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05-23-2021, 10:59 AM
As a I was telling MO in another thread, one of my passions is singing. I have had some pretty long lasting dark nights of the soul and always wrestled with a very poor self image but what I’ve found over the years is that singing is one of the only things that I’ve found that truly brings me joy and not only that but it gives me an outlet for creative expression that allows me to convey the deeper elements of my soul to those who may be willing to give a listen.
It’s been a past time pet project of mine to make vocal covers of songs that I really enjoy. I’ll either sing over the original song playing at a softer volume so my vocals pretty much overlay on top of the original vocals so those are a little more bootleg and questionable as far as copyright concerns go but then I’ve also discovered karaoke accompaniments and instrumental tracks for other songs I like so I have some slightly better quality recordings that are strictly just my vocals.
They may not be for everybody and I’ve kept them pretty close to the vest for quite a while but I recently started finding more ways to share them with others. This isn’t some professional endeavor by any means and the recording quality is very poor and of course there will always be trolls and snide folks online that have talked crap in the past about my songs but I just laugh it off and chalk it up as just part of the whole awesome experience of being an artist. My haters are just loved anyway and lumped right on in the category of motivators.
One of my all time inspirations as far as music goes is the late Daniel Dale Johnston. He fought a lifelong struggle with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and his music is remembered by critics as childlike and pure. His vocals are very off key and strange sounding and it’s just so raw and from the heart. His music style is very avant-garde indie folk sort of stuff and I have a more broad range of inspirations in terms of actual music but it’s the fact that Daniel Johnston had almost no care in the world what others thought of his music he just wanted people to hear it and he wanted even more just to make it and sing it.
He started making mixtapes and passing them out to whoever would take them when he was working at a McDonalds cleaning the lobbies. I guess my point is what inspires me the most about him is how his music came from this very deep part of his soul and comes out so unfiltered and unpretentious and humble.
It’s my aim as a singer/artist whatever to sing and make music in that very same sort of manner.
So without further ado here is one of my favorite songs originally performed by an amazing group called Big Thief. This is one of their songs called “Masterpiece” and I’m singing along to their acoustic solo version in case anyone’s wondering. They have a faster slightly more rockier version that’s really good too but I chose to cover this one because it gives the song and the lyrics a little more heart, in my opinion.
Thanks in advance so much for listening! And hey if you don’t like it or it’s not your cup of tea, I totally understand. At this juncture, it means way more to me if a very small handful of people actually enjoy my songs (which they already do, and so I already have this) than if fifty million people think my songs are crap lol and they might if they ever listen but hey then I’d have fifty million listeners on the songs that my small handful of people love and enjoy! Regardless I already won and these songs from my heart and soul are just the victor spoils I choose to share now that my proverbial cup runs over.
SoundCloud link to “Masterpiece” (Big Thief Cover) sang by CM:
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/ajXqecWaQmutSUNSA
https://soundcloud.com/cmslaps/masterpiece
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Savvy have you ever published anything? Any literary works? You keep a journal or a blog or anything?
You're really talented man, like I know this thread is about music, but I have to hand it to you for your writing gifts as well dude.
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In full agreement re writing prowess.
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Yeah you have a very unique voice and it reminds me of the way people used to talk in the 40s and 50s!!!!!!!!
I'm sure you know about GG's great music and singing...
Have y'all ever done a duet???
https://www.reverbnation.com/sleepylemonmonkeys/songs
GG's music and voice are CRAAAAZY good...
Crazy good, epically talented, AMAZING.
Dude you guys should duet.
That's all I'm saying.
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Do you know GG???
Get in touch with GG about your music and I bet there will be fireworks.
GG's already got a longstanding band from way back but I am sure there's a chance for side projects and stuff.
Singles come out every now and then with just GG playing and singing and it's honestly stellar, I'm obsessed with GG's aesthetic and vocals.
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So do you have a YouTube channel for your music SS??
Is "CM" the only name you publish tunes under??
