Music to Murder - Eyes on the Weather (feat. dea-man and mastered by TNS)

[kindafishy]

I posted an earlier version of this M2M song a while back. This is an updated version that features the amazing keys of our very own dea-man, with mastering by our very own TNS, who did a great job improving the mix I gave him.

All thoughts on any aspect of the song or production are welcome. This is completely in the can, but a remix will happen in a couple years for a release that we would eventually like to do, so any thoughts are most appreciated and will be stored away for the future.

Eyes on the Weather
Lyrics, music, drums and guitars by sammydix
Keys by dea-man
Bass, guitars and mix by kindafishy
Mastering by Justin Loomis at TNS Mastering Studio
www.facebook.com/tnsmastering

Links
Box.com (slightly higher bitrate): https://app.box.com/s/xalad6ley0fajmjvs60j
ReverbNation (all of our tunes are here): http://www.reverbnation.com/musictomurder
Full Quality wav from Box.com (just for you, Justin ): https://app.box.com/s/rhsefoib4daeao95754h

[Jorgen]

I remember this one, it's a catchy chorus. I think the first instrumental part could be more elaborated... and the gap between the hihat and vocals coming in again felt long... otherwise, very well done. The ending is killer, actually, I think the organ was a bit shy until then... which can be fully intended, of course.

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by Jorgen

I remember this one, it's a catchy chorus. I think the first instrumental part could be more elaborated... and the gap between the hihat and vocals coming in again felt long... otherwise, very well done. The ending is killer, actually, I think the organ was a bit shy until then... which can be fully intended, of course.

Thank you, Jorgen.

The gap is supposed to feel long - it is supposed to suspend your sense of anticipation and mess with it, so I'm happy you think that . It's not in time.

When you say the first instrumental part, do you mean the section between where Sammy's singing "I'm in a state of shock"? We'll have to put some thought into that. Right now, I think it is serving that part of the song in the way we want it to, but who knows how we'll feel down the road?

Yes, fully intended that the organ really comes out at the end. A lot of time was spent automating elements of this mix and nothing is by accident, so if anything seems quiet, loud, a little in the background, sometimes up front, sometimes not, it is all on purpose based on which aspect of the mix I want to push at any given time. Every section is different.

[Jorgen]

When you say the first instrumental part, do you mean the section between where Sammy's singing "I'm in a state of shock"?

Yes... 1.52 an electric begins a melody, something that made me anticipate a written guitar solo part, but it doesn't really happen... probably meant to mellow out a bit...? Tough song with a tough sound, on the whole.

[msore]

I like the two guitars fighting and cooperating right after the bass for most of the first minute. After the small break (effective), that cooperative fighting starts up again and gets more complex. At 1.50 they move into more vocal-like trading and they are joined by organ. Here it is less like fighting and more conspiratorial. At 2.30 there is a bass-drum-organ break before the return of the vocal. The one sets up the other!

The guitar solo at 3.30 is cool, reminding me of old Byrds, being melodic but also frantic. The same can be said of the organ solo that starts up at about 4.00, which has the texture of old Brian Augur stuff, very appropriate, and kind of mosh-pit-like. Then with artful coordination, the struggling starts to fall into a coordinated riffing to end the piece. That reminds me of how many times in a post-song applause, random clapping can somehow find itself pusalting into rhythmic appreciation.

This is a cool song with the arrangement fully supporting the attitude and mystery of the lyric. Wow.

[Andy Hamm]

I remember this too, I like it. I'll put it into my pre-show rotation if that's OK with you and everyone involved.

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by Jorgen

Yes... 1.52 an electric begins a melody, something that made me anticipate a written guitar solo part, but it doesn't really happen... probably meant to mellow out a bit...? Tough song with a tough sound, on the whole.

Got it. Yup, meant to mellow it out. Good idea though! Thanks man.

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by msore

I like the two guitars fighting and cooperating right after the bass for most of the first minute. After the small break (effective), that cooperative fighting starts up again and gets more complex. At 1.50 they move into more vocal-like trading and they are joined by organ. Here it is less like fighting and more conspiratorial. At 2.30 there is a bass-drum-organ break before the return of the vocal. The one sets up the other!

