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Music, new live videos up. I promise they don't suck too bad

joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class TraitorSmoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
edited August 2012 in Artist's Corner
Recently I started a folk/Irish band with a couple other people, just for fun. We're not taking it too seriously and just want to play around town some and maybe make a little extra money.

The thing is, Abilene, TX really kind of sucks for regular venues, especially bands just starting out. We're playing at open mic nights and even headlined a show at the local downtown Artwalk, which is where we started getting noticed. Since a lot of places aren't able to pay us outright or give us a cut of the door (because they aren't charging at the door), and because a lot of people ask us if we have a CD, we spent the last few months recording one so that there's potential for income even at free shows and we don't have to necessarily beg for tips.

We didn't overdo this thing. Most of the tracks are just how you'd hear us at a show and there's only three of us. A few of the tracks I went a little overboard with on multitracking (Black Velvet Band and McLeod's Reel/Rights of Man/Down By the Sally Gardens especially) but for the most part if you hear a part it's being played live.

I know that there are mistakes on there as well, and I may be inclined to go back and fix them if you all hear something that just really bugs the shit out of you, but otherwise I'm fine with calling them "happy accidents".

Mostly I'd like your mixing ears. I'm pretty amateur at EQ/reverb mixing and it's easy enough for me to quickly fix if you hear something atrocious. I'd just like to be able to sell them for $8-10 and not feel bad about it.

Give the thing a listen on ReverbNation here.

Appreciate all comments, positive and negative.

joshofalltrades on
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Posts

  • CountBlackulaCountBlackula MarylandRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Listening to the Kesh Jig. I won't lie, when I clicked this link I was like "These guys are gonna suck balls." Now I'm sitting here like "Holy fuck, these guys are REALLY good". This sounds really professional, I'm enjoying it!

    Make a myspace. It can't hurt... Also, post for gigs on craigslist and show them this link.

    CountBlackula on
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  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Listening to the Kesh Jig. I won't lie, when I clicked this link I was like "These guys are gonna suck balls." Now I'm sitting here like "Holy fuck, these guys are REALLY good". This sounds really professional, I'm enjoying it!

    Make a myspace. It can't hurt... Also, post for gigs on craigslist and show them this link.

    Haha, thanks. Like I said, we weren't really going for professional, just listenable. We're not trying to be stars or make our living off of this or anything. Only one of us is Irish but we have fun anyway.

    joshofalltrades on
  • CountBlackulaCountBlackula MarylandRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Who's the Irish member of the band? And are we talking "came on a boat from Ireland" or "my grandpa's Irish"?

    CountBlackula on
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  • BelruelBelruel NARUTO FUCKS Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    you have star of the country down :^:

    I like your stuff for sure, I was actually just building a folk music playlist this morning.

    Belruel on
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  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Who's the Irish member of the band? And are we talking "came on a boat from Ireland" or "my grandpa's Irish"?

    Christine is Irish. Her mom is Irish and her dad is American, she was born in Ireland and flew to the states when she was little.

    joshofalltrades on
  • BelruelBelruel NARUTO FUCKS Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I like your harmonica playin in black velvet band.

    Belruel on
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  • TamTam Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I'm a huge fan of old world folk music and Irish/Celtic folk music especially. And so I fucking love this. I hope you keep posting.

    I feel there's a few just slightly rough spots in the fiddling in The Kesh Jig though.
    edit: but who cares, really, because you guys are fucking awesome and I will be listening to this playlist so hard

    Tam on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Wow, thanks a lot guys. I was honestly expecting a lot more criticism, especially being a dirty American playing this stuff.

    Belruel, thanks :) I was a harmonica player long before I played any of these other instruments and while this group doesn't afford me as many opportunities to wail as my rock/blues stuff, I couldn't resist the opportunity to have a little fun.

    joshofalltrades on
  • TamTam Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Wow, thanks a lot guys. I was honestly expecting a lot more criticism, especially being a dirty American playing this stuff.

