Wiser Creatures

Howdy! So, in session 7 we knocked out our ninth tune "Energy" and then reviewed what we had so far to see if any changes needed to be made. After everything was finalized, we got together for session 8, our longest yet, to record the all-encompassing crescendo of the "Wiser Creatures" experience. Ladies and gentlemen, as far as recording goes... WE...ARE...DONE! Just waiting on the mixing/mastering process, and I'm figuring out what to do terms of album art and duplication, etc. But this baby's droppin' REAL soon so stay tuned for more updates not just on the CD, but for an idea for an EP I've got brewin' as well.

I've got a bunch of demos I've recorded that didn't make it onto the CD, a lot of which are full and finished tunes. As part of my ploy to get some frequency in YouTube video posting to start gaining some traction there, I'm gonna put together a little series of demos and have people vote on them. The four with the most votes will go on an EP that I record myself with my new equipment I got from taking 3rd in the KAOS Songwriting Competition a little while back. And I'll start selling that little trinket at shows as a cheaper option for people who wanna buy some of my music but are strapped for dough. So that's that! Hopefully a lot more updates on the musical front coming in the future, along with the release of my first big CD, "Wiser Creatures!"

Why hello there! Back so soon you ask? Why yes, because my editing schedule in relation to my posting schedule is pretty all over the place. The fact is, we got at it again with the re-recording of "She," and just like last time, I had trouble getting the right energy to perform it. But in a clear example of why persistence always pays off, we had a pretty dynamite amalgamation of takes number eleven and twelve after a tiring but rewarding repetition of that song. From there, it was figuring out what the last tune that was gonna end up on this CD would be. After playing an old favourite for Matt's, it seemed as if there was no question in his mind that "Energy" had to make a return as the third and final crossover track from 2008's EP. So in this session there's a romantic tune, a sexy tune, and even a little story about the girl who inspired the romantic tune. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the loveiest session yet of the Wiser Creatures Recording Vlog!

Peace and love friends!
-Joe



P.S.

"Energy" may need a touch up, but aside from that there is only ONE SONG LEFT TO RECORD! This baby's ALMOST DONE...baby...

Aaaaaand we're back. This time recording "Small Town Boy." Funny enough, the initial purpose of this session was to redo "She" and "Yourself," but what ended up happening was we nixed "Yourself" because we decided it wasn't a good fit for the album (although it's great live tune) and I was having trouble getting in the right place to record "She." That leaves it for the next session, as well as one last tune I'll have to decide on, and my piano tune "Time." And time will tell what happens.

Until next time,
Joe

Recording is in session for a fourth time as our brave adventurers tackle the vocally challenging "Last Goodbye" and the..er..guitarally challenging "Fox and the Owl." Also, we discover that we may need to re-record some tunes..but hey, it's all part of the process, and we WILL get it done. Little by little the CD nears completion. The closer we get to that inevitable end, the more I start to think about packaging and marketing and most importantly, performing. It's been far too long since I've taken the stage and I plan to start doing it again the closer we get to finishing this thing..after all, I've got to generate some kind of a buzz. And of course the release show is another thing to plan, and something I've looked forward to since I played my last one almost 4 years ago. In the meantime, I'll keep the updates comin'.

Adios amigos,
Joe

We're back again! After the winter holidays slowed our momentum for a few months, Matt and I officially got back on the horse yesterday and recorded two new songs for "Wiser Creatures." The songs we covered this week were "Every Message Sent" and "Alright Now." We did those ones in particular if not for any other reason than the fact that I was struggling a little bit with my other tracks. I didn't quite feel warmed up for the technicality of the guitar work on "The Fox and the Owl" and when trying to record "Last Goodbye" I just plain wasn't feeling the vibe. Chalk that up to not having played those songs in a while...and in fact, to not playing much of my own tunes in general over the last little while.

I have, however, been focusing on writing something new. Not unlike "Last Goodbye" was a last minute addition to "the window ep," it seems as if a new tune may enter into the mix for "Creatures" as well. It'll replace "Ladybird," one of the tunes that made it to my final track list after much deliberation. While not a bad song, I just don't know if I feel that right vibe with it for this disc.

Anyway, if all goes well I'll show up next time around with a heavily practiced "Fox and the Owl" and "Last Goodbye" and try to knock those two out in the next session. We've constantly hammered out two tracks per session so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. After that, the next session will encompass either an old tune from my list to replace "Ladybird" or the brand new track I'm working on that I referenced before ( mist likely the latter). And last but not least, we are going to devote one entire session to "Time," my one and only piano song...because I've got big plans for that tune...big plans.

You'll see. *wink wink*

Enjoy the video, and adieu,
Joe

Guess who's back in the mo' fricken house?! Matt's house actually...his HOME STUDIO to be exact. And we're back recording two new tunes as it's now full speed ahead for the "Wiser Creatures" recording process. This week we focused on "She" and "Yourself" and to be quite honest, it was a little tougher than last week. We definitely got some good takes but they still may not necessarily be "the ones." Either way, we press on and come back to fine tune and redo what needs to be done once we've got a bunch of pretty solid takes of each song on the album.

The key thing is, I finally STARTED making this CD. I knew all I had to do was start with that first session to get my mojo back, and lo and behold, I can feel my energy and passion for doing this whole music thang returning. It doesn't hurt that the night before recording this, I took third in the KAOS Music Songwriters Competition and won some sweet swag to create a little home studio of my own. More on that soon, maybe some pictures or new demos care of yours truly.

The fact of the matter is:
We're back
We're ballin'
We're better than ever

But above all else, we are much 'wiser creatures' than we were before. Yup...that JUST happened.

Enjoy.


See ya soon!
Joe

Post number four on this blog! Almost a year after the three initial posts. So the Wiser Creatures Recording Blog was supposed to deal with all musical ventures and not JUST the new CD, but I pretty much abandoned it and put all my eggs in the Facebook, YouTube and personal blog basket instead. The planning and prep session which was the first post of this blog was well and good, but it was almost a year ago. I thought I was going to start recording then, but life got in the way.


It's a brand new day. No more "I'm GOING to do this." I did it. It's here. We have officially BEGUN recording. I'm recording at my good friend Matt Marcoccia's home studio. We recorded the title track, "Wiser Creatures" followed by the track you hear in this video "Stand Up." Not bad for a day's work.

NOW it's official folks. NOW you can finally sit back, relax, and enjoy...

The Wiser Creatures Recording Blog: Session 1


We're probably not going to be recording as frequently as we did with the EP, but I'll keep you posted and make sure to update as soon as Session 2 comes along.




















Adios folks,
Joe