VOM 31 -- Virtual Open Mic @ HCAG, Second Sunday, August 8, 2010

[phoniclab]

Song: Wild World
Artist: Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)

On just this last Friday night I saw Marc Cohn in concert. He has a new CD out with covers from 1970, when he was 11 years old. He played a few of the covers from the CD during the concert including Wild World by Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam). Before playing the song Marc mentioned that Yusuf had called him and complimented him on his cover of the song.

I so enjoyed the song, that I thought I would quickly learn it and do it for the VOM today. So here it is. Somehow I don't think Yusuf or Marc Cohn for that matter will be calling me though.

http://vom.infocusreviews.com/index.php?p=play&id=phoniclab/Wild_World.mp3

[tbry]

I may not be able to get to all of these just yet...thanks Jim Chaos for your words..

kwak...that is a really nice song. Very soothing.

Fussenkuh...You play really nice. You've put in some time for sure. Always enjoy your entries.

MM...Very nicely done. Enjoyed the playing and singing!

[C70man]

My entry this month is on my new Guild CO-2C. Its not the best song to show off the guitar, but I wanted to record a new song I wrote on it. ONE take for sure sitting down in front of my H4....DADF#AD tuning...no capo, finger picked.

I would like to say I wrote the song for my wife....I was thinking about how important she is to my life and decided to write this to tell her how I feel about what she means to me.

Anyway, it's call When I Found You.

http://c70man.xanga.com/audio/1b6f63922307/

[bludog79]

Great Work - Storms here knocked out my internet for a while. Just now getting to listen to some stuff this afternoon. Here is my feedback so far.

 

TBRYSON - Great song. I really like the chorus.

 

Garthman - Love this song. I wasn't familiar with it. Thanks for introducing it to me.

 

KWAKATAK - Great first effort. The guitar work is outstanding. I would like to hear more from you on the vocal front too!

 

Stackabones - Great tune man. I am so glad you gave credit to the original artist instead of Van Halen. You are at a whole different level man... I could never make such great music with a filing cabinet. I used to do this song in my set. I worked it up for a gig I had playing at the McKinney Ice Cream Festival (Crankfest) bad choice of names but a good time. Nice work man!

 

G6120 - Great song, love the chord progression and the chorus.

 

Hypocollector - Really liked this one man. Funny I once wrote a love song about not being able to find the words... I like you take on the topic a little better. Nice vocals on this one Paul.

 

Carnucci - Beautiful work man. Very tasteful work on the strings (Keys)

 

Queepeg - Love this. You are pretty brave to take on a Juber arrangement. Well done. Would love top hear you tackle some Martin Taylor arrangements. I think that those would compliment your playing style. I find them pretty challenging.

 

Blackhathunter - Nice tune. I really like you doing country tunes. Seems to compliment your voice really well.

 

C70 - Nice clean recording. You have an interesting voice, and a pretty assertive style of playing. They contrast each other in a really cool way. Don't change a thing man. Kind of Gordon Lightfoot meets Pete Townsend.

[Glenn F]

Nevermind....

 

Glenn

[Ohioarrow]

Nevermind.... Glenn

 

 

Glenn, were you having problems posting? I see where you uploaded.

[Glenn F]

Hi,

 

I was having troubles posting the lyric, formatted center, and I can't really sit at my computer very long due to back and other health problems ( I am typing this in bed, and it is a bit awkward).

 

Anyways, the song isn't finished due to the aforementioned health problems, and I just took my problems as a sign that I should post the song perhaps for the next VOM, when it is finished and adequately documented.

 

Thanks,

 

Glenn

[Starrshine]

Here is my submission for this month. An original done with my Guild D212 and my Lyon & Healy mandolin: I call it Mountain Song
http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/song_details/4821958?play

Thanks for listening
Bob

[masterbuilt]

Here is my submission for this month. An original done with my Guild D212 and my Lyon & Healy mandolin: I call it Mountain Song http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/song_details/4821958?play Thanks for listening Bob

 

 

The Lyon & Healy sounds great. Nice little bit of reverb, too.

