Category — My Songwriting Demos

So I wrote a little chord progression for a song, and my boys Ben Smith and Matt Parmenter decided to make it happen one night.  They just slapped some stuff on top of my riff and this is the result.

I laughed my ass off when I heard this.  No, it’s not PC.  So what?  It was pretty funny considering all they had was the piano track.  I am not sure, but that may be me playing the drums..

Enjoy “Shake for Me” ’cause I know I did.

Shake For Me.mp3

Around The Block.mp3

I added a little instrumentation and remixed this years-old Acid track in Logic Pro.  Used the opportunity to learn about FX automation (note the vocal delays) – so it was a good learning experience. 

How Do I Get Through.mp3

This was an experiment I did last weekend.  Jon Mellen and I modified the lyrics and music to one of his tunes, just coming up with a verse and a chorus.  We then recorded it over a piano and a click.

I then used Logic 8 and an assortment of plugins and virtual instruments to test a full production.  Turned out ok, considering it’s the first time doing this on the Mac and with Logic.

I did get to use some cool tools while doing this, including:

• Softube’s Amp Room (on rhythm guitars) and Acoustic Feedback (on the lead guitar)
• Steinberg’s Virtual Guitarist 2 (acoustic guitars)

If we were going to finish this, we’d obviously write a couple of more verses, but you get the idea.  Repetitive, but hey, it was a test project.

The Voices.mp3

Megan and I worked on some more tunes last night.  Other than a misdirected mic (don’t ask!), no more tech woes.  This is a song I wrote about fifteen years ago.  Megan picked it up and comped on the keys while she sang.  With a little work I think we’ll have a pretty nice track. 

Same Look Twice.mp3

After we got over some of our technical issues, we recorded this through a Neumann TLM 103 into a DBX 586 tube pre (not my favorite pre, I am going to get an Avalon soon I hope).  One mic, ambient, just a songwriter and her craft. Next time I capture this talented singer I will do a much better job (probably a different mic) but one can still hear the potential on this track.  She’s awesome.  

Foolish.mp3

“The first lie, was not the last lie..”

Written in 1991 or 1992, a tape deck special.

Friendly Fire.mp3

Written after the first gulf war.  Another one of those sequenced keyboard things with just a mic and cassette player.

A Classical Christmas.mp3

Recorded in 1992, this is a sequenced, semi-classical track that I wrote around Christmas in 1991.  Just a keyboard.

Wishin’ For A Miracle.mp3

This is one of the first demos I recorded when I was putting together my studio in the mid-nineties.  My partner, Chris Raspante, did the guitars and sung the track – I did the rest.

Walk Away.mp3

I wrote this in 1992 or so – just me, a cheap keyboard, tape deck and mic.  This is another one that I will produce someday.  Pretty crappy recording, but passable.