5.29.14

Our mad month of demoing is drawing to a close.  All in all, we tracked 27 songs that we’re working through, deciding on the right blend.  And I (Peter) may need to write a couple more songs to flesh out this record, before we begin tracking in July.

The typical workflow of one of our demos:we start with midi drums.  In Logic, Peter will drum his little heart out on his Axiom 25 and then quickly quantize his sloppy playing.  Once we have the layers of drums, Peter records scratch guitars and bass.  Back when we had more time on the tracks, we would track a lot of synths first.  But now - with that angry clock staring down at us - we have almost entirely forgone synthesizers… unless they’re an integral part of the song.  Once we have the basic shape of the song demoed, we track vocals… which are truly only demo quality, lacking strength and true gusto.  The end result is a track that contains the ghost of the final track, but not the sort of thing you should share with a person who is unfamiliar with listening to demos (which is an art, I’ve come to realize).

All work and no play… we have allowed ourselves a couple quick breaks… namely a trip to the San Diego zoo for my Birthday… which was just the sort of relaxation I needed after such a mad dash in the studio.  Here’s to the panda bears!

Next up for us… we are waiting for some feedback on the demos we have and then we make the tough decisions of what songs make the cut… we’ll also decide what additional songs to record (just to have).  In the meantime, our attention is turning to our June performance here in LA… more on that later.

5.11.14

19 songs demoed.

We are making great strides and can see the light at the end.  We completed our first batch of songs and we’re working on the second batch.  These latest songs have yielded some pleasant surprises.  We knew these tunes were a bit more melodic (and a bit more radio-friendly) but we’re really enjoying what’s coming.  In particular, a song called “Oceans Collapse” and another named “Medusa” really have us tappin’ our toes.

Looking at all 19 songs now, we suspect the latest will be our ‘tour-de-force’ for our debut selections.  We are reworking some old songs (‘Teenagers’) and writing new songs right here in the studio (‘Tell Me your Secrets’) and even considering revisiting some songs from our first two EPs. 

Who knows?  The shadow knows.

Up for air. 

We’ve had a very productive first week so far.  So productive - in fact - that we’ve completed neglected these blogs.  Well, lets try to rectify that…

First, a bit of back story.  Maddie and I have a Polaris Rose catalog of songs that we always have in our back pockets.  For a long time now, we’ve had 3 distinct albums ready to go… Mechanical Clouds, Painting the Universe, and Cosmonaut.  The plan was to attempt to release Mechanical Clouds in September 2014… we had already begun demoing those songs…

And then - thankfully - we became friends with a terrific fellow who has been heavily involved with music for a long time.  His recommendation to us was that we demo EVERYTHING and then pick and choose for a first album.  So that’s what we’re doing.

This morning, we have successfully completed Mechanical Clouds (in demo form).  12 songs that is - to us - some of our best work.  Think jazzy, progressive rock with a dark side. 

In other news, we’ve made some fun CD packages for OceanSongs that we are sending to a select list of radio peeps.  We’ve made sure to personalize each one.  Maddie really spearheaded this project and she did a great job.

We’ve also booked our next show!  We can’t release the date yet, but we’re super excited for the night.  :)

Today begins a new chapter. 

We are training our telescopes on distant worlds and shooting stars.  We are unearthing melodies from long-buried tombs and resurrecting the dead.  We are building skyscrapers in a desperate race to reach the sky as the ground gives way beneath.  We are… well, we’re doing a lot.

First, Maddie and I want to express a heartfelt THANK YOU for listening and supporting us.  Second, we have to thank you all again for embracing OceanSongs the way you have.  The little-EP-that-could has been out for 5 days now and we couldn’t be happier with the response.

Second, a bit of an explanation.  Maddie thought it would be fun to journal about our experiences in the upcoming months, and what better time to start than when announcing…

OUR FIRST ALBUM IS IN THE WORKS.  well, to be quite honest, its been in the works for over a month.  But this month (May 2014) we are locked inside our Studio (a.k.a Apartment) demoing EVERYTHING we’ve got. 

We’ll be posting more.  We wanted to just say ‘hello’ and ‘see ya around’.  :)

- Peter