    Belruel, thanks :) I was a harmonica player long before I played any of these other instruments and while this group doesn't afford me as many opportunities to wail as my rock/blues stuff, I couldn't resist the opportunity to have a little fun.

    oh my god please record and post this too

    also, man, you ain't gotta be from a place to play its music
    I will fight anyone who says otherwise

    Tam on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Tam wrote: »
    oh my god please record and post this too

    This thread has one song, but no harmonica solo

    I have a worse song, like a love song (ugh) I wrote when I was like 19 years old, but it has a great solo in it

    I think this link will take you to it but please do not judge me based on my 19-year-old self's lyrics, just listen to this one for the solo

    joshofalltrades on
  • TamTam Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    righto

    Tam on
  • BelruelBelruel NARUTO FUCKS Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    oh man, xanga.
    It is like going back into yesteryear.

    just got to the harmonica

    dang dude, you tear that shit up.

    Belruel on
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  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Too bad the song itself suuuuuuuuuucks

    Oh well, I was young, dumb and in love

    Never ended up with the girl I wrote that one for, by the way

    Probably because the stupid lyrics overshadow the harp solo

    joshofalltrades on
  • BelruelBelruel NARUTO FUCKS Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    She should have heard it and been lust-stricken by how well you blow.


    ...wait.

    But seriously, great harmonica-ing, I keep meaning to give it a go one of these days.

    Belruel on
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  • CountBlackulaCountBlackula MarylandRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Is playing the harmonica hard?

    CountBlackula on
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  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Is playing the harmonica hard?

    No

    But playing it better than Bob Dylan can be

    joshofalltrades on
  • TamTam Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    that's a lie

    I have a Hohner Golden Melody and I can't play it for shit
    but I have -5 musical talent

    Tam on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Tam wrote: »
    that's a lie

    I have a Hohner Golden Melody and I can't play it for shit
    but I have -5 musical talent

    Special 20s are where it's at, man

    They're all I'll play on now

    Plastic comb doesn't splinter or swell, and the reeds are so easy to bend

    joshofalltrades on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Make a myspace.

    Also, we have a MySpace. That place is a ghost town, though, so we made a Facebook page as well.

    joshofalltrades on
  • squidbunnysquidbunny Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    My super helpful feedback: this is way listenable and I am digging it mightily.

    squidbunny on
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  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    squidbunny wrote: »
    My super helpful feedback: this is way listenable and I am digging it mightily.

    That actually is super helpful, because the more I hear that the less I'll feel that I've cheated patrons out of $10 for a compact disc. Also, it increases the likelihood that I'll want to record another one. :)

    joshofalltrades on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Quick question. We're thinking of making a track free to download prior to releasing this CD. If you could only pick one, which would it be?

    joshofalltrades on
  • TamTam Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Er, maybe McLeod's Reel or Star of the County Down

    Tam on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I'd probably be more inclined to do Star since the McLeod Medley is the longest track on the record at over 8 1/2 minutes. I'm happy that the Medley is liked though, that track was a monster and took the longest to put down.

    joshofalltrades on
  • TamTam Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I certainly loved it. I have a preference for instrumentals though.

    Josh, have you heard of Liadan?

    Tam on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    That's that all-girl Irish group, right?

    I haven't heard any of their stuff but they're pretty good from what I understand!

    joshofalltrades on
  • TamTam Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I haven't heard a lot of their songs, but those I have heard are amazing, especially if there's no studio magic going on. I'd recommend Galway Bay or Amhrán Mhuínse if you want to give them a listen.

    Anyway, good luck sir, and I will try to buy the CD if I can scrounge up the money.

    Tam on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Yeah, they're good

    That's the nice thing about having a lot of committed members, you can do a lot more elaborate stuff live

    joshofalltrades on
  • TamTam Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Me on harmonica at the Erinshire Folk Festival 2009

    Just throwing some blues into the mix

    I have a solo in here, but I'm not at my best since it was at the end of a 3 hour set in the sun

    All right enough excuses

    2:13 is where my solo starts

    joshofalltrades on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Star of the County Down is now a free download, in case any of you guys liked it well enough to put on your mp3 player. Just click "download" next to the song in the ReverbNation player. The whole thing is still free to listen to but I wanted a way to say thanks for the confidence-boosting comments.

    joshofalltrades on
  • TamTam Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    hot diggity!

    edit: also, josh, I am sitting here with both cash and e-money, ready to buy the album

    Tam on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    I'm going to PM you Tam because I don't want this thread to be an advertisement

    joshofalltrades on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Okay, 2 new tracks. The first is an original tune by Christine called Assurance. She's playing piano/singing, Wes is on the violin, I'm playing bass.

