Completed tracks for M.E.O.W. part 11 – The end is near!!!!!!!!!

Hey internet!

DJ-STFU-PLZ!!!

This is it! The final track from The Mechanical Essence Of Whiskers. The one that took me three times longer to finish mixing than any other track on the album. I already gave you some background on the meaning of the track (lazy-ass DJs got me all like..). So I’m gonna use this post to give a shoutout to the people who helped make this track possible.

mompeteThe opening: Two people need to be recognized for this. Peter Bishop did an awesome job coming up with the backing tracks for the Madonna parody – as well as adding resonance filters and other plug-ins I don’t know the names of. Pretty spot-on. And my mom (yes, you read that correctly internet. Don’t even think about making any “your mom” jokes!) did some awesome on the singing. Represent!

jesse resized grayThe solo: My buddy Jesus “Jesse” Sanchez, lead singer and guitarist of the band Tri-Nebulous laid down the bass line (the bass line I had recorded was out of tune – *groan*), as well as all of the acoustic guitars, both lead & rhythm. And WOW! That breakdown just adds some magic – a pleasantly creative, and relaxing breather that was sorely needed – to the track that I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dream units. Props!

jessi punching cropped grayThe voice overs: Regarding the previously mentioned Ke$ha samples, I got something wwaaaaaayyy better. I’m a brony in case you didn’t know (fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Don’t hate). Ke$ha has a very self-confident and sassy tone of voice, so if I couldn’t have Ke$ha, I would get a self-confident and sassy voice over from someone else – namely Jessi Nowack. Brohoof!

If you’re not familiar with the brony fandom allow me to give you some background. Jessi Nowack is the de facto voice of the background character Vinyl Scratch (aka DJ PON3 – pictured below). What is so cool about this is that Vinyl Scratch has never had any speaking lines on the show – she is mute. The only times she has ever spoken are in fan-created content. So with the fan base being so dedicated to the characters, it stands to reason that if Hasbro Studios ever decided to give Vinyl speaking lines and Jessi didn’t voice her, the fan base would have a collective aneurysm!

vinyl graySo that’s it everybody. Every track for the record is done and heading out to be mastered. I can’t thank people enough for the support, encouragement, patience, and beer that has gone into making this happen! After nearly three years of working on this thing I’m feeling like Dre after he released Compton (but seriously, 16 years between albums dude?!).

You know what this means, right? Now I gotta get off my ass and play some shows! In front of an actual audience, instead of stuffed animals and house pets!! Anybody got a house party, garage sale, or birthday coming up?

P.U.Z.Z.L.E.P.I.E.C.E.S.

Sorry the last track is taking so long everyone. Life has been chaotic in the past couple weeks to say the least. I’m going to be working on it this Sunday, and I hope to finish it. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

In the meantime, here are more puzzle pieces!

piece16

piece17

piece15

Only two pieces left after these. Good luck!

Here’s a demo for you!

Demo of the last track for M.E.O.W.

You’re probably wondering why I would want to post an old demo of a song that I’m getting ready to post an up to date, much more polished version of. The short answer? UNCLEARED SAMPLES! And while I am way more excited about the updated version of the song, I wanted you guys and gals to hear this one too.

I sampled a very large chunk of a Madonna song for this one as well as voice samples of Kesha. You see, in a lot of radio pop music, DJs are often exhaulted and treated like the best thing ever. But if you’ve ever listened to Kiss FM or been to a nightclub, you know that some DJs are as bland, boring, and predictable as 90s sitcoms.

I wanted to represent the opposite side of the argument.

“Hey Mr. DJ! Stop being so goddamn lazy! Play something I didn’t hear in the car on the drive over here 4 or 5 times! And maybe try spinning those tracks with some style instead of just hitting play and walking away!”

I feel like if you pay to get into a club and you buy drinks and a DJ has been given an opportunity to entertain you, they should make the most of it! Play something we wouldn’t expect! Try some mashups! Take us on a musical journey! Anything less is basically white noise and should not be held in high regard in pop music or anywhere else.

