Big ups to all Spruke artist fans out there.  Many of you all have probably been wondering where I’ve been for the last month.  Well, wonder no more!  The truth is, I got all kinds of sick.  Missed about two solid weeks of work with some serious respiratory infections- we are talking First Class Pnuemonia and Bronchitis here folks!  But then I got jucied full of antibiotics and now it’s basically back to peaches for Bill.

I regret to say, I got about zero or less done in this timeframe.  A shame, I know, since I’ve been holed up at home the whole time- nothing better to do than work on some beats, one would think!- but fighting the infections just left me without a creative urge and I wound up staring at some half-finished beat on my sampler while drooling and unable to think of any reason I’d feel like bothering to finish it.  Not to mention I couldn’t get through a single guitar take without coughing!

But enough bad news!  I’m back.  Hopefully that means I’ll get Lars a.k.a. the A.O. back in here to finish “The Gorge”, and bring Aaron back for a new track (one mic this time).

In the meantime, I’ve been noodling around with some new styles.  Here’s a taste of a track I threw together last night just screwing around:

or download it here.

Sorry if it kind of trails off towards the end.  As I said, it’s only half finished, and you can pinpoint the exact moment where I was running out of ideas.  Let me know what you think!  I might turn this into a real track.

Word to all the Spruke followers out there.

I haven’t been doing much on the shows front lately, so I’ve been breaking the silence with some open mic action.  I got in MacGarrett’s last night, a good time to be sure.  I’d like to light up Broadway Joe’s on a tuesday soon too… probably not this tuesday but most likely the next?

And if anybody else knows of other bars with great open mic nights, just let me know and I would love to make an appearance!

In other news I’ve mostly been continuing to work on tracks for my concept album.  Been taking stabs at remixing “Losing It” by Standing Audition here and there, although nothing yet that I feel does justice to the song.  Patience is a virtue!  I won’t be rushed.

Ohhhh, sprukers, another week, another bit of genius from Standing Audition.  Had Aaron over last week and we tried out some interesting new recording techniques to lay down a “Losing It” that’s simultaneously both rich in sound and lush while maintaining a crisp feel that doesn’t lose too much in the wash.

Everybody ought to head over to standingaudition.com, where it’s on display on the front page.

Oh- and of course- this means you can all expect another remix in the next week or two.  I’m debating whether or not I want to go the techno route again for this one.  One thing is for sure- with “Losing It” clocking in at a brisk 150-160bpm, if I DO go for techno, you can all be pretty sure what the genre’s going to be…

Spruke it like it’s hot, folks.

Just an update on what is new in the world this week around:

Aaron of Standing Audition is gonna find his way back over to my place soon for another track.  I’ll most likely remix this next one too!…

Last week I had Adam Odden a.k.a. the Lars-master over to put some lyrics to a new track of mine, “The Gorge”.  In mixdown later, I felt like we may have gotten a bit too weird vocally in some parts… understandable, because it’s kind of a really experimental song.  Still, though, it’s not ready for the prime time yet.  I’m having Adam over again this week and we are going to try and scale back some of the more adventurous things we did into the realm of easier listening.

In fact, this brings me to an interesting theory I have had for a while- my idea of Experiment in One Weird Way per song.  I’ve always felt like if you don’t innovate or try something different in at least one area of a song, it’s not worth listening to… but if you try to break the mold and innovate in too many areas at once, it comes out a big jumble and people appreciate all the innovation less.  For instance, it’s great when a song tries out a new and inventive time signature.  But while it’s doing that, it would be a good idea to leave your rapid chord changes and confusing lyrics at home for a little while so it doesn’t sound like a complete mess!  Similarly, if one of my tracks has a really strange or haunting chord progression that’s unlike anything that commonly appears in music, I think it’s best to present that in a straight 4/4 format with an easily followable beat, so people can understand what I am trying to do and not get distracted by things I didn’t mean to call attention to.

So, relating this back to last week, what I’m saying is that “The Gorge” already has some very unique instrumentation (accordion, organ, drunken background vocals, bells) and some powerful lyrics- it would be better in hindsight to leave some of the vocal experimentation at home.  It’s got enough going for it.

What do you guys think?

The title just about says it all, sprukers and sprukees. Here’s the newest piece of remix work on a great Standing Audition track:

Don’t forget that you can hear the original, which Aaron and I recorded together, on standingaudition.com.

I’m not sure if I am done with this track yet.  I like what I’ve done to it so far, but I’ve still got a few ideas, particularly as it concerns the chorus, that I think I can take further.

Oh well, nobody ever hurt anyone by remixing a track twice!

Or maybe I will just get Standing Audition over here again and then mashup the next song he records into this one, and we’ll have real trouble.  Hey Aaron, what else you got that’s in E minor?

What’s up, sprukes and sprukettes!  Just letting you all know that I completed my first take on Standing Audition’s “Ends in Ashes” remix this weekend.  I just have to mix it down and load it up later tonight!

I got the song to kick a decent amount- I wanted to do a different take than his slow acoustic vibe, see if I could rework the song into something that hits hard and fast with a few “HELL yeah” moments thrown in for headbanging.  I think I have things right from the mixing perspective although I think my part-writing could be a bit more interesting right now.

Anyway look out for that later tonight.  In other news, I had an extremely musically productive weekend, sewing the seeds about 6-7 new tracks.

Contemplating an open mic at MacGarrett’s this sunday!

… rocks pretty hard and that is a fact, folks.  First off, you can hear the track I recorded for Aaron over at his site, standingaudition.com (it’s called Ends In Ashes).  But even better, in the next few days you’re going to be able to hear my remix of it!

In other news

• I’m having Lars over soon to record a track I was inspired to make by a friend’s passing…
• I’m toying with some fledgling half-tracks trying to make a track for Aaron…
• I am desperately resisting the urge to pen a stupid rap about Magic: The Gathering simply to continue a dumb internet joke my friend Dan Maurice started.

Hey, Spruke fans! I’m going to be having Aaron M of Standing Audition over tonight to collaborate on some tracks. Hoping we hit it off and find a good way to lay down tracks together!

It is with the most crushed of hearts that I write this post, that I must announce that Matt Loveland, one of Spruke Recordings’ premier artists and a dear friend of mine, passed away last Friday, June 11.  I will miss him not only as a musical talent and partner in crime, but as a true friend, close to my heart…

I’ll be making all his tracks available for download free on the Spruke website, so his legacy can live on after his death.  They’ll be able to be downloaded individually or in an EP pack- the Loveland “L.A. Famous EP”.  I am not worried about piracy or sharing; feel free to make as many copies as you want and spread his work.  It’s what Lovee would have wanted.

In addition, I’ll be bringing about a dozen copies to the wake tomorrow night for his friends and family.

Rest in peace, Matt.  You have no idea how much we will all miss you.

Download the LA Famous EP (compressed in .rar format- you may need software such as winzip or winrar to unpack it.  Otherwise, download the songs individually off his artist page.)

Loveland aka Lovee here, making my first post, and giving everyone a little update on things. I’m working on some new material that steps out of my genre per se. I have a song called “Diseased” that has some nice lyrical flow to it, but is a step more in the alternative direction for me. Once Bill and I get some work done on it we will definately be getting a little taste of it up here so we can get some feedback… Maybe a little poll like, “Hey I like this new stuff you’re doing” vs “OMG Matt, what were you thinking!??!?!”  More details as they come. Until then, get pumped for the next “fun” little tune Bill and I have coming, a cocky, dirty-minded flow thats all about the Birds N the Bees (If you get my drift). Thats all for now, More later!

Lovee