    The second is Wild Rover, pretty much a standard if you're playing Irish music. Wes is singing/playing the fiddle, Christine has harmonies, and I'm playing drums/bass/guitar/shaker/singing harmonies. All of us do the hand claps.

    We have a pro audio engineer coming to finalize the mixes and do the mastering, so we're pretty close to done with this thing. We don't need advice on the mixes of these two tracks (they're a little bit rough, I know), but any comments or criticism of the composition is welcome.

    Also sorry I keep linking to an external site, but I don't have any other way of getting the music embedded on here other than uploading to YouTube, and I'm not ready for the world to hear these tracks yet. I did put them on a page other than our ReverbNation this time, so at least you know I'm not sitewhoring for a certain number of listen hits.

    joshofalltrades on
  • ninjaininjai Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    On Assurance, great composition. The piano has a very solemn folk sound, and I love the movement. The violinist sounds a little unconfident at times, almost as if he's starting the draw of the bow very lazily, like at 0:09. The violin is also not in tune with the piano or each other.



    The only real pick that I have with your music is that you're getting caught in a very common trap of different insturments (voice/piano/violin) all the playing the same thing. 1:13 is a great example of this. Thats why system of a down sucks, and stuff like what's listed below is epic.

    This is the prime example of moving peices that are similar but different. The part that is meant to draw your attention is LOUD and staccato, but the part meant to support the attention has quiet, short moving lines, sort of like stand bass in a jazz quartet.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYCPHHPXTmk

    This exemplifies a good harmony, that you use with violin in your song, is if the two parts can be played separate and sound like their own piece. Different but similar.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad6-MRmZ5IU

    3:59 to 4:17 is primarily what I'm after on this one. Most people don't like this type of music, so I won't ask you to listen to the whole thing, but that part also accentuates my next point.
    LISTEN TO 3:59 to 4:17

    Also you want to keep consistency with the parts that you create. For example towards the end of Asurance the moving Violin 1 part has unnecessary legato thrown (like at 2:00 when the parts mesh) in when you already have 2nd violin playing legato, the main attaction in this piece is the piano and the violins are an accent, so Keep the moving "Violin 1" a moving part (add fills i.e. tremalo, trills etc), and "Violin 2" as a legato part. This will keep the piece interesting and build up towards a climax at the end.

    This brings up a final point. One thing that traditional musicians forget to incorporate into their work is DYNAMICS!!! You remember like p, mp, mf, f, ff, creciendo, decreciendo? These are crucial to playing acoustic instruments like the piano, violin, trumpet (unless you're in a ska band, then you play however loud you want... all the time) What separates a good song from a FANTASIC SONG is dynamics. Your peices seem to be very level from beginning to end. Let the pianist rock out towards the end, treat it like the percussive instrument it was meant to be, and give the emotion in the song more weight!

    Aside from my nitpicks, I love the folk sound you have, and its very well structured, and pleasant to listen to, I hope to hear more!

    Edit: Do you use a metronome? The ending of Wild Rover sounded like a bit of mush.

    ninjai on
  • ninjaininjai Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Violin stuff

    This may be a bit off from what I talked about but I'ma put it up anyway. This song accentuates my point about Dynamics and Confidence in your violin playing
    Like the subtle creciendo of the chord at 2:18
    The trills at 2:30-2:35
    And great tone throughout.

    ninjai on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Thanks ninjai, that's exactly the sort of post I was hoping to get. I'll give it another once-over and possibly have my peoples redo some of their sketchier work, especially Assurance violin.

    joshofalltrades on
  • ninjaininjai Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Thanks ninjai, that's exactly the sort of post I was hoping to get. I'll give it another once-over and possibly have my peoples redo some of their sketchier work, especially Assurance violin.


    Glad I could help. I hope it didn't come across too nitpicky. (sp?)

    ninjai on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Hey, I wouldn't have posted it and asked for criticism if I couldn't take it. I'm not posting stuff in here just for back-patting (though I won't turn that down either)!

    joshofalltrades on
  • ninjaininjai Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    heh, sorry didn't see that before. Didn't read the whole thread. My bad :(

    ninjai on
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