Sooo anyway…

I’ll be posting the new version of the song as well as the real title and more detail on it’s evolution, people involved (there are SOOO many!), et cetera in the very near future as well as some more puzzle pieces!

I hate to keep teasing you all, but…

The last track to be mixed for the record is going to be forshing erpic! More details on the final track later. In the mean time, here are some puzzle pieces. Have you figured out the track list yet? Only one track remains and then it’s pretty much all out in the open. Make your guesses while you still can!

piece13

piece14

Completed Tracks for M.E.O.W. part…. uh… let’s just call it “9”. Ok?

O… M… Gumdrops you guys! Only one track left to mix before M.E.O.W. gets shipped off to be mastered! I am so excited!!

So, what is with the title of this post? “Let’s just call it ‘9’”? Well, y’know… cuz there are only 10 tracks on the record and I have 1 left… so… GET OFF MY BACK!!!!!!!!!

Pixel Fix

This is my attempt to write a song in a similar vein to Shael Riley & The Double Ice Backfire – a combination of chiptune music with live instrumentation. If it wasn’t obvious, I’m a bit of a fan. I also really want to give some mad props to Logan Witte – who played the live drums – and Pete Bishop (my stepdad) who did a ridiculous amount of post-processing to get the drums tracks to line up. I could have done this song without the live drums, but I feel like THIS is the best version. Also the drum sound is SOOOOO Steve Albini – big, boomy in all the right spots, and tight as hell!

I gotta give you all a heads up, the next track will probably take a while to finish as there are A LOT of elements to it, and I want it to be perfect. Because I love you. Also, because I am a perfectionist.

Anyway, enjoy the new tracks – collect all them puzzle pieces – make this world more like Equestria – and keep your sense-holes peeled for the final track!

O… M… Goodness! Puzzle Pieces!

Track from last week is being cleaned up as we speak. With any luck, I will be able to post it here tonight. If the internet had fingers, would it cross them?

In the meantime, I have some puzzle pieces for you.

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piece12

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but the first five people to come up with the correct track listing for the album, get a physical copy in ‘da mail! To participate, collect the pieces (there are more on the way) and put them together. Then, drop me an email at fanmail [AT] evbpmusic [DOT] com with the track listing. I will announce the winners here on the site!

Puzzle Pieces To Tide You Over

StraightOuttaSomewhere
That’s right, P2T2 YO! Sorry, with all the Straight Outta Compton memes I couldn’t resist doing my own. Because I had a headache. And no ibuprofen. Do you like it? Anyway, about those puzzle pieces. Here they are!

BAM!And if you’re reading this, I’m sure you want more detail on why you’re not getting an MP3 this week. The next track I plan to upload felt like it was lacking something. And the object of lack was real, live drums! So Pete and I spent this afternoon recording drums with his friend Logan Witte. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I had never heard him drum before, but Pete assured me that he was a talented guy.

He was right.

BAM!I don’t know how many takes it usually takes most drummers, but Logan – having never heard the song before – managed to kill it in less than four takes! I was also really impressed (and thankful) that I didn’t have to spell out every pattern or try to play it for him first (I haven’t played the drums in years, so I’m really out of practice). Other than a few guiding points (lots of toms, drop out here, etc) he seemed to have an instinct for what to play. I can’t wait to post the mp3 for you. I’m sure you’re gonna love it!

Completed tracks for M.E.O.W. Pt 10

So if this is Part 10, and there are 10 tracks on the album… What the floppy disk?! I haven’t exactly been religious about the numeric consistency of these. Plus, I have announced tracks and not posted mp3s at the same time, so I guess I’m innocent. But think positive! 8 of 10 tracks for the album are ready for mastering!

And to end your wait, here it is! The track I dangled in front of your faces yesterday. Here for your listening enjoyment!

