I had some extra time on my hands this morning so I added some pictures to Picasa (I'm way overdue). I also added my Picasa link back to the side bar of my blog. Flikr just doesn't do it for me with personal albums-- I will use it more for "artsy" stuff.
http://picasaweb.google.com/sean.armstrong
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Moving Forward
Jeff and I made progress on our third song last night. At this point we have 2 that are ready to have the vocals applied to them while the third song will be an instrumental of sorts. I'm really hoping we can get our little EP out to everyone this summer! We still have work to do beyond the music in taking photos for our press kit and setting up MySpace and all that stuff.
-
I've been driving around to an mp3 disc in my truck that consists of a bunch of house music, which is always a favorite of mine during the summer. I remember long ago when I had heard some of my favorite mixes and albums (Silicon Soul, Miguel Migs [<3 Lisa Shaw!], Ian Pooley with his Brazilian influence..) which really affected how I think about electronic music. I certainly take from a cross section of the genre and apply it into my down-tempo styles quite a bit. It really makes me wonder about the next iteration of City Shadows and the direction I may take it.
-
I'm off to clean up some data in my directory. Go Go Gadget LDAP!!!
-
I've been driving around to an mp3 disc in my truck that consists of a bunch of house music, which is always a favorite of mine during the summer. I remember long ago when I had heard some of my favorite mixes and albums (Silicon Soul, Miguel Migs [<3 Lisa Shaw!], Ian Pooley with his Brazilian influence..) which really affected how I think about electronic music. I certainly take from a cross section of the genre and apply it into my down-tempo styles quite a bit. It really makes me wonder about the next iteration of City Shadows and the direction I may take it.
-
I'm off to clean up some data in my directory. Go Go Gadget LDAP!!!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Calm Control
I awoke today feeling well rested and calm. It's grey and spitting rain outside, typical of those random foul weather days in the Northwest "summer" (all be it a bit more chilly than we are used to this season).
During the activities of getting gas (just shy of $70 for a full tank in my Tacoma), then picking up a white chocolate mocha from Starbucks, I realized I had gained the calm control feeling that I've been striving to find for awhile now.
Life is crazy. Between a full time day job, managing relationships with friends and family, "extra curricular" activities... how is there time left over for personal projects, music, and general screwing around?
Making time for your top priorities in life is the only way you will truly accomplish anything. You must commit to delivering on your own personal expectations in order to meet your goals.
I have entirely too many hands in too many pots for music right now. Across the spectrum I have projects open in trip-hop, down tempo, trance, dance, indie, and folk. It's not that I need to cut any of these away from my time, no. Instead, I need to be focusing my personal time in music on the projects at hand and finish them off 1 by 1. I'm back-logged!
First order of business: "City Shadows vol.1"
-Expect to see this project appear on SNOCAP first, with the iTunes version coming out later this year. I have notes surrounding the final touches on the re-mastering. After that it will be ready for release!
Secondly: "Well of Souls"
-The project still needs 2 or 3 more songs to round out the track list. Work will begin on these finals songs when item 1 is complete.
After that, I am thinking about releasing a collection of songs that never made it to an 'album' release.
Lush
Lady Gray
Desensitize
Another Side
Pill Bottle
She Saves
Those are some of the tracks that should see release on SNOCAP. A sort of "look back" over the past few years of my producing.
I also have a few starts to songs (that took place shortly after I completed "Grace" back in February) that fit into a darker vein. Trip-hop, almost Massive Attack-like in nature, I'm not sure where I am ultimately going with that sound. I will complete the open songs I have (lyrics included!) and release them perhaps as an EP.
Oi.. so much to do!
-
Jeff is coming over today and we will be working on our project. I hope that in the next month or so we will be ready to announce the title of our project and have three full fledged songs available for download.. for free!!
-
During the activities of getting gas (just shy of $70 for a full tank in my Tacoma), then picking up a white chocolate mocha from Starbucks, I realized I had gained the calm control feeling that I've been striving to find for awhile now.
Life is crazy. Between a full time day job, managing relationships with friends and family, "extra curricular" activities... how is there time left over for personal projects, music, and general screwing around?
Making time for your top priorities in life is the only way you will truly accomplish anything. You must commit to delivering on your own personal expectations in order to meet your goals.
