SonicMonkey » song-a-week

Happy New Year

Michael Hacker — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:25:54 +0000

In looking back at 2009, a lot has happened. I’ve been laid off twice. I’ve decided to go to grad school. I’ve lost weight, gained it back, and lost (some of) it again. I traveled a lot for work and pleasure. And, I failed to complete my 2009 song-a-week project as it was intended.

But did I actually fail? Sure… in the technical sense I did fail. I failed the explicit goal of writing, recording, and releasing a new song every week. Even the “songs” weren’t really songs most of the time. But the implicit goal was to get myself thinking about music again, to get myself playing and writing again, and to get my ass back into the studio… again. And in this, I have succeeded.

Now I have more skill with my equipment, more skill in the recording and mixing process, more confidence in releasing my stuff out into the ether, and some ideas for new songs. I also have no excuses.

Happy New Year, everyone. May 2010 be better than 2009 was.

AAAARGH #PHXDrama

Michael Hacker — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:26:45 +0000

This is Phoenix. This is Phoenix on booze, frustration, and social media. I know I probably shouldn’t have done it, but I did. Blame Jeremie for twisting my arm and talking me into it. Names were omitted to protect the innocent. (stir… stir… stir…) Related posts:[SaW38] – Ho Down Related posts:

[SaW38] – Ho Down

[SaW43] – Charcoal Sobriquet

Michael Hacker — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:54:34 +0000

I’m way behind. I made it through 10.5 months without missing a week, and now I’m weeks behind. Not going to let this get me down. Related posts:Song-a-Week #2 – Blue Minor Song-a-Week #8 – Winter Song Related posts:

[SaW42] – Boulder Creek

Michael Hacker — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:43:18 +0000

Here I am in Boulder Creek, CA again. The weather is wonderful and the food and company is even better. My friends live in the mountains, and a creek runs through their back yard. I guess the sound of the water running and the other various mountain critters talking put me in a bluegrass mood.

Song-a-Week #27 – Deaf

[SaW41] – Ballady Thingy

Michael Hacker — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:12:59 +0000

Sorry for the late submission. I’m going on a business trip, so things may be a bit delayed over the next week or two. Related posts:Song-a-Week #1 – Kung Fu Fighting Song-a-Week #11 – You’re Not The Bossa Me Related posts:

[SaW40] – plink

Michael Hacker — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:48:49 +0000

This is me… rediscovering my African heritage. (Shut up.) No related posts. No related posts.

[SaW39] – bukanggg

Michael Hacker — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:40:18 +0000

I’m tired. Leave me alone. Related posts:Song-a-Week #28 – Late Song-a-Week #21 – Wha? Related posts:

[SaW38] – Ho Down

Michael Hacker — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:40:00 +0000

This one is a bit weird. I don’t think I’ve ever tried something in 3/4 time before. I blame it on copious viewing of dance shows and Glee. Now if I could just get Lacey Schwimmer to dance a waltz with me… No related posts. No related posts.

[SaW37] – Kanwe East

Michael Hacker — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:18:48 +0000

Kanye West jumps up on stage at the VMAs like a douchebag and makes a little girl cry. Obama calls him a “jackass.” Hilarity ensues.

[Note: No celebrity impressions were used in the making of this song. Everything you hear was actually uttered by the POTUS and captured on some sort of recording medium.]

Song-a-Week #27 – Deaf

[SaW36] – 11:11

Michael Hacker — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:48:47 +0000

I called this one 11:11 because that’s when I started writing it. (Also to mess with Karen.) No related posts. No related posts.

[SaW35] – porque

Michael Hacker — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:02:12 +0000

I’ve spent the better part of a week hiding in the Santa Cruz mountains, poking my head out periodically to actually do some real work in downtown Santa Cruz. All that, and yet I’ve managed to eke something out and STILL look sexy. How do I do it? I dunno. Anyhoo, I decided to call it “porque,” which doesn’t really mean anything. In fact, I’m not even telling you how I pronounce it. You know… just to be extra mysterious-like.

[SaW34] – Dre Ain’t Got **** on Me

Michael Hacker — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:18:37 +0000

This is my attempt to dig down into my R&B/Hip Hop roots. (Yeah, a white boy can have Hip Hop roots!) I was kinda using Dr. Dre’s slow jam beats as inspiration. How’d I do? No related posts. No related posts.

