Barry Seymour

Thanks, Marky Mark. ? Since the shaker was digital, I suspect it was the rest of the musicians ( i.e. me) who may have been off a bit. I'll take a look. It may end up being easier to move the shaker, ha ha. As for the lead break, it was a steel string, my old Goya, my chum since the 70s! I recorded it on an Electro-Voice ND 457 microphone, another piece of my 'vintage legacy' (read 'old') gear, my favorite live gig rock mic dating from the late 80s. (I'm not even sure you can find/buy these any more.) I really struggled getting a sound for the rhythm acoustic guitar that I considered acceptable, but in the end I got it, using my wife's Takamine guitar and an Audio Technica P46 Cardiod Condenser microphone. After that, the usual tricks - BREVERB and TDR Kotelnikov for the audio effects on the rhythm guitar. Thanks for the kind words.

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words. I feel I'm continuing to improve in my efforts to record my own music. I also got some good suggestions from a Michael West on the Creative Sauce group on Facebook, suggestions I've implemented with really good results. He recommended a free plugin called 'Wider' (https://polyversemusic.com/products/wider/) which adds a sort of stereo effect to a mono signal without any phasing or chorusing. The result is really quite striking, taking a voice in the center and moving it to each speaker / earpiece, making it sound closer and - fascinatingly - more intimate. I have a new mix I'll post later today, but I pretty much feel like this is the last piece of the puzzle. He also recommending adding a little more 'beef' to the bass drum kick, which I've done. I'll have it up soon.

Catchy and sweet. I hear a little Alan Parsons in there. Can't hear anything to criticize in the mix. Neat.

Here's the new one. Some of my friends say this is a departure for me. Maybe more like a return to my roots. