Demo: "Nothing Ever Changes"

I just finished doing a demo of "Nothing Ever Changes".  The drums are created with the Roland SPD-6.  I'm getting pretty good at laying down some decent rhythm tracks!  It also has a scratch acoustic guitar track and a very scratchy vocal. I apologize for the warbles and the squeaks!(Just trying to keep my place.)  I also laid down a bass line that really seems to work.

Nothing Ever Changes

(See lyrics here)

Demo: "The Devil Inside"

Here's the first demo of the first song. It's just drums (MIDI) and acoustic guitar and an early morning crackly vocal track.

(see lyrics here)

Lyrics: "I Used to Wanna Live Here"

Just a quick bunch of lyrics I threw together to accompany a little riff I came up with. It's a travelin' song about leaving the place that you are in favor of somewhere else. It's just a metaphor me, leaving behind some of the demons that haunt me.

I Used to Wanna Live Here

I'm sittin' in the driver's seat
The road is rumblin' at my feet
White knuckles on the wheel
Press the pedal clear to the floor
Yeah, I used to wanna live here
I ain't ever goin' back no more

The wind is blowin' through my hair
You'd think I didn't have a care
Up ahead is Minnesota
The Mississippi River too
Well, I used to wanna live here
But now it just reminds me of you

And there's a high bridge comin'
I don't think it's gonna slow me down
And if the lights don't get me
I just might make it to the next town

North Dakota's in my sight
I just wanna make it there by night
But my tank is gettin' empty
And the wicked winter winds are blowin'
Well, I used to wanna live here,
But now I think I'll just keep goin'

Lyrics: "Nothing Ever Changes"

Another new song for the CD. Definitely a work in progress. As of this first draft, I'm not at all happy with the last verse.

*Edit (2/09/08): Last verse has been changed, along with the rhyming scheme. I have a melody in mind for this now. Almost ready for demo.

Nothing Ever Changes

The talking heads are screaming at me
Blasting out from my TV set
They all want me on their side
But I ain't made my mind up yet
They're all so quick to promise everything
And just as quick they forget your name
Nothing ever changes
Everything stays the same

I'm trying to build a fortune here
On Earth before I die
I built a life on hopes and dreams
That a million bucks can't buy
You move ahead just to be pushed back
The whole idea seems so lame
Nothing ever changes
Everything stays the same

They say the more things change
The more they stay the same
I say the more things stay the same
The more they never change

All the journeymen at the station
They've already checked their bags
They're all takin' off and flyin' high
Work like dogs for the tails that wag
They want the credit and the glory
But no one ever takes the blame
Nothing ever changes
Everything stays the same

Lyrics: "The Devil Inside"

The lyrics to the first song have been written.

The Devil Inside

On the outside, you'd never even know
But on the inside, burns a fire from below
It's a mystery, it's a master of disguise
It's Hell right here on Earth
When you got the Devil inside

On the outside, everything looks OK
But on the inside, it just tears your soul away
It's a promise, it's a truth that you must hide
It's Hell right here on Earth
When you got the Devil inside

And there's no amount of prayin'
And there's no books you can read
And even your friend the bottle
Could never get you what you need
'Cos it's a bad debt
And they'll never let it slide
It's Hell right here on Earth
When you got the Devil inside

Gear

My new CD will be recorded using the following gear:

• Mac Mini running GarageBand
• Alesis i|0 14 Audio Interface
• Shure SM 57 & 58
• MCA Cheapo condenser Mic
• Martin Acoustic Guitar
• G&L Electric Guitar
• Roland SPD-6 Percussion Pad
• Other stuff I find laying around

I'll post pictures of my home studio as soon as I have them.

I'm trying to keep everything very bare bones. I've decided that this CD isn't being made to show off my songs or to sell them or to get people to record them. It's merely being done to do it. I'm doing it for myself. I'm not trying to prove anything to anybody. This could be fun.

Genesis

I've decided to start recording a brand new CD. I've decided that I will only use songs that have been written from this day forward. No going back to the archives. No digging up old songs and dusting them off. No using the three of four songs I've written that are actually good.

So...I need to get busy writing new songs and recording them. This blog will serve as a documentary of my progress. I'll post snippets, ideas, rough drafts, false starts, and all kinds of other stuff. Eventually, I look to have the entire CD up for grabs here.