[masterbuilt]

Hi, I was having troubles posting the lyric, formatted center, and I can't really sit at my computer very long due to back and other health problems ( I am typing this in bed, and it is a bit awkward). Anyways, the song isn't finished due to the aforementioned health problems, and I just took my problems as a sign that I should post the song perhaps for the next VOM, when it is finished and adequately documented. Thanks, Glenn

 

 

I hope you feel tip-top soon.

[Tartanlad]

Well where do a start.. Well all a can say here is this is the
very 1st open mike night ive looked into to check out the music

WHY just now ?
Because am jealous of you all and wished a could play guitar like such
some good and some very gd..i really did enjoy listening to all of you.. and it was a pleasure just like to say.. to all of you very well done

[tbry]

garthman...Nice sound on the guitar. Well done.

 

Fendouglas...Good old trad sound.

 

Jimmy Chaos...Nice take on that song. Like your guitar too!

 

Deepend...Well done on the lyrics and noble topic for volunteers.

 

Masterbuilt...Good country song. Did the publisher take the song and place it?

 

Chris C...Beautiful.

[recordingtrack1]

I posted a pretty sucky version of this on the HCAG a long time ago. I recorded a little better version of it this afternoon.

At least now I have it on the VOM session. I hope ya'll like it.

Fire And Rain, by the great JTaylor
http://vom.infocusreviews.com/index.php?p=play&id=recordingtrack1/Fire_And_Rain.mp3

RT1 BTW, great stuff so far everybody. Lots of cool original stuff.

[chriscarnucci]

Well another great VOM! I count 25 entries so far. I loved everyones stuff. There were some really cool submissions...as usual!

Thanks for the nice comments about my song, and here is what I have for everyone so far. Hope I didn't miss anyone and I'll catch the late cummers...later! Hope everyone has a great August and I'll see you next month!

Tbryson

[tbry]

Blackhat...Wow...you did great on this simple 3 chord delux...your getting better at having your vocal sit right in there...in the past some weren't as sharp as this recording was...Nice work!!! My buddy is going through one of those nasty D's...none of them are good. Good luck to you!!

[sixgunner455]

If I Were a Carpenter

 

This is a classic old song I fell in love with a little while ago. It was written by Tim Hardin, and recorded by a number of people, including Johnny and June Cash.

 

Recorded this afternoon by me, using a CAD22 mic, Audacity, and my Takamine.

[hypcollector]

got a speaker in my ear and the VOM archive site blarring vom31 as i do some surf work...will comment as heard...
*tbryson....really great song and fingerpicking sounds good. liked the bridge lyrics especially.
*garthman....brought me to attention with the opening strum....
*fendouglas....what an irish voice you have....like i'm in a 1800's pub after a day of digging up rocks and feeding goats.
*jimmychaos....never heard that song before...i need to listen to more music.....voice is fine.
*deepend...i was down there in the summer of 06 and those people are tough as iron. and it continues with the oil. super song. i've heard people talk about abandoning new orleans due to it's sea level status. what a crock. it's new orleans, man! go tell andrew jackson we're abandoning n.o.
*kwakatak....it's always true that people that are hesitant to sing are the best singers. keep humming. that song pops. i'm fighting envy.
*fussenkuh...got lost in slashlike visions. sounded like you had fun playing it.
*stack....you're probably sick of hearing of your loftyness, but i don't care. the multiple levels of subtlty in the choice of the song, added parts, visual of you banging on a file cabinet and shaking, post pics, delivery.....ice cream song for the end of summer.
*michaelmartin...lesser saints and angels....i like how you end a verse...such enders. every one.
*masterbuilt....who was the killed artist?..like the minor chords...i also like that country girls grow gardens...
*rambert...sticking with the n.o. flavor with the french quarter sign...no better way to close out a long day...you are smooth.
*g6120....lots of imagery and a sense of time through the day and night. even sounds outside the music. you (and sue) bled it out on this song.
*bludog...another one that at some point was hesitant to sing....cool voice, blu. as always. make sure you let me know if you play the crank off again...thinking about a hometown gig....
*hypcollector. dude, tune your guitar. get some new strings. it's about being totally speechless when i got the word. the word i didn't want. i had nothing to say. speechless and writerless, only for a few hours. got a bunch of books to read. >
*bransonb....sounds like you got alot of guitars.....you got a real voice. and the live recording was strong.
*tsmusic.....i want to light a candle for some reason. this is trance music. guns and guitars.
*carnucci....you get a ton out of every word...time also knows the future of your life. what time is it now anyway?...10:22 cst....newsflash on cnn>>mexican police clash over corruption. wife's calling me to the bed, but i'm finishing VOM dangnabbit!!
*queequeg....george was the best beatle. overall, i mean. he was the best.
*blackhat.....like the 3 line verses...and the final words of the song (spoken) are choice. a healthy apathy is good for your health.
*phoniclab...i liked your rendition of this song very much....poor, sorry thing that happened to cat. thought himself into confusion. or clarity, he might say. still write/sings/performs, right?
*c70man....wife songs are the best...i write some that my wife never hears. those are my favorites.
*starrshine... >...never hear it said a dead man is rich...only that he was rich....this is like a rain drop falling through the forest in slow motion, hitting trees and forming other drops. like a family of drops.
*recordingtrack1...off of the VOM archive site and determined to finish the final posts...great music all over. can't bluff your way through a jt song...nice sound..
*6gunner455...that is a tremendous song...never heard it...like i said earlier, i need to listen to more music....liked your solo parts. gonna have dream melodies tonight...