Song-a-Week #33 – Les

Michael Hacker — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:47:13 +0000

This is for Les Paul. It was improvised and recorded in one pass. Sure, there are plenty of “mistakes” in there… but I think that’s the whole point. Related posts:Les Paul (6/9/1915 – 8/13/2009) Related posts:

Les Paul (6/9/1915 – 8/13/2009)

Song-a-Week #32 – My Brain

Michael Hacker — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:01:40 +0000

This week, I decided to try something different. Indaba Music is running a contest wherein entrants are asked to remix the Weezer song “My Brain (Is Working Overtime).” I thought I’d take a shot at goofing around with it, and this is what happened. I figure, how much more different from the original could I get?

I promise… no more covers or remixes next time.

Song-a-Week #31 – FML

Michael Hacker — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:13:51 +0000

Here ya go, Ren. Be nice.

The main guitar and vocals were recorded simultaneously. Yes, that means I played and sang at the same time. There was really no other way to do it if I wanted the song to breathe and flow as it did.

Thanks, Bob. Please don’t sue me.

Song-a-Week #30 – Ladder

Michael Hacker — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:55:58 +0000

Man, am I getting lazy. This has got to stop. No related posts. No related posts.

Song-a-Week #29 – Easy

Michael Hacker — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:58:55 +0000

This is part of a song I’ve been working on. I have some lyrics. I have some chords. Not all of it fits together yet. Time will tell. E C#m7 Bm7 E C#m7 G#7 A Bm Fm Bm G Gm Related posts:Song-a-Week #24 – Wind Song-a-Week #10 – Thursday Song-a-Week #26 – Chunk Related posts:

Song-a-Week #28 – Late

Michael Hacker — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:27:38 +0000

It’s late. I’m tired. But… I had to get this down before I passed out on the couch and forgot how to play it. ‘Night. Related posts:Song-a-Week #5 – Stalking in the Rain Song-a-Week #3 – Montalban [SaW39] – bukanggg Related posts:

Song-a-Week #27 – Deaf

Michael Hacker — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:25:39 +0000

I was on vacation all last week, hiding out in the beautiful mountains outside of Boulder Creek, CA (near Santa Cruz and San Jose). Needless to say, between training, playing with kids, and generally not doing much of anything, I sloughed off on the music-making. Today, while upgrading my MacBook, I decided to play around with creating something in Garage Band on my studio computer without being able to hear it. You heard me… I did it all visually, with no idea what the finished product might sound like. Strangely, it’s actually kinda cool.

Song-a-Week #26 – Chunk

Michael Hacker — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:29:36 +0000

This week’s sketch is called “Chunk” because I literally just threw the word up. Brain vomit, if you will. I’m afraid it’s a bit Nirvana-sounding for my tastes, but I’ll live with that. I may revisit this one later… add lyrics, re-record it. Who knows? Related posts:Song-a-Week #23 – Foot Soldier Song-a-Week #10 [...] Related posts:

Song-a-Week #25 – C is for Cookie

Michael Hacker — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:20:34 +0000

I know, I know… another cop-out. Jeremie and I did this for my other show, so I figured it counts. Granted, it isn’t something I wrote, but it does reflect my “growing” remixing skills. I need to remind myself that this project is more about purely learning and doing, not so much about what I’m learning or doing.

Song-a-Week #24 – Wind

Michael Hacker — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:23:24 +0000

I was working on a completely different song with a completely different vibe, but this riff kept coming out of my fingers. Well, who am I to argue with inspiration? So, I saved the other project and started this one.

The guitar tone sounded vaguely reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’ tone on “The Wind Cries Mary,” so I decided that “Wind” might be a good name for it. (Wind as in “blows” rather than wind as in “me up.”) Normally, I wouldn’t do a guitar solo at all, let alone like the one I did on this piece, but for some reason, it seemed to fit.

I think there are some lyrics floating around out in the ether for this one… just haven’t managed to grab them yet.

Song-a-Week #23 – Foot Soldier

Michael Hacker — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:54:54 +0000

Don’t ask me why this sketch is called “Foot Soldier.” That was just literally the first two words (in that order) that popped into my head when I asked myself, “Hey… self… what the hell are you going to call this thing?” That oughtta learn me not to ask me any more stupid questions.

Song-a-Week #22 – spleeeeejg

Michael Hacker — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:14:41 +0000

This is your brain. This is your brain on Iowa. Funktastic. Related posts:Song-a-Week #15 – Final Hoedown Song-a-Week #21 – Wha? Related posts:

Song-a-Week #21 – Wha?