The guitar solo at 3.30 is cool, reminding me of old Byrds, being melodic but also frantic. The same can be said of the organ solo that starts up at about 4.00, which has the texture of old Brian Augur stuff, very appropriate, and kind of mosh-pit-like. Then with artful coordination, the struggling starts to fall into a coordinated riffing to end the piece. That reminds me of how many times in a post-song applause, random clapping can somehow find itself pusalting into rhythmic appreciation.

This is a cool song with the arrangement fully supporting the attitude and mystery of the lyric. Wow.

Always enjoy seeing your responses, msore. You always seem to see and feel the music and you give a great description of where your senses are going.

The organ is there because of a suggestion that you made when Sammy and I posted up the original version of this song. I wrote dea-man immediately. He was a joy to work with on this. So, thank you so much for that!

We put a lot of thought into the arrangement, and staging so it means a lot for you to point out the things you're pointing out.

A thousand thanks, msore. Really. Your words and thoughts are most appreciated!

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by Andy Hamm

I remember this too, I like it. I'll put it into my pre-show rotation if that's OK with you and everyone involved.

Thanks Andy! I'll check with everyone and PM you, but I am sure that will be more than fine! Write you soon!

[msore]

Originally Posted by kindafishy

...thank you ...

Just keep on playing and putting it out. Y'all have some serious stuff to say.
(and a Hey to DEA!)

[sammydix]

many thanks for the listens all. and Andy, you have my vote also.

...and what show is this, btw? i'd like to come by and watch/listen.

[pdk]

MOTHERF*&^%$#@!!!!!

I'm jealous. and suffering from writer's block.
&^%$#@!!!!

[T N S]

^^^^ha ha ha, Push threw it! Never stop the pursuit!

----------

Just wanted to say its a pleasure working with you guys, Fun track!

Looking forward to hearing more.

[tspring]

Sammy in fine voice here, scary aggressive. Interesting guitar parts, especially the descending scale that pops up occasionally. Catchy bass line. Deaman is wailin on the B3 sim,adding the best kind of vintage feel. Drums in the pocket, very clear and natural classic rock sound. Excellent change in vocal mood at 3:39. Nice arrangement with a good variety of sounds throughout. You never bore the listener. Kindafishy nailed the mix,and TNS is up to the task on mastering -- sounding full and dynamic. Great song and performances. Totally solid and worthy.

You guys need to figure out how to do a virtual tour.

T

[Andy Hamm]

Originally Posted by sammydix

many thanks for the listens all. and Andy, you have my vote also.

...and what show is this, btw? i'd like to come by and watch/listen.

Hey Sammy,

I work on a wide variety of shows from corporate to rock. When I'm touring it is usually with higher end tribute acts or Canadian artists. I also do freelance work for a few large Soundco's in Canada.

When I'm in the states, it will usually be with a touring troupe that does all kinds of Vegas type tribute shows like The Bee Gees, Abba, Michael Jackson, Cher, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Rod Stewart, The Supremes etc. Those shows are to larger audiences and are sometimes worldwide (they were in India a few months ago) - these types of shows have different types of pre show music because they usually have an older audience or it's in a corporate environment.

I'm on board with a few agents that work with these type of touring tribute acts, so I also do kids pop shows with a Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and that whole flavour of the month group.

I also get calls to do local engagements of really old acts like The Marvelettes, Al Martino (before He dided, of course), The 4 Lads and all sorts of other acts that were popular before I was born. Again, usually a geriatric crowd.

I'd likely play your track at club dates where there is no DJ, outdoor festivals and on dates when I'm working with rock bands. My calendar is usually full as I work with agents and with another Sound tech, a few Soundcos and we have a few house gigs as well.

I usually play indie type stuff in my rock pre shows, stuff that I've mixed because I'm familiar with how it sounds or just stuff that I like such as Black Joe Lewis. Usually there are at least a few people that come up and ask me what I'm playing because they are liking what they hear and they've never heard it before. It's a word of mouth thing, and it seems to work pretty well as I'm usually in a room full of people that like a particular type of music.