keep the music free!!!!...thanks to all for the thoughts, prep, collaborations, sore throats, chinese guitars, file cabinets, gnr instrumentals, trances, spoken words, etc., etc....final update>>>saudi delays blackberry ban, markets waiting on the fed, t.o. is an idiot. go miles....pg

[Stackabones]

Well, by my clock it's almost closing time ... but you know what? If it's still Second Sunday where you live, keep posting. Even it's a bit past Second Sunday and Monday Morning is blinking its bright eyes in your face ...

post 'em if you got 'em!

 

The mic is still on if you need it ...

 

 

[Michael Martin]

Yowza. Bank sign said 99 degrees here on the prairie today...you could cut the air with a dull knife. Was on a ladder cleaning gutters all aft. And then huge thunder-boomers rolled in this evening and I went outside to record it on my H2. And now back in to listen to VOM. Many thanks to those who gave mine a listen--and thanks also for comments. My turn! The first handful, anyway...

tbryson: Very lonesome, moody song. Great to hear your original. Very plaintive vocal that suits the lyrics perfectly. I like simple FS patterns in this kind of song--stripped down so that the vocal can predominate.

Garthman: As always your stuff is very distinctive. I was intrigued by the flange-y guitar sound--not sure how you get that, but it's weird and cool. Very metallic.

Fendouglas: I've become very partial to English accents, and I've always loved your vocals and overall presentation. Very earthy and textured. How disillusioning this song is! And hilarious. I thought it was just us Yanks who were making everything generic and franchised...

Jimmy Chaos: You know, I've heard a couple Decembrist songs and really like what I've heard--this one too. Another one I heard a local band cover--something about the Cliffs of Dover. I'm partial to the English brand of folk, just as with accents--it seems somehow deeper and more mysterious than the American variety. Anyway--nice job with this. Lordy I wish I had your vocal range!

Deep End: Wow, powerful. Right off I could hear a full band doing this--drums, bass, the works. Really strong original, man!

Kwak: My H2 brother. Nifty, subtle guitar work as always, and great to hear you singing. What stands out to me here is your skill at weaving the lyric lines--the phrasing--around and through the guitar part. Very fluid and "conversational". Not many songwriters attempt that, or hit the mark when they try. Very well done.

Fuss: Oh yes that dirty sound. Gritty and such power. Don't know of this song, but I am a great fan of your many "translations" of metal and hard rock to solo acoustic, where you always hold your own and then some. You are a guitar god to me--someday I will be able to effortlessly (so it seems) whale away like that.