Michael Hacker — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:55:28 +0000

Last week was an all-week training thingie at my dojo. I had 6 houseguests and am exhausted. Not only that, but I managed to dislocate a few ribs. Oh, and I leave for Iowa soon, too. So… yeah. All you get is a chord progression. Deal with it. :-p

Song-a-Week #20 – Genius, Baby

Michael Hacker — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:06:31 +0000

This is a song parody I put together for my show, Evil Genius Radio. If you’re familiar with it, you’ll see it there, too. Er… hear it. Unless you’re synesthetic or something. If that’s the case, you might even end up smelling it. If so, I apologize in advance. Should you be unfamiliar with the show, you probably won’t get about 99.999% of the jokes. Just sayin’.

Song-a-Week #19 – Van Diemen’s Land

Michael Hacker — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:41:27 +0000

This is a cover of my favorite U2 song. I had intended to attempt singing it, but my voice is not cooperating today. So sorry. Related posts:Song-a-Week #16 – Don’t Say (Demo) Song-a-Week #1 – Kung Fu Fighting Song-a-Week #11 – You’re Not The Bossa Me Related posts:

Song-a-Week #18 – Am Thing

Michael Hacker — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:24:03 +0000

I’m noticing a disturbing trend of naming songs after the key (I think) they’re in. Hmmm. I might have to do something about that. Anyhoo, this week’s itty bitty ditty is a chord progression I’ve been playing with while teaching myself to play piano. It’s quite simple, but my fingers are still more accustomed to keyboards than fretboards, so simple is good. I even experimented a bit to try and spice things up with an Em -> Emaj chord change in there, and I rather like how it sounds. I’m working on some more involved stuff that I couldn’t get finished this week; I hope to have it all done for next time.

Song-a-Week #17 – B#

Michael Hacker — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:03:32 +0000

Get it? B#? B sharp? No? OK. See… B# is really C. But the song isn’t even IN the key of C. It’s in Bb (B flat). Or maybe it’s G-something. Possibly C-ish. I really have no idea. Still no? Nothing? Oh well. Enjoy anyway. Related posts:Song-a-Week #18 – Am Thing Song-a-Week [...] Related posts:

Song-a-Week #16 – Don’t Say (Demo)

Michael Hacker — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:05:18 +0000

This song was originally written for piano by my friend Karen Waxler. We tried to record her playing and singing it while she was visiting last week but, unfortunately, it didn’t work out (we had better things to do). Someday soon, I hope to finish it with her and release it to the world. This is my humble interpretation on guitar. I really hope she likes it.

Song-a-Week #15 – Final Hoedown

Michael Hacker — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:36:39 +0000

This is your brain. This is your brain on MIDI and Hair Metal… Related posts:Song-a-Week #22 – spleeeeejg #FAWM – 03 – Hackerbel’s Cannon in Duh Song-a-Week #6 – First Related posts:

Song-a-Week #14 – SlumDog

Michael Hacker — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:30:33 +0000

So, I finally watched “Slumdog Millionaire” and was inspired to see if I could put together something Indian-y. This is what I get for watching movies. Related posts:Song-a-Week #5 – Stalking in the Rain Related posts:

Song-a-Week #5 – Stalking in the Rain

Song-a-Week #13 – PTB

Michael Hacker — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:58:56 +0000

Speak and Spell is evil. That’s all I’m going to say. Related posts:Song-a-Week #20 – Genius, Baby Related posts:

Song-a-Week #20 – Genius, Baby

Song-a-Week #12 – Plop

Michael Hacker — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:34:55 +0000

I worked on this one in Sea-Tac airport in Seattle on my MacBook while waiting for my flight back to Phoenix after a very tiring, very cold, very rainy, very overcast weekend. Read into that what you will. Oh, and would you like to hear all about the 16 year old girl who sat next to me on the flight who plays guitar in a “screamo” band and who was being sent away by her parents to live with her grandparents in Colorado for doing drugs, skipping school, and starting fights? It’s quit fascinating, I assure you. I even took notes. Perhaps they’ll end up a song.

Song-a-Week #11 – You’re Not The Bossa Me

Michael Hacker — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:47:36 +0000

Well, Tanager Audioworks has FINALLY released SongFrame for MacOS X. Needless to say, I’m going to be playing with it a lot, as I have promised Big Al I’d give him a software review for PSN. I just got Pro Tools 8, which is (so far) pretty amazing. This week, I’m experimenting with software more than anything. (Digidesign’s new AIR virtual instrument “Mini Grand” is veddy nice.) Anyhoo, this is my attempt at a Bossa Nova. Nothing is quite right, but then, that’s what makes it one of my songs, isn’t it? I’m off to Seattle next weekend, so next week’s song is either going to be a little early, a little late, or right on time. Not sure which yet. Enjoy!