That would be really hard to search man, you should make it easy for people to find you...
Name your band (yourself etc.) something and get a YouTube channel going on.
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(05-23-2021, 11:23 AM)Mister Obvious Wrote: Savvy have you ever published anything? Any literary works? You keep a journal or a blog or anything?
You're really talented man, like I know this thread is about music, but I have to hand it to you for your writing gifts as well dude.
No I haven’t ever published anything but I have had a few various incarnations of blogs throughout the years but I have had a nasty tendency to self sabotage in the past so I’ve long since lost so many various writings and assorted creations (other recordings, photography, art etc) it’s all kind of sad really but thems the breaks I guess when learning to live and cope with mental illness. Part of the reason I really like boosting the stats on my SoundCloud page with my songs is because it helps give me incentive and a sense of accomplishment or purpose that I believe will prevent me from ever getting rid of it when some ‘episode’ comes roaring through.
That really means a tremendous deal to me, your compliments and encouraging words about my writing! My boss is supposed to be hunting out a spare laptop he’s got and when he does I’m going to pull up that thread you shared about making your own website and I think I’ll definitely get back into blogging! Especially with your kind words and support.
Thanks again! And please let me know what you think of the song as well when you get around to it.
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Stop self-sabotaging, you gotta start organizing your works under a searchable name though... you really should just compile everything you've made on a YouTube or WordPress, whatever kinda media you have to present.
Usually when people have a lot of different kinds of media to offer, they have to get a domain name and link to it all under that umbrella. You can do it for free, but if you're a serious artist and it's time to really get your shit straight and share your catalogue with the world, then I always recommend getting your own website.
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If you let your stuff exist solely on social media ghettos, mass uploading platforms, other peoples' websites...
It's a crapshoot, always possible that it could be removed at any given time, no guaranteed longevity.
The idea is to put all your shit on those places AND host it yourself whenever possible too.
Make copies of copies of copies of all your works and proliferate it through all forms of media which exist.
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You gotta stop being an asshole to yourself...
Just because you may not be an asshole to other people doesn't exonerate you...
You're still accountable for how you treat yourself...
Would you deny someone else the ability to publish their works, keep them up, share them with the world, and be recognized for their creative offerings?
Prolly not.
So why do it to yourself??
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(05-23-2021, 11:34 AM)Mister Obvious Wrote: So do you have a YouTube channel for your music SS??
Is "CM" the only name you publish tunes under??
That would be really hard to search man, you should make it easy for people to find you...
Name your band (yourself etc.) something and get a YouTube channel going on.
No YouTube channel yet but I could definitely get one going.
Up till now I had no intention of making my songs searchable just uploading them and sharing with those who show an interest or who wish to listen.
I had just been flirting and flitting with the idea of going more public with my singing because it had always been a private endeavor. Sharing them with others, or say on here, is just my way of testing the waters a bit.
I do know GG very fondly back when I was around on her forum.
That’s exciting I will definitely check out her music for sure and find a way to get back in touch, as it’s been at least three or four years now since we’ve spoke. I’m sure they remember me though as CM was all I went by over there on that forum.
Thank you so much for your feedback about my vocal style and it’s so cool to me that you said that about 40s and 50s singers because that’s exactly a lot of the type of music I listen to. Stuff like this haha I have a whole Spotify playlist of awesome 20s through 50s era stuff. Very very cool to know that it somehow has actually influenced my singing in a noticeable way to others!
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(05-23-2021, 11:40 AM)Mister Obvious Wrote: You gotta stop being an asshole to yourself...
Just because you may not be an asshole to other people doesn't exonerate you...
You're still accountable for how you treat yourself...
Would you deny someone else the ability to publish their works, keep them up, share them with the world, and be recognized for their creative offerings?
Prolly not.
So why do it to yourself??
Well that’s the tough love sort of shit I really needed to hear and you’re absolutely right.