Decipher This Song (featuring MC Lars)

I know it seems silly, but doing a track with an established, internationally known artist makes me feel like I have “made it”. On the upside, Lars is a genuinely talented guy and it’s a privilege to get to do a song with him – celebrity or no. Besides, “making it” is all relative. That guy at the local “open mic night” showing up and playing songs that he loves and doing his own thing without concern for being rich and famous has “made it”. Kanye West has “made it”. The one guy who won American Idol a couple years ago (you know the one I’m talking about!), he’s “made it”. Success is what you make of it.

Two more tracks everyone! The album will be ready before you know it. In the meantime, have fun figuring out the puzzle pieces, and deciphering the song!

Not quite a new track for M.E.O.W…

What the heck does that mean?! What it means is that I thought I would have a track ready for you tonight. Unfortunately, after listening to the finished mix in my car on the drive home and at home on my laptop, a certain part of the track was not sitting right with me. So I have decided to refrain from posting the mp3 here (at least for a few more days), because I don’t want to risk that you’ll be as critical of the track as I am and as such think it is less than awesome.

piece5So why am I updating the site, if not to give you a new track? Three reasons. First, because I love you. Second, to give you a new puzzle piece (OMG! Puzzizzle Pizzieces!). And threed, to drop some well-deserved props on the rapper who made a guest appearance on the latest track.

Andrew Nielsen, AKA MC Lars is one of the hardest working rappers I know. He’s also one of the most personable and approachable. I emailed him an mp3 of one of my tracks back in 2010 (“Jolt”, in case you were wondering), and he was really enthusiastic about it. I was on cloud number 9! Number 9! #9!

He does't look like this in real life!I remember being a nervous wreck when I contacted him back in 2011 asking if I could interview him when he was on his upcoming tour with MC Chris. Because I’m the type, when I really admire an artist, I want to know everything about them! I think Henry Rollins once said “I want to know what they ate for breakfast on July 17, 1978!” I may have the date wrong, but the sentiment is the same – I want to find out what makes them tick. So the opportunity to interview Lars was something I really looked forward to!

Following an interview conducted in the alley next to the Blind Pig, Lars said “If you ever want me on a track, get in touch!” This was just too tempting to ignore! Being on a track with one of my heroes? Where the fudgsicle do I sign up?! So I continued working on the tracks that would become M.E.O.W. I finally got a brilliant idea in my head, and I wanted Lars to be a part of that brilliant idea! I contacted him with the song idea. He let me know if I could cover the time in the studio to record his vocal take, he would lay down a track.

I did.

He did.

And now you have to wait a few more days to hear it! AAAUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! You feel the same as Lars up there, don’t you?!

But anyway it’s getting late and this post should let you know about Lars. Because I owe him a shout-out, and because Lars, man!!!

He has a new crowd-funded album coming out, The Zombie Dinosaur LP. Being an avid supporter I haven’t heard ALL of the tracks, but I have heard a few (and I’ll hear the rest when I get my copy of the crowd-funded album!). I’ve have heard this one, which if you aren’t stupid (…you’re not STUPID, are you??) you should check out.

I’ve got Dragon Blood, what you wanna do, son?!

Oh, by the way if you’re not familiar with the rest of Lars’ catalog, allow me to drop some youtubes on youse!

Flow Like Poe

Download This Song

White Kids Aren’t Hyphy

So continue holding your breath for a few more days! The new track is on it’s way. And that means there are only two more tracks remaining until the completion of M.E.O.W. Pur, my pretties… pur.

Puzzle Piece? Yes!!

I love you guys (and gals)! I hope you will be my fans for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever andoh wait, I have a puzzle piece for you! Happy and stuffs!

piece5

Can anyone explain why WP automatically surrounds images with hyperlinks? Seems pointless.

Will you also get a new mp3 from the album this week?! Only time will tell, because I’m not gonna tell you. I want it to be a surprise. A surprise!!!!!