Song-a-Week #10 – Thursday

Michael Hacker — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:06:28 +0000

This is another thing I wrote years ago, but I didn’t quite know what to do with it. Guess what? I still don’t know what to do with it. Other than record and upload it, that is. Which, as you can see/hear, I have done. There may be room for lyrics in there somewhere, but it would likely require a bit of a rearrangement. If anyone has ideas for lyrics or even just a feeling, let me know! BTW, the name “Thursday” comes from the fact that today is Thursday. That’s some high-caliber songwritin’ for ya!

Song-a-Week #9 – Cognitive Dissidents

Michael Hacker — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:53:16 +0000

Just a sketch again this time. This project is proving to be more and more difficult with each passing week. Life, and other projects, just keep getting in the way. If I don’t start using a more systematic (if not downright mechanical) process to accomplish this more methodically, I may fail. Another thing I’m learning is that I need to keep the imagined grandiosity of my song concepts in check. The important thing isn’t so much what I’m doing, but that I’m doing.

Song-a-Week #8 – Winter Song

Michael Hacker — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:18:53 +0000

Sorry to disappoint my throngs of fans, but I’m phoning this one in. This week was busy as hell, the weekend was jam-packed, I’m exhausted, very sore, and I have a headache. (Waaa, waaa, waaa.) But, since the “show” must go on, I’ve uploaded a quick snippet of something that has been stewing around in my head for several months. I’m not sure where to take it, but I wanted to make sure I got something up.

Song-a-Week #7 – President

Michael Hacker — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:19:06 +0000

I wrote this one years ago. Since I just got a new Ibanez Exotic Wood EW20ZW Zebra Wood Acoustic Guitar [cough... sponsor... cough], I thought it was time to record it to test out how the new geetar sounded recorded. I have to do a bit of EQ tweaking, but otherwise, it’s pretty nice. I also stereo mic’d the acoustic (at the sound hole) with an EV Cobalt. Some of you were asking to hear me sing. Well… you asked for it. I did all the vocals into a Shure SM57, believe it or not.

Song-a-Week #6 – First

Michael Hacker — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 09:38:13 +0000

This is just a sketch I made while playing around with a new songwriting tool called SongFrame by Tanager Audioworks. So far, it’s pretty flexible and very interesting, but there are a LOT of bugs in the MacOS version. Once the full (hopefully bug-free) version comes out, I plan to do a product review. (This was also a lesson in just how shitty Pro Tools 7.4 is for working with MIDI. I wonder if an upgrade to PT 8 might be a good idea…)

Song-a-Week #5 – Stalking in the Rain

Michael Hacker — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:04:27 +0000

This is officially my first drug-inspired song ever. I “wrote” it late last night between 4 and 6am while on under the influence of percocet. I put the finishing touches on it by laying down some guitar this morning. Hope you like it. Related posts:Song-a-Week #28 – Late Song-a-Week #16 – Don’t Say (Demo) Song-a-Week [...] Related posts:

Song-a-Week #4 – bawk

Michael Hacker — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:25:46 +0000

This one’s for you, Triner. No related posts. No related posts.

Song-a-Week #3 – Montalban

Michael Hacker — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:31:07 +0000

As you probably know, Ricardo Montalban passed away this past week. Famous for his roles as Khan on Star Trek and Mr. Rourke on Fantasy Island, he was a staple of my youth, as he likely was for all Americans of my generation. This “tribute,” if you will just sorta came to me.

Song-a-Week #2 – Blue Minor

Michael Hacker — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:47:11 +0000

This is a piece I’ve been toying around with for years. Until the other day, there was something missing. Then… out of nowhere… my fingers just found the right chord to start off the next section. It still isn’t complete… there might be room for a bridge and lyrics… but it’s pretty close.

Song-a-Week #1 – Kung Fu Fighting

Michael Hacker — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:27:28 +0000

So, I’ve done it… I’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to produce 1 song a week for the entire year. I’m looking at this as more of a sketchbook than a real attempt to make anything good. I’m using it to motivate myself, get back in the practice of writing, recording, and playing, and to work on both my musical and recording chops.

That said, I found myself wondering… what would it sound like if Tom Waits had written “Kung Fu Fighting?” The following humble submission is what my brain and fingers came up with. It was recorded in GarageBand and Pro Tools with my trusty ProjectMix I/O, Vetta II, and Variax 700.