I can't release most of the live recordings I make because it is stated in my contract that I can't. Usually these are used for 'live to track' dates where the venue only pays for the front people so they show up and sing over a multi-track mix of one of their previous shows. They are also used for things like TV variety shows and instances where there isn't enough time to set up and mic a large backline band like at sporting events that don't have a Super Bowl Budget.

All of the stuff on My Soundcloud Site is two track recordings from a house gig.

I don't have any Atlanta dates on my Calender, but I have played at the Fox Theatre a few times, if something comes up, I'll let you know.

[sammydix]

so you're kindafishy's homie then. you sound like a busy man!

i lived in a highrise literally across the street from the Fox a little while back. getting home when a big show was in town was a nightmare. but what would have been weird is if i ever did a show there, i could walk home afterwards.

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by pdk

MOTHERF*&^%$#@!!!!!

I'm jealous. and suffering from writer's block.
&^%$#@!!!!

Sorry to hear about your writers block man, but damn if this isn't the best comment Sammy and I have ever received .

[Andy Hamm]

Originally Posted by sammydix

so you're kindafishy's homie then. you sound like a busy man!

i lived in a highrise literally across the street from the Fox a little while back. getting home when a big show was in town was a nightmare. but what would have been weird is if i ever did a show there, i could walk home afterwards.

Yep, it's a small world eh?

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by tspring

Sammy in fine voice here, scary aggressive. Interesting guitar parts, especially the descending scale that pops up occasionally. Catchy bass line. Deaman is wailin on the B3 sim,adding the best kind of vintage feel. Drums in the pocket, very clear and natural classic rock sound. Excellent change in vocal mood at 3:39. Nice arrangement with a good variety of sounds throughout. You never bore the listener. Kindafishy nailed the mix,and TNS is up to the task on mastering -- sounding full and dynamic. Great song and performances. Totally solid and worthy.

You guys need to figure out how to do a virtual tour.

T

Cheers T! Looks like Andy is taking us out on a virtual tour of sorts. Thanks for all the really nice comments. We really appreciate it.

[ScottyD]

Sounds great guys, nice work!!!

-ScottyD

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by ScottyD

Sounds great guys, nice work!!!

-ScottyD

Thanks Scotty!

[mschuster]

Kev/Sammy,

i remember this one. whatever you did - you did it RIGHT! wow, this sounds fantastic. the bass, kit, guitars - vox - all have a ton of energy and are melding together on a different plane. sounds very pro/polished. love the keys at the end...

why a couple years for a release? (if i may humbly ask..)

**edit, addition**
just wanted to add that i've been experimenting with Reverbnation's "crowd reviews" and press kits for submission to opportunities lately. although i haven't had a lot of luck with the EPK/submissions, i think you've got a good chance to snag a few opportunities with what i heard tonight! i think the "crowd reviews" are good, although beware - people from all different genres, age groups, will review your music and they don't really give much information about you or the song before listening. so for me, it was a lot of "where's the singer????"..

[g4greg]

wow, this rrrawks!

Sammy nailed the vocals for sure

I really, really dig the Kravitz like guitars... they work awesome for this song !

[Timothy Lawler]

Good work fellas.

I saved the earlier version of this from July '13 and compared the two. Everything about the new mix I like more, except that I miss the articulation in the tone of the bass during the intro of the original.

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by mschuster

Kev/Sammy,

i remember this one. whatever you did - you did it RIGHT! wow, this sounds fantastic. the bass, kit, guitars - vox - all have a ton of energy and are melding together on a different plane. sounds very pro/polished. love the keys at the end...

why a couple years for a release? (if i may humbly ask..)

**edit, addition**
just wanted to add that i've been experimenting with Reverbnation's "crowd reviews" and press kits for submission to opportunities lately. although i haven't had a lot of luck with the EPK/submissions, i think you've got a good chance to snag a few opportunities with what i heard tonight! i think the "crowd reviews" are good, although beware - people from all different genres, age groups, will review your music and they don't really give much information about you or the song before listening. so for me, it was a lot of "where's the singer????"..