Stack: Well, this is the coolest thing ever on a VOM, pun intended...what fun. How you do a vocal like that while keeping the shaker beat is beyond me. A more highly evolved brain than mine no doubt. Gotta say this is one time when I would REALLY have liked to watch instead of just listen! And you've got me thinking--I have an old file cab in the attic which may need to come down to the music cave...

Masterbuilt: Well hell this gotta be a hit for SOMEBODY, if not for the first guy who met his untimely end...it sounds like it's truly ready-made for radio. You should hire an agent? Very slick! And love the hat--nice touch. You wear it well.

Etienne: One man band! Gotta say, don't apologize for the ambient noise. I love that stuff creeping in. Extremely well-put together--have you been doing this all your life? Love cheesey organ; cheesey is a very fine flavor. Now I want one. I enjoyed the subtle, understated guitar work, and you rocked that solo. Bon soir...

More later I hope...thunderstorm has returned--gonna go record some more.

[masterbuilt]

Masterbuilt ...Good country song. Did the publisher take the song and place it?

 

 

Yes, but while they were recording the album, after a day of actually recording Country Girls, the artist went out that night and wrapped his sportscar around a tree killing himself. They shelved the project and all the tracks involved. Been on the shelf ever since. The accident was some time in 1993-94 time-frame.

[masterbuilt]

I posted a pretty sucky version of this on the HCAG a long time ago. I recorded a little better version of it this afternoon. At least now I have it on the VOM session. I hope ya'll like it. Fire And Rain, by the great JTaylor http://vom.infocusreviews.com/index.php?p=play&id=recordingtrack1/Fire_And_Rain.mp3 RT1 BTW, great stuff so far everybody. Lots of cool original stuff.

Nice playing. You have some very nice technique in this.

[masterbuilt]

Masterbuilt: Well hell this gotta be a hit for SOMEBODY, if not for the first guy who met his untimely end...it sounds like it's truly ready-made for radio. You should hire an agent? Very slick! And love the hat--nice touch. You wear it well.

 

 

Thanks Michael. The hat is a "Shady Brady" and is the second one I have owned. As cowboy hats go, it is by far the best in my book. I had some PR shots taken years ago wearing a Shady Brady and the look was always good, especially for country and folk music.

 

I'd love to have someone pick up the song if it makes a bit of a stir on YouTube. We plan a cute video with a genuine country gal and a really great lead guitarist, a drummer on a snare and a bassist. Perhaps we will catch some attention at that point.

[Fendouglas]

Quote (from Jimmy Chaos) "Fendouglas: I love this song, It really struck a chord with me... It reminds me of an England that can only be found in a quiet country pub in the peak district. I love the guitar sound and the vocals. What did you use to record?"

Thanks, once again, for the positive feedback - It's nice to be appreciated in the midst of such talented company! - Great session again this month and some stupendous submissions

For Jimmy - I use a Tacscam 122L Recorder with a seX1 Condenser Mic (pretty basic gear but quite pleasing results) - Recorded using Krystal (freeware) and converted from *.wav to *.mp3 with Audacity (also freeware): I find that Krystal is a more 'comfortable' recording medium than Audacity.

[TSMusic]

*tsmusic.....i want to light a candle for some reason. this is trance music. guns and guitars.

 

 

It's funny, I was thinking of trying to get a candle somehow in the video as I was getting ready to record it but I don't have a lot of space in my recording room and I couldn't get the camera positioned right to catch it.

 

Thanks for the comment.

 

Tony

[Frets99]

Sorry guys, couldn't record anything lately as my cat passed away yesterday, and I am going through a nasty divorce. Speaking of which, I wrote this song to try and cheer myself up as I was feeling real down one night. It's called "Me... in Tahiti". http://mojotwanger.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/mojotwanger-com-me-in-tahiti-original-song/ I just needed to decide to put the hurt behind, to still acknowledge it, but to realize that it was time to move on... A song I wrote about that time when something really bad happened to you, and you decide to leave it behind. You