I am having a total blast today. I am recording and mixing tracks for the new (and final) CD of the year, while l; listening to the Green Bay Packer football game live on my iPhone. I've never done that before.
I have no idea who that kid is with the Packer shirt and guitar, but it's a cool pic, right?
As I am listening to vocal after vocal that was sent to me I've been getting goosebumps! Really, just blown away. Getting to mix all you these wonderful singers, my friends and family, I feel like this is the best Christmas present anyone could ever get!
BTW-SHUT THE FRONT DOOR - Packers are kicking butt.
I love having the radio on while recording and blogging, I might do this all the time!
Have you heard of The Sugar Free All Stars? Of course you have (just go with it, if you really have no idea what I'm talking about click here). Chris sang and also play some excellent organ parts, plus he just looks so darn cool on the cover! OH, what a voice! Sugar...wow. It's getting so hard to mix this, I can only use very small parts of each vocal, right now I just want to release like 7 or 8 different versions with different lead singers and BTW, I haven't sung a note yet...maybe I shouldn't?
As I work on this CD, a project that I am driven to get other people to "shine" I am beginning to realize that my recently departed mother was right, perhaps my real destiny is to be a great producer, like Phil Spector (without the guns) or Sir George Martin (without EMI and Apple studios...maybe someday). I have always loved being a director, facilitator, mover and shaker...mmmmmm....
A great big THANK YOU to China White and Forest Field guitarist, mutli instrumentalist and all round great guy from the Netherlands Peter Cox. He did ALL the basic music tracks for this song...drums, bass, guitars and various keyboards. I could never have done this without him. I plan to do a lot of recording for him in 2013.
OH, just took a cookie break because right when I was done and doing some mixing on this song I think I pushed my poor little OLD MacBook to the limit. It just kinda sat there, staring at me, not playing, not restarting...BAD. So I took a break and just turned it off, now I'm re-booting. Let's see what happens next, shall we? IT WORKED! Sounds great, just needs hand claps...I really do feel like Phil Spector! MORE DRUMS, MORE SINGERS, MORE REVERB, MORE RONNIE SPECTOR, MORE EVERYTHING!!!
Adding shout outs to everyone who played and sang on the CD, tearing up here. Missing people that aren't with us any more that would have loved to hear this. It's been a long day, this is pretty much all I got done. I don't think the CD will be done by Christmas eve, but here it is for you and your loved ones to share. Please share it, happy holiday. Love Billy.
Yesterday I finished recording all the songs for the new CD "Super Superhero Songs". The song my daughter and I wrote "A Guy Named Stan" came out AWESOME! I have included it at the bottom of this post. I also made a change on the CD cover, as I added a remix of a classic Mr. Billy song from a decade ago called "Super Monkey" (which is also at the bottom of the post). I felt that since we were all superheros on the cover I should add Super Monkey too! Can you see him up above?
I am doing the final mixing, mastering and graphic design over the weekend while I'm on the road with Wil.
I was going to take a break but I only have 31 days to do 36 new songs, so I'm starting the next project today. It's called "Sensational Songs About Science...Fiction?" Like the title?
As I'm getting nearer the end of this project I would really appreciate you blogging, posting on your FaceBook/Twitter, sending a note to any music writers/newspapers etc. It would be cool to let a ton of people in on this race to the finish...
Anyway, thanks for all the love and support pouring in, here are the new songs, hope you dig 'em!
Two more songs done. The first song, the one I talked about and actually finished recording yesterday is called "Villains on Vacation" It turned out (pardon the pun) super. There is a cool battle part in the middle with newscaster commentary. Here is the songs, give it a listen and share, share, share. Add to your FaceBook today, please?
The next song I kinda decided to do on a whim, thought it would be quick and easy...WRONG! But I am glad I did it. It's a kind of mash-up of the Batman movie theme, the Batman TV show theme and Jingle Bells Batman Smells.
Way back when I first proposed the superhero project one of my collaborators, Will Hale said, "You HAVE to do Jingle Bells Batman Smells...it's a given". So I did it.
I recorded kids at my daughters school doing background vocals yesterday and finished the recording this morning. I have planned to get one of two more songs done today, but I have a sick tummy, so that be all for today, we'll see. Give this one a listen too, let me know what you think!
Look up in the blog, it's a bird...it's a plane...NO! It's The Mighty Mr. Billy! Yes I did finally make my superhero cartoon. I got a lot of suggestions and this is what I came up with. Like it?
Great news, as of today I am 50% done with CD #9. I took off Thursday (Thanksgiving) and even though I slept in VERY LATE, I still got 2 new songs recorded today, that brings the total up to 6 songs done, they are:
1. Magneto and Titanium Man
2. Comic Book Store
3. Action Hero, Hero Action
4. Super Sidekicks
5. Green - NEW
6. Bowling for Heroes - NEW
"Green" was written for this project by my good pal and pretty steady writing partner this year, Dave Kinnoin. It's quite simply a song about green heroes, and there are a few. My wife Cathi did some vocals on the chorus and my son said this was his favorite song so far, his other favorite was "Bowling for Heroes", the other song I did today. Complete with bowling alley sound effects, it paints a nice little picture of super heroes blowing off steam at "The Super Bowl"...no not that Super Bowl.
Here they both are for your enjoyment. Love to hear your comments...please!
I love having the radio on while recording and blogging, I might do this all the time!
OH, just took a cookie break because right when I was done and doing some mixing on this song I think I pushed my poor little OLD MacBook to the limit. It just kinda sat there, staring at me, not playing, not restarting...BAD. So I took a break and just turned it off, now I'm re-booting. Let's see what happens next, shall we? IT WORKED! Sounds great, just needs hand claps...I really do feel like Phil Spector! MORE DRUMS, MORE SINGERS, MORE REVERB, MORE RONNIE SPECTOR, MORE EVERYTHING!!!