I have entirely too many hands in too many pots for music right now. Across the spectrum I have projects open in trip-hop, down tempo, trance, dance, indie, and folk. It's not that I need to cut any of these away from my time, no. Instead, I need to be focusing my personal time in music on the projects at hand and finish them off 1 by 1. I'm back-logged!
First order of business: "City Shadows vol.1"
-Expect to see this project appear on SNOCAP first, with the iTunes version coming out later this year. I have notes surrounding the final touches on the re-mastering. After that it will be ready for release!
Secondly: "Well of Souls"
-The project still needs 2 or 3 more songs to round out the track list. Work will begin on these finals songs when item 1 is complete.
After that, I am thinking about releasing a collection of songs that never made it to an 'album' release.
Lush
Lady Gray
Desensitize
Another Side
Pill Bottle
She Saves
Those are some of the tracks that should see release on SNOCAP. A sort of "look back" over the past few years of my producing.
I also have a few starts to songs (that took place shortly after I completed "Grace" back in February) that fit into a darker vein. Trip-hop, almost Massive Attack-like in nature, I'm not sure where I am ultimately going with that sound. I will complete the open songs I have (lyrics included!) and release them perhaps as an EP.
Oi.. so much to do!
-
Jeff is coming over today and we will be working on our project. I hope that in the next month or so we will be ready to announce the title of our project and have three full fledged songs available for download.. for free!!
-
Monday, June 9, 2008
Discontinuity of Time
I'm sitting here going through some of my mp3s (of Sliptide music) that I keep with me on my work computer for review. I often listen to my own music to help with inspiration and ideas for new tracks to fit with a somewhat congruent collection of songs (i.e. collections that make up my albums "City Shadows", "Well of Souls", etc..)
Unfortunately, I have a large number of songs that are a mish-mash collection of electronic genres that are different in sound. What I mean to say is: Let's say I started a few songs in November of 2005 that are all related to each other in style and presentation (and for that matter: production value/style). If I drop the ideas and projects and do not keep the momentum, chances are good that I will not find the groove again and the songs I attempt to make will have a different feel to them.
Case in point: I am working on finishing out the track list for "Well of Souls". The original list of tracks is composed of those that were available at the start of this year ("On Approach", "Striking the Ocean", etc..). The album is moving along nicely, but I need about 3 more tracks to complete before I am comfortable delivering it to the public.
While I listen to the set of songs I have now just about every day, when I sit down to compose I end up in a different land full of trip-hop and subdued textures akin to the recent "Aces High" and "Envisioning the West" tracks (clips on the fan club).
I blame it on a few things. I haven't been as religious about weekly studio time as I should be. This is the more "accountable" side of me stepping in. I fully own up to the fact that I have been lazy about it recently. Between work and balancing personal life it can be hard to want to make the time for music.
Secondly, I feel that I am pulled in various directions for music. The songs on "Well of Souls" are very textured, darker in tone and style, and take from some of my thoughts and feelings about life in general. I seem to do well with painting the aural landscape with the various colors of my mind, yet the deep-thinking area of my brain is at war with his loud neighbor: the pop-infused, move-the-crowd, dance-music-juggernaut: I miss making trance and house music like crazy and it has always been a dream to make the back-2-basics sounds that really spurred my love of electronic music.
What do I do?
I know what I must do. 1 (maybe 2) personal projects at a time. "Well of Souls" will be next out of the door (aside from the remastered "City Shadows vol.1"). I do have one song almost done for it. Two to three more and the project should be complete!
Back to my day job. It is 9:30 AM and nobody is in the office again. -_-
Unfortunately, I have a large number of songs that are a mish-mash collection of electronic genres that are different in sound. What I mean to say is: Let's say I started a few songs in November of 2005 that are all related to each other in style and presentation (and for that matter: production value/style). If I drop the ideas and projects and do not keep the momentum, chances are good that I will not find the groove again and the songs I attempt to make will have a different feel to them.
Case in point: I am working on finishing out the track list for "Well of Souls". The original list of tracks is composed of those that were available at the start of this year ("On Approach", "Striking the Ocean", etc..). The album is moving along nicely, but I need about 3 more tracks to complete before I am comfortable delivering it to the public.