Thanks so much, man! I think that TNS had a lot to do with the overall sound. Actually, I know he did. He and I worked back and forth on this track a lot and he explained a lot of things in tremendous detail. He's very patient and very collaborative.

Well, for a formal release, I want to go back and remix all of our material, but before I can do that, I really need to get my space and my gear in order, and put some more miles on my development. Most of my mixing is trial and error, guessing and questioning my decisions because while I now trust my ears, I don't trust my monitors or my space. Basically, if I can get something to sound decent, luck has a lot to do with it and I just don't want to work that way. Unfortunately, the reality is that being able to upgrade my space and gear is quite a ways off. So, we'll get there eventually, but I don't mind the wait.

I'll look into the RN stuff. Thanks for the tip!

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by g4greg

wow, this rrrawks!

Sammy nailed the vocals for sure

I really, really dig the Kravitz like guitars... they work awesome for this song !

g4greg, thanks a lot... Agree, Sammy belted this one out beautifully. We've had comments about having a Kravitz influence before, but strangely, neither Sammy nor I are really fans of his. Go figure... My best guess is that there are a lot of common influences that are shared, so perhaps that's where it comes from.

Appreciate the listen and awesome comments, man. Cheers!

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by Timothy Lawler

Good work fellas.

I saved the earlier version of this from July '13 and compared the two. Everything about the new mix I like more, except that I miss the articulation in the tone of the bass during the intro of the original.

Thanks Tim .

The bass went though all kinds of iterations. A quick look though any of the threads for M2M songs makes it obvious that I just can't get a handle on the bass.

I like to blame my gear... hah ha.

Seriously, bass kills me. I know what good bass sounds like. I can hear that I'm not bringing it there. I just have no idea how to get from point A to point B, despite doing this for a few years now. Just keep plugging away and trying, I guess.

Thanks for your thoughts, we always appreciate your comments.

[enroe]

Hello "kindafishy",

I'm just listening to the song "Drury Lane" from "Music to Murder".
I really like the style! Quite guitaristic, but also free and a
little psychedelic!

The nice thing is that you captured this primeval feeling well,
that's something we don't do very well. We just do a few more
laps in the studio - maybe we could get a little more raw and
direct - let's see ....

Yeah, it seems that the whole album "Music to Murder" is
felicitous!

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by enroe

Hello "kindafishy",

I'm just listening to the song "Drury Lane" from "Music to Murder".
I really like the style! Quite guitaristic, but also free and a
little psychedelic!

The nice thing is that you captured this primeval feeling well,
that's something we don't do very well. We just do a few more
laps in the studio - maybe we could get a little more raw and
direct - let's see ....

Yeah, it seems that the whole album "Music to Murder" is
felicitous!

Necrothread! Well this is a blast from the past enroe. Thanks for digging this up and having a listen.

To be honest, I don't much like any of these old mixes at all. Some are 'ok' but none are 'good'. I like the songs very much though. I think they deserve better mixes, so we will probably revisit them at some point and do better.

[sammydix]

Wow man. I haven't heard this literally in years. I almost felt like a 3rd party listener.
Thks enroe.

[BCF1]

Oh hell yeah !!!
I don't know how I missed this. It's like an early Christmas gift !!
I'll get back to you on this but sounds great so far !!!

[sammydix]

Originally Posted by kindafishy

Necrothread! Well this is a blast from the past enroe. Thanks for digging this up and having a listen.

To be honest, I don't much like any of these old mixes at all. Some are 'ok' but none are 'good'. I like the songs very much though. I think they deserve better mixes, so we will probably revisit them at some point and do better.

You know I want a crack at it.

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by sammydix

You know I want a crack at it.

Definitely! I'd love to hear a 'dix mix of this puppy.

I can get you a copy of this cleaned up any time you wish. I still think you have a mix of Falling Over that you were were working on a few months back yes?

Hit me up with an email if you want this project and I'll get to work on it. I want to run the guitars through my new setup, but I have been wanting to do this for this song anyway. Could be a good excuse to get on it.