is one of my favorite tracks on the new EP.
In any case, I think I have the vision now. I just need to magically float it through the air into a silver thingy that transfers my sound waves into numbers that the computer can remember then turn back into soundwaves whenever I want a listen.
Wish me luck. Wish me music.
Behind the Music: White Boy Rap
It’s good to know on this Memorial Day weekend that I’m not the only one fighting for freedom and justice for all peoplez. If it wasn’t for peeps like The Perceptionists, I would think I was fighting all alone.
Is it me or is that sick hook branded in your brain like hot metal on skin? (picking up on the sarcasm?) Speaking of sick hooks; the White Boy Rap was inspired by fellow soldiers like these who weren’t afraid to ask the tough questions. That and I’ve always liked songs that said “white boy.”
I ended up writing the music after the rhymes on this track. I do that a lot of times when writing hip hop or rap. I just get a funny line or hook stuck in my head and next thing I know I’ve spent two hours writing lyrics down on a paper towel. I went through a couple of iterations (basically I recorded something for hours and then decided it was terrible and started all over) before busting out what ended up on the track. All in all it was a lot of fun to record.
Let me know what you think by commenting below and have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend.
Number 2: A Play on Turds – White Boy Rap
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60 Percent of the Time…
60% of the Time, It Works Every Time
60% is better than 50%, so I’m pleased to report that we’re over half-way there. I’ve finished writing all 5 songs for my third EP and recorded 2 of them. So that leaves 3 songs and a CD cover. Oh, and an album title…I’m planning to knock out recording the rest of the songs by the beginning of June in time for a mid to late June release. The title on the other hand is feeling more elusive everyday.
Any ideas? I could use any and all ideas you’ve got.
Oh, and in the midst of the “G-Man’s Last Breath” craziness last week I almost missed this youtube video by James Peel featuring on screen lyrics .
Rock on.
Behind the Music: Poligamize Me
It is my belief that most men secretly wish the ancient practice of poligamy was still fasionable today. Somewhere deep down they believe that a few wives and exponentially more children would bring them more happenis than ever imaginable. Well…at least more diaper bills.
Every Man's Dream?
“Poligamize Me,” the title track for my first EP, is about just that; a lonely man’s desire to leave his mark on this world through good old family ties…and lot’s of them. I actually wrote this song many years ago in high school while daydreaming about the ridiculous. It survived many iterations to finally become what it is now; a pseudo-country fun fest complete with a God-voice and banjo in the background.
I would absolutely love to hear what you think about it. Can I get a vote? All those in favor say “five wives or bust!”
Poligamize Me: Title Track
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Behind the Music: BFF
BFF
Ahhh “BFF,” one of my more eccentric songs. For anyone who has seen the music video – you’ve probably figured out that it’s a song about my best friend who also happens to be a hemorrhoid.
What inspires a song about a hemorrhoid? Well, my humor has always tended to drift towards taking things super literal, and when I finally figured out what a hemorrhoid truly was, I decided a personification of a semi-hilarious-but-not-so-hilarious medical issue mixed with an everyday cause for strain in a relationship might be funny.
It took two short days to film, a couple of bucks to buy various fluids and and nasty looking mexican food, and a lot of guts for my BFF Brian DeWire. Our first day was spent on a Saturday morning at a city park. It progressively got more and more awkward as baseball teams started streaming in for their early morning games. The bicycle scene was the most difficult shot of the day. Getting two grown men on one bike with one dressed like a back up dancer for Britney Spears was no easy feat. Plus to get the shot, someone had to pull our cameraman/editor David Ferry Jr. in a wheelchair backwards at the same moment we came bumping down the road. Needless to say the constant stream of cars giving us double takes and long stares confirmed that we looked like what we already felt like; a freak show.
To top it off we had to ask a dugout full of middle-aged men for permission to shoot the baseball scene that featured my BFF pitching and hitting on my back. I don’t know if it was the pointing or constant snickering that made me blush more.
When all was said and done we had a great time, an awesome song, and the world’s first music video about a hemorrhoid. Be sure to let me know what you think!
Poligamize Me: BFF
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1. BFF – Info
Behind the Music: Number One Fan
Number One Fan?
It was a beautiful spring day. My friends and I were driving in my friend’s car without a care in the world. And then it happened. The thick stench slapped me in the face like a wall of nasty. I reached to roll down the window in desperation, but the button wouldn’t work. Ryan, the driver, had seized control from the front. Laughing like a wild man he locked all 4 windows in the up position. Then he did it. With every ounce of malice and hate in his body he turned the heater on high and yelled “cook it!”
While suffocating in the sweaty stench of Ryan’s fart I had an epiphany. Ryan didn’t mind the smell of his own “tootle.” In fact. I think he kind of liked it.
There’s just something about your own “gas”. Whether by some Freudian fetish or by self preservation, we humans really don’t mind our own “internal winds.”
I wrote the first pass at this song while sitting in front of a piano about 3 years ago. I ran across the rough lyrics again not long ago while rummaging through old notes looking for song ideas. I guess it goes to show you should save every last idea no matter how seemingly ridiculous. Like many of my songs, I wrote most of the music and lyrics during that first (second?) day of inspiration. I then came back to it to tweak and improve later.
I hope you enjoy the song as much as you enjoy your own…well…never mind. Let me know what you think!
Number 2: A Play on Turds – Number One Fan
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– Info
Behind the Music: I’m a Benchwarmer
I can still remember the sound of my wrist snapping as it hit the hardwood floor. My uncoordinated mass of a body couldn’t handle the coaches orders to run backwards across the basketball court. Freshmen basketball tryouts may have landed me with a cast, six weeks of benchwarming, and a funny story, but it didn’t end there.
I wrote the hook to “I’m a Benchwarmer” during my junior year of high school (which seems like eons ago). I picked it up again a few years later and finished the rap for my first EP titled “Poligamize Me.”
Filming the music video had to be the highlight of this song. Calling it controlled chaos doesn’t do it service. We filmed the video in a short few hours one Saturday morning with over 30 friends, 2 cameras, and a dance troupe of friends who learned the dance the night before. We had the two cameras rolling simultaneously while the crowd roared and the basketball game was being played.
I had my fair share of the ole’ splinter butt in my day. But I wouldn’t trade my high school b-ball playing years for anything. I made the Freshmen basketball team that year, sat on the bench for most of the beginning of the season, and a few months later was actually (and surprisingly) awarded the Most Improved Player award.
Good times. Good memories. Sore butt.
EP 1 – Poligamize Me: I’m a Benchwarmer
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G-Man’s Still Breathing
My latest song, “G-Man’s Last Breath,” has been getting a lot of attention recently. If you’ve missed the buzz, here are a few posts around the interweb. Thanks to everyone for your feedback and support. This is exactly why the Half Life gaming community is one of the best in the world.
Many of you have been kind enough to spread the word. You can check out Darky’s youtube iteration of the song here or support a Digg by Sullen here.
Thanks again for your thoughts and tips. You can rest assured there will be more music mayhem coming. If you want updates on big announcements, you can sign up for the mailing list here (I don’t bug too much), or get email updates when I blog here. In the meantime, I’ll still be regularly posting and should have a new video up soon. I’m also in the midst of recording my third EP which is slated to come out next month. Stay tuned and rock on.
Hey there…
My name's Jonathan Lewis and I write and record music. Sometimes it's funny. Sometimes it's really funny. Please email me for all music collaboration inquiries.
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