While I listen to the set of songs I have now just about every day, when I sit down to compose I end up in a different land full of trip-hop and subdued textures akin to the recent "Aces High" and "Envisioning the West" tracks (clips on the fan club).
I blame it on a few things. I haven't been as religious about weekly studio time as I should be. This is the more "accountable" side of me stepping in. I fully own up to the fact that I have been lazy about it recently. Between work and balancing personal life it can be hard to want to make the time for music.
Secondly, I feel that I am pulled in various directions for music. The songs on "Well of Souls" are very textured, darker in tone and style, and take from some of my thoughts and feelings about life in general. I seem to do well with painting the aural landscape with the various colors of my mind, yet the deep-thinking area of my brain is at war with his loud neighbor: the pop-infused, move-the-crowd, dance-music-juggernaut: I miss making trance and house music like crazy and it has always been a dream to make the back-2-basics sounds that really spurred my love of electronic music.
What do I do?
I know what I must do. 1 (maybe 2) personal projects at a time. "Well of Souls" will be next out of the door (aside from the remastered "City Shadows vol.1"). I do have one song almost done for it. Two to three more and the project should be complete!
Back to my day job. It is 9:30 AM and nobody is in the office again. -_-
Friday, June 6, 2008
Well of Souls Concept Art On Display
Nick (Nicholas Cristo) linked me to some snaps from his phone: the concept art and demo product package for "Well of Souls" (a scheduled self-released album later this year for which Nick is designing the artwork and disc package) is on display at Cal State San Bernardino.
Check out the link below to his Picasa album!
Wall Spot
Well of Souls - Interior art, front and back cover single sheets, disc art, and design brief
Well of Souls - Exterior art, fabricated posterboard case, and poster
Check out the link below to his Picasa album!
Wall Spot
Well of Souls - Interior art, front and back cover single sheets, disc art, and design brief
Well of Souls - Exterior art, fabricated posterboard case, and poster
Thursday, June 5, 2008
3-Day Training Walk & Joining a Team
This past weekend, Amy and I went on a training walk for the 3-Day event. It was a 9 mile hike from Greenlake, through Wallingford and then down around the south of Lake Union. We followed the planned route up through Fremont then ended back up at Greenlake. It was a lot of fun and ho-boy did it show us that we need to get in the habit of doing these walks every week. Walking 10 miles definitely starts to put some stress on the hips (and a little on the feet). I can't imagine walking 20 miles a day for three days in a row right now!
We also have decided to join the team that hosts these particular training walks every weekend (on both Saturday AND Sunday!). I will post information and a link to the team we join when I take the time to sign up (I'm at work, and I keep forgetting my 3-Day badge that has one of the captain's business cards in it).
This team is serious business to with some sharp minds and TONS of experience with the 3-Day event and fund raising. We were talking with the team leader/head captain at the beginning of our walk and I feel a bit more confident about meeting the $2,200 goal with the support of others involved in the 3-Day community. I have a few plans of my own to get Amy and I started on the right foot. September isn't that far off!
I will be pushing the benefit album and a few other pieces of music I plan on releasing to SNOCAP for benefit sales. Expect some new tunes!
Jeff and I will be announcing a project of ours to the public in the form of building our online presence (MySpace, Facebook, iLike, Garageband, etc.)
That's all for now.
We also have decided to join the team that hosts these particular training walks every weekend (on both Saturday AND Sunday!). I will post information and a link to the team we join when I take the time to sign up (I'm at work, and I keep forgetting my 3-Day badge that has one of the captain's business cards in it).
This team is serious business to with some sharp minds and TONS of experience with the 3-Day event and fund raising. We were talking with the team leader/head captain at the beginning of our walk and I feel a bit more confident about meeting the $2,200 goal with the support of others involved in the 3-Day community. I have a few plans of my own to get Amy and I started on the right foot. September isn't that far off!
I will be pushing the benefit album and a few other pieces of music I plan on releasing to SNOCAP for benefit sales. Expect some new tunes!
Jeff and I will be announcing a project of ours to the public in the form of building our online presence (MySpace, Facebook, iLike, Garageband, etc.)
That's all for now.
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