Hey TWW,For anybody following my thread in chit chat, then y'all should know that I've been slowly putting together songs for an album over the last 8 months, and I have finally finished them, mixed them, and ordered them as best as I could for what I am calling my debut album...Yes, no record deals or anything and most of it was put together in a closet, but please feel free to give it a listen if you like country/folk and bluegrass, the banjo, or just music in general.Don't be shy to give any comments or feedback.Thanks!https://myvitruvianman.bandcamp.com/releases
12/16/2014 3:25:44 PM
iop1
12/16/2014 3:27:13 PM
Buy an ad hippie!
12/16/2014 3:43:28 PM
"Cooler than Paul Rudd" doesn't quite ring like "Cool as Kim Deal."
12/16/2014 9:04:44 PM
Congrats, mane.
12/16/2014 9:19:10 PM
Thanks for the support guys. This ended up being a pretty decent activity for the year, and it is kind of a highlight actually considering how other things have gone. I might have found a place here in Germany to play every once in a while, so, it is good to have this stuff up just in case people ask. Other than that, what are some things people due these days to get their music out? Is it literally just calling up Studios or radios and sending them demo tapes? One thing that I have shamefully done a couple times is to check out some of my favorite country/folk bands (guys like Justin Townes Earle and the Devil Makes Three) here in Germany because the crowds are typically smaller, as that sound is not so developed here yet. I usually approach them, tell them that they were an inspiration and mention my stuff to them. I am sure that they get this at least five times a show, but, I don't know what else to do at the moment.[Edited on December 17, 2014 at 6:28 AM. Reason : f]
12/17/2014 6:27:56 AM
You should start busking in Germany.
12/17/2014 9:30:31 AM
two words:SEXTAPE
12/17/2014 11:10:53 AM
Totally missed opportunity onBanjoMan's is first album.
12/17/2014 11:30:40 AM
^^ and ^ lol. Although, I thought that Cooler than Paul Rudd would be a little catchy.So, has anybody like listened to anything yet? Or, have y'all just been staring at my awesome beard?
12/17/2014 11:45:14 AM
yesterday I listened to the first half. i'm no technician of stringed instruments, so my opinion is by no means professional. I think the instrumentals are good. there seem to be a few areas that could be more refined, but all in all, instrumentals seem to be pretty good. Blyrics and subject matter are always subjective, no matter who wrote it. but i think your songwriting is good enough. Bproduction seems alright. C+vocal quality is rough though. tone, pacing, etc. needs major work. D-
12/17/2014 3:26:58 PM
Thanks man. nice little break down. Ppl can say whatever they want about production and singing, because I know how it is compared to others. But the writing I would've at least given an A-. I listen to a bunch of music, all day long to just everything that I can find in this genre. And I only get truly moved by writing once every month or so.Thanks again for the feedback and listening. That is more than I could have hoped for.[Edited on December 17, 2014 at 3:48 PM. Reason : T]
12/17/2014 3:47:20 PM
On second thought, it is even cooler that people such as yourself have listened to a good chunk of it. It can be very difficult to get people to listen to just 30 seconds of a new song or from somebody that is not relatively known. So, thanks TWW.Having a reputation is a must.
12/18/2014 9:48:22 AM
12/18/2014 9:51:17 AM
Tdub brings the lulz and good music.
12/18/2014 11:14:36 AM
Not gonna lie, but today I walked in on somebody totally jamming out to Meet me in Hamburg. epic cool story broalso, I really like the statistics software on Bandcamp much better than soundcloud, because Bandcamp tells me how many people either visit, skip or just check out a song. By their statistics, people tend to listen to Marching Band all the way through but only partially listen to To be in a Bluegrass Band.I think that's cool.[Edited on December 18, 2014 at 2:24 PM. Reason : s]
12/18/2014 2:20:58 PM
12/18/2014 6:26:37 PM
as a pet project I enjoyed it. how long have you been playing the Banjo?
12/18/2014 7:29:06 PM
http://youtu.be/qS_LwObwXAs?t=19s
12/18/2014 11:40:15 PM
12/19/2014 6:03:58 AM
12/20/2014 7:57:44 AM
This thread makes me want to learn an instrument. Good job.
