Could You Handle This?
I had a great day in the recording studio with my uber genius arranger, recording engineer and long time friend, Joe Mennonna yesterday.
Joe just got back from a tour with the Bacon Brothers as in Kevin Bacon the Actor and his brother Michael Bacon (best known for being Kevin Bacon’s brother which hopefully he’s cool with ;o)… and he’s back out on the road next week with them for the rest of August…
So Joe said to me basically, “Mark, I’m running on creative fumes… I got nothin’ today…”
So with that warning, we went to work on my new song “Rain”…. which is actually NOT a song as much as it is a HYPNOSIS SESSION for heroic spiritual badasses like YOU. (aka “Rogue Mystics”).
At one point Joe literally “zoned out” into a dream like state and I had to bang on the window of the vocal booth to wake him up! :o)
One of my “mentors” is a 27 year old “kid” who I’ve watched over the past 4 years literally turn himself into a multi-millionaire applying the same ideas and training that I use to help people overcome anxiety…
This “kid” who partly inspired the song is deep into Urban Music and Hip-hop…
So to honor his “model of the world” I wanted to explore a bit of a gritty inner city “vibe” to contrast with my acoustic guitar… so that I could grab his ear and command his attention… mostly because I want his 200,000 email subscribers to get a chance to hear it when it’s finished…
BUT IT’S NOT FINISHED.
and the number one LAW of the RECORDING process is…
THOU SHALT NOT SHARE A ROUGH MIX OR “SKETCH” OF AN ARRANGEMENT with people who don’t understand the recording process…
But if you know me at all you know I FREAKING HATE RULES AND LAWS (UNLESS THEY ARE IMMUTABLE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE… like “focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want”)
And I really, really, really, want to share this with you…
It’s a rough mix which means,
- my vocals are NOT the final vocals, they are just “reference vocals”
- There may also be harmony vocals by me or someone else…
- the levels are not the final levels, the horns are way louder than they will be, if they even end up in the final mix.
- Keep in mind the horns are literally Joe saying, “we could do this…” NOT “We WILL do this”…
so please keep in mind the principle of NON ATTACHMENT.
This track may evolve and become different or we may do two versions, a more acoustic one as well as a more urban “cool” one…
The next thing I have to impress upon you is that this is NOT for general distribution. Normally I want you to share the hell out of my music because I need your help to get these songs OUT into the world where they can do some good….
But this one? Please keep this to yourself for the time being. I set it up as a “play” only track so you can’t download it. But you CAN listen to it. and you CAN make comments.
And next, I’m taking it down soon. So if you read this email too late it won’t be here for you to hear… this is not a “fake take away”. this is exclusive, private, for your ears ONLY content…
ok?
I’m trusting you on this. This is insider stuff for only the elite Transformation Nation members in good standing… I’ve been sharing the songwriting process with you over the last 4 weeks as this song has emerged and started to sink deep into my own consciousness… so it seems fair to share this next, very creative, intermediate phase of the process…
Think of the song as the body…
and the arrangement as clothing…
Depending on the event or context, the outer garments can change… So if you can practice non-attachment and flexibility to accept change (cuz there will be changes to this song) go ahead and give it a listen and please let me know what you think…
I just played it for myself and I can’t wait until September to share this with the most important people in my life (and yeah you’re important to me… deal with it ;o)
so all of that said…
for a “limited time” here is a rough mix of a rough demo of a rough idea about what this song MIGHT sound like when Joey gets back, rests up a bit and finishes it…
Song #518 “Rain” Arrangement Demo – Rough Mix
I would definitely appreciate your thoughts, comments and most importantly how this song “feels” to you.
thanks!
– Mark
p.s. Save the date! NOVEMBER 19TH. Is a Saturday. I’m gonna celebrate my 40th year as a transformational songwriter with a huge Birthday Bash and I’m going to invite my Dream Band to join me…
more on that soon…
p.p.s. On Monday I’m checking out a cool possible space to do my concerts and broadcasts from… so more on THAT as soon as it develops…
p.p.p.s. tomorrow I might be talked into sharing the OTHER song Joe and I worked on yesterday… featuring the AMAZING Rilee O’Neill bringing her amazing vocals… to a song with a VERY different “VIBE”, “Oh My Beloved”… so make sure you check your email tomorrow!
hugs.
feedback so far:
Mark:
Wow! This is like nothing you’ve ever done before! I love your addition of the beat and the horns. The first thought that popped into my head was – he should speak the verses and sing the chorus. I think that would go along with the beat so much better. I wouldn’t call it “rapping” but speaking – does that make sense? I think it would sound really cool.
And yes, the horns need to be mixed down a little, but that’s obvious. Great idea on the horns, they really set it off awesome! The little speedy riff sounds great, I see you’ve been working on that!
God bless, Mark!
Jeremy