Jeeze whatever call-out-rip-through-the-soul-and-pull-out-the-shit-you-need-to-see-but-can’t-with-your-head-so-far-up-your-self-hating-ass sort of thing you just did there, it’s spooky powerful.
Thank you for that.
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(05-23-2021, 11:43 AM)savvyserpent Wrote: Stuff like this haha I have a whole Spotify playlist of awesome 20s through 50s era stuff. Very very cool to know that it somehow has actually influenced my singing in a noticeable way to others!
I KNEW IT! Yes! It's so recognizable in your style, it's definitely an important part of your soul that wants to express itself creatively!!!!!!!!!!
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(05-23-2021, 11:31 AM)Mister Obvious Wrote: Yeah you have a very unique voice and it reminds me of the way people used to talk in the 40s and 50s!!!!!!!!
I'm sure you know about GG's great music and singing...
Have y'all ever done a duet???
https://www.reverbnation.com/sleepylemonmonkeys/songs
GG's music and voice are CRAAAAZY good...
Crazy good, epically talented, AMAZING.
Dude you guys should duet.
That's all I'm saying.
Holy shit listening to GG’s stuff now and YOU AINT LYING WOW.
Amazing is an understatement! I resonate so much with this.
I had no idea! Wow I’m so glad you shared this with me!
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(05-23-2021, 11:50 AM)savvyserpent Wrote: Holy shit listening to GG’s stuff now and YOU AINT LYING WOW.
Amazing is an understatement! I resonate so much with this.
I had no idea! Wow I’m so glad you shared this with me!
Yeah GG's style will totally blow you away...
One of the greatest voices of all time, and I wanna hear you guys together.
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(05-23-2021, 11:54 AM)Mister Obvious Wrote: Yeah GG's style will totally blow you away...
One of the greatest voices of all time, and I wanna hear you guys together.
It would seriously be such an awesome experience and an honor! I’d love to make that happen somehow!
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Okay okay, so HERE'S the reason I say GG is so talented and one of the greatest of all time...
I am a real fan of one-off recordings, minimally edited or not edited at all.
GG made this song one time that was a totally amazing one-off recording made in the car, and it was on YouTube for a while.
I was totally obsessed but I don't think it was ever made downloadable anywhere :(((
I love live music that is REAL... and when it comes to truly talented artists, I think their live performances should probably be the best versions of their songs.
This is why I like GG's work so much... the songs are natural, minimalist, wonderful musically, and vocally, completely unique, soothing, and like a great dream.
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MO, here’s one more of my songs this one is just my vocals along with a piano instrumental accompaniment it’s my rendition of creep by radiohead! Curious to know what you think of this one. It’s one of my second favs!
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/aVteXSWjVgRqQ4dW8
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(05-23-2021, 12:02 PM)savvyserpent Wrote: MO, here’s one more of my songs this one is just my vocals along with a piano instrumental accompaniment it’s my rendition of creep by radiohead! Curious to know what you think of this one. It’s one of my second favs!
https://soundcloud.com/cmslaps/creep
What I notice is that you have REALLY great sustain. There's this great sort of haunting quality to your notes.
I imagine this being sung around a campfire...
You know what, it reminds me of the frontman for a totally fictional hardcore cowboy musician band.
You ever heard of Tiger Army??
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(05-23-2021, 12:06 PM)Mister Obvious Wrote: What I notice is that you have REALLY great sustain. There's this great sort of haunting quality to your notes.
I imagine this being sung around a campfire...
You know what, it reminds me of the frontman for a totally fictional hardcore cowboy musician band.
You ever heard of Tiger Army??
I’ve seen Tiger Army mentioned a few places but never got around to checking them out but I definitely will listen to these! I can’t tell you how much I cherish your feedback and observations about my songs! You’re the best! Unfortunately I’ve been way too lazy today and it’s already noon! I’m just getting my boots on about to go do some weed whacking so I’ll come back and hang out a little later on! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day! Chat soon!
Also what’s a good free image host that I can upload an avatar to so I can have a savvy avvy on here?
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