12/20/2014 9:43:39 AM
Great man, full speed ahead on that. One interesting comment that I would always hear from pediatricians is their take on children and music. Typically, per my son's doc, every kid takes an interest in music during their early development that usually dissipates as children progress through adolescence towards being an adult. The problem isn't that as kids get older they lose this talent, but that they are generally pushed away from this natural tendency by their parents to take up either sports or solid income earning jobs. So music in general, in their opinion, is sort of pushed out of a kids interest as they are pushed towards other activities.Also, if I had to do it all over again I would still take up the banjo, but I would also take up an interest in the piano.[Edited on December 20, 2014 at 12:05 PM. Reason : x]
12/20/2014 12:04:57 PM
12/20/2014 3:09:45 PM
dude, I think that you are addressing that statement like I am trying to turn into Shakey Graves overnight. That is not the case. I love what I do, and I like how my songwriting has allowed me to compartmentalize things that I have experienced in a way that is permanent and lasting. Also, I like that writing songs and singing has kept me playing the banjo more regularly than I ever have before. Yes, I know what the singing is like, of course, but do I think that it is unbearable? No. Do I think that it is Dave Lamb from Brown Bird? No. Honestly, I could not carry a tune in a bucket before I started writing songs, but you generally ain't gonna find people that will sing your stuff in the beginning, so I started listening to music and finding something that fit. I came across Justin Townes Earle and Pete Bernhard, and just practiced singing all of their songs because I thought that their range was close enough to mine. Obviously, I have never had any formal training in my life when it comes to singing. I would like to do that soon, but I think that I have practiced enough to where it is bearable, although I am still conscience of where it is. That is my next goal, as I spent a lot of time on just the banjo the last 10 months or so.The bottom line is that I really enjoy writing and playing, and the singing is just something that I have to do to make the two come together. But when I play, people tend to listen and get really into it. That is a perfect secondary benefit in my mind. What did you think about it?
12/20/2014 4:03:03 PM
All of that is great. You asked if you should send this stuff to labels and radio stations, and I think the answer to that question, for the moment, is no. I was simply trying to illuminate why I said that, so you wouldn't think I was blindly hating.
12/20/2014 5:01:50 PM
it sounds to me like you heard singing that was not Nashville studio quality and made up your mind. But, that is just my opinion.
12/20/2014 5:18:31 PM
12/20/2014 5:56:21 PM
Dude, you are getting really defensive after posting your work on a snarky message board and asking for comments, most of which have been relatively benign. Either that or you are just wanting to keep this thread on top by constantly responding.What is your goal with this release? You talk about sending it to labels, but why? What are they going to do for you that you can't do for yourself right now from getting out there and playing, self-promoting, etc.? As vinylbandit said, this has some pretty rough edges and doesn't seem ready enough to be released as something other than a demo. Especially if you're going to start playing out more, why not give away the music for free and try to grow somewhat of a following in your area while honing your craft?What you consider to be the song with your best writing? Of the tracks I listened to, the songwriting seemed fair but nothing outstanding, yet that's what you keep pointing to as your strength so perhaps I'm missing out on some gems. I listen to plenty of acts with "unpolished" vocals so that doesn't necessarily turn me off, but most have voices with more personality/character and stronger songwriting. Like [user]vinyl[/user] implied, big difference between what you're doing right now and what someone like Townes, Willie, or Dylan have done. Like others have said, don't take this as hate but as (hopefully) constructive criticism. You obviously like what you've done, which is great, and I know it's exciting to have your first release under your belt, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're ready to take this beyond the hobby level quite yet. Also, always remember there's going to be some feedback that you perceive as negative no matter how good you get. It's just how it goes when you ask people with a variety of tastes to comment on your music.
12/20/2014 6:00:08 PM
maybe by saying more words it came off as offensive? I dunno, I thanked him for his help and got some good feedback, and explained that nothing "critical" that he said was not something that I had not heard before or was shocking.I only got into a conservation about singing because it is kind of a pet peeve of mind. People have been saturated by pitch-corrected and pitch-perfected sounds on the radio that they suddenly feel that it is the new standard. Not directing that towards vinyl and what he was saying, but a lot of heavy hitters have rough edges when it comes to singing. Even guys like Chris Thile sound incredibly pitchy live, but it all gets corrected in the studio and then people that don't know any better think that they are perfect. Regarding what vinyl was saying about the album editing: Playing music live and getting gigs is complicated. Not having this published online is often times a catch because on some level image and social media matters a bunch. And I would like to play more because I enjoy it, and others tend to like it, too. Which brings me to his point on To be in a Bluegrass Band, other people that I played that for, especially in Austin, said that it was their favorite song despite the range. So, I just left it on and positioned it in a way that people would understand.Plus, as mentioned already in this thread, song writing is incredibly subjective. So, I don't know if I could convince you otherwise if things were so far "meh" to you. And that's fine. But in terms of writing, I thought that Meet me in Hamburg, Thank God for the Train, Lean on Guy, Bleed before Demise, and Marching Band were some of my favs. You have to consider or at least hear that those songs are not typical of a standard G Maj progression, and that was something in terms of tone that I was trying to experiment with. Can't get to Bonnaroo, Cooler than Paul Rudd, and blossomed flower are sort of fun songs, but not meant to generate thought.der KugelWaechter is just a good blues song, and I personally think that the Banjo shines the best on that one.And no, just because I mentioned Townes van Zandt, it does not mean that I think that i am some songwriting genius. I just thought that it was an example that people could relate to.My favorite songwriter for the record is hands down Pete Bernhard from DM3. Graveyard and Do Wrong Right are some of the best-written songs of this generation.[Edited on December 20, 2014 at 6:47 PM. Reason : kd]
12/20/2014 6:21:22 PM
12/20/2014 7:17:03 PM
welp, we know how vinyl feels about it. Any other takers?
