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Bug in My Coffee

I think the song title says it all. Enjoy! Dead Bug In My Coffee 04Apr2010

Hear Those Words: NEW SONG!

Finally, I have another song to upload. I just bought a MOTU 24I/0 and expansion box for the studio and now I have 48 channels of live recording power. I don’t think i can get that many people in my studio, tho.
So here is the new song. Hope you enjoy it. It features Paul Kandera doing the primary twiddly bits on the guitar.

Hear Those Words

This song features Paul Kandera on slide guitar and interstitial guitar bits. Thanks Paul!

I can also be followed on twitter as oscarlaun. But I haven’t been the tweet king, which may or may not be a good thing.
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Upgrade!

Most excellent: I have some new equipment on the way that should give greater stability to my recording system. Not that I have regular problems now, but I’m getting a new (to me) MOTU 24 I/O and expansion for the PCIe bus, which should make it far far far less likely of having a dropout during a session due to firewire synchronicity issues (they crop up every once in a while, especially when the computer has been on for 8 to 10 hours). Also, it will give me 48 inputs and outputs. I don’t know how i’ll get an orchestra in the studio, but if I can:  i’ll be able to do a live recording with close mics on them. 🙂

So thanks and good luck to Greg from Orion Records in Phildelphia for passing on the savings, as they apparently went ProTools!
www.orion-records.net
www.myspace.com/orionrs

New song “Words Have Weight”

Right click and Save As… Words Have Weight

if you like the song feel free to donate at: http://www.balsaracers.com

Words Have Weight

We just sit in these four walls
Regarding what to say
But nothing unsaid can chase these gray thoughts away
Sit here, let’s talk
Let’s sail the conversation sea
When next the sun comes shining upon our door
We’ll find we’re on a foreign shore

Words have weight that gravity doesn’t share
They drag and trip and hold
Words bring chains and locks and pain
When they’re fighting for control

We all want someone who’ll miss us when we’re away
We all want someone who will kiss all our fears away
We all want someone who’ll hold our hands and sigh
And promise us they won’t say goodbye

Words have weight that gravity cannot see
They move and soothe our souls
Words have wings that lift us to higher spaces
Leaving us to grow together
Through all that we weather
They take us through, me and you
Leaving us to be together
Me and you

We just sit and stare a while
Let the catalyst react
We both know there won’t soon be another act
Sit here, let’s talk
Let’s sail the conversation sea
When next the sun comes shining upon our door
We’ll see we’re on a foreign shore
Words have weight that science can’t quantify
They soothe, persuade, control
Words create and destroy upon circumstance
And warm and cheer our souls

News from the last week in august

Monkeysoop (http://www.monkeysoop.com) are in studio this month working on a hybrid Live and Studio album. Righteous! We’ve got some live tracks recorded at a local joint and then we’re also going to throw in some new studio stuff. Should be interesting.

Confusion Only (http://www.confusiononly.com) are working toward a new look and website. We’re going to start an online comic that will have embedded extra content, like videos and demos and such. I am going to cross-pollinate from Balsaracers.com with my Ninjaneer concept.

So here is a quick mockup up of how the comic may look. It’s going to be a cross between line-traced. comicized pictures and real backgrounds. Something like “through a scanner darkly” meets http://www.alienlovespredator.com

Or something. Hmmm…looking at it now, it’s a bit creepy, huh?

Quick mockup of online comic

Quick mockup of online comic

Open Eyes: new song Free Download!

Download the Open Eyes mp3 for free.

Right click and “Save as…”

Confusion Only: yes. Thrashing Ashley: no.

I had to stop playing with thrashing Ashley a couple of weeks ago as Confusion Only is taking my time. Plus, Confusion Only is actually gigging and making money and Thrashing Ashley is looking for a new guitarist and not playing.

I must admit to feeling bad about stopping the Thrashing ashley saga as they are nice guys and it’s good music. Sadly, i lost too much money on a gig of which I wasn’t even supposed to be a permanent part: way too much money. Especially as i realized midway that the band as it stood wouldn’t be viable after the CD completion, due to members doing too many other things to make ends meet.

Very sad.

confusion Only has finished their CD (the recording part), and most of the artwork, and once the “thank yous” are written, we should be getting that printed. In the meantime, you can buy CD-R versions at our gigs.

new windows

Oh the excitement: I’m getting new windows installed today and tomorrow. Whoo! With luck this will reduce noise in the studio and reduce the cost of AC and heating.

I’m worried a little about it being so cold (41F, as I write). Will expansion be a problem when it warms up? Should I have waited until summer or spring? Yesterday it was 70F, so maybe it’ll warm up a bit today. Still: i have a lifetime warranty on the work, so if the seals are busted, they’ll fix it. Allegedly.

I had Sears come out and give me an estimate for 10 windows and a sliding door.

$15,000.

That bears repeating: $15,000!

So i got another estimate on effectively the same windows and warranty: $5000.

That’s more palatable. I still am worried if i did the right thing. I need the windows for the studio as the single pane pieces of junk that KB homes installs when they build are exactly what you pay for when you get a lower-mid-range-priced home.

It is also the alternator

Right. So after i get a new battery put in the van last week and all seems well, off I go driving down the street this morning and what happens? the battery light comes on. And stay on. Great. fortunatly i’m driving right by Jordan ford. One quick look an ‘lo: it’s the alternator! Like I said. only it was OK when they checked it last week. so now I apparently have to pay more money. Shit.

Fortunately, I am recording two songs on drums for Alan Fisher today so that’ll get me enough to cover this. But I really don’t think I should. I think they missed it. Yes, it’s probaly coincidence, but dammit!

Batteries and other junk

The lady from Jordan ford called last eve and said that at the least, the battery was bad on the van. i replaced the battery less than two years ago right after I bought it. I’m pretty certain that batteries are supposed to last at least two years. Sadly, I’m pretty sure the receipt for this is no longer viable as all the retail companies (Pep Boys, e.g.) are using heat-activated paper so you can’t see the items on the reciept if they’ve, say, sat in a car for a while.

Alas.

So I await further communication form the repair shop. Hopefully (sadly), there is something wrong with the car or I’ll have to pay for everything and that will cost me more than the $75 copay. My car has better health insurance than me. Isn’t that sad?