12/21/2014 11:00:07 AM
Speaking of Brown Bird, I've got one million dollars for someone that can find me a copy of Salt For Salt on vinyl.
12/21/2014 12:57:58 PM
12/27/2014 8:03:16 AM
different != good. and you're being pretty douchey to people who gave you more time/effort than they needed to
12/27/2014 10:47:18 AM
Why would you make fun of someone over where they're from? They have absolutely no control over that.Ryan Adams has written some really awful songs, but he's also written a handful of the best country tunes of all time.The issues people have with these recordings have nothing to do with not being able to use/afford a studio; some of the best records of all time were made at home (Springsteen's "Nebraska," Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," Guided By Voices' "Bee Thousand," Beck's "Odelay," etc.). Your record SOUNDS just fine. It's the performances that are causing consternation, and those are fixed through practice before recording and persistence when tracking, not Neumann mics and UA plugins.Being different and creative does not automatically lend merit to music, and music needn't be innovative to be good.
12/27/2014 10:58:53 AM
12/27/2014 12:53:27 PM
12/27/2014 1:26:18 PM
hmm, interesting, I can look into that stuff. Pricing stuff I can change because I just went with the default setting for everything. I don't think that it will make a difference really. I stream everything on bandcamp and soundcloud these days and go to shows to give bands my money.So, since I have a little bit of your interest still, do you think that at some point you might be able to take a look (under the guise of a demo release ) and tell me what you think are the three strongest tracks? That would also be very helpful feedback in terms of finding the three strongest songs to play for sets. Gonna start playing again in January.[Edited on December 27, 2014 at 2:00 PM. Reason : shit dp]
12/27/2014 1:58:44 PM
12/27/2014 4:14:48 PM
Thing number 1: I have to have stuff available that is more than just an iphone recording in order to find places to play. I am very serious about playing and trying to get some fans to get some momentum going. So, that is probably the number one goal (I guess?). Thing number 2: Remember that scene in Hustle and Flow where the dude pimps out his chick just so he could afford a mic to make everything perfect? Well, I need some equipment like that, and I don't have a bitch that is gonna go turn a trick and bring it here for me. So, I will not have anything like that to record with for another 6 months at best, at which point I will have already written another 8 songs or so. And I am turning thirty this year (which is getting old for the music stuff), and don't really want to wait another 6 or 8 months. This brings me to point 3...Thing number three: This is the best that I have at the moment, and I just want to squeeze every ounce of opportunity that I can out of it. So, getting good feedback from people in terms of what songs are strong, which ones need to be tossed, and which might need another take will all do me good in terms of how I "sell" this to people such as friends/fans or small dives. This is why I came to TWW and why I am not "offended" by harsh criticism, but a little bit of good with the bad would help me out.
12/27/2014 5:06:23 PM
YOU DON'T NEED MORE MICROPHONESYOU NEED TO PRACTICE SINGING
12/27/2014 10:08:17 PM
People being nice as fuck ITT. Very proud.
12/28/2014 1:43:20 AM
Really bad singing. I laughed when I read the venues you were listing. I've heard bar bands that were better. Has nothing to do with genre, recording, or vocal preferences. The singing is too bad to be defined by a 'style.'However long you've been training you skills most certainly pales in comparison to the people playing the shows you are obviously imagining yourself playing in.And it doesn't seem like you are willing to put in the work to get orders of magnitude better if you are already getting defensive over these bad tracks.
12/28/2014 3:35:51 AM
Except I clearly stated that this was not my intention. So, there's that...I got some good feedback here, and for all that took the time to listen, I say THANKS BROssee ya in another 6 months.
12/28/2014 6:03:52 AM
this thread reminds me of http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109068/
12/28/2014 7:35:24 PM
just start playing some shows like this and I'm sure you'll get a reputation[Edited on December 29, 2014 at 12:48 AM. Reason : f]
12/29/2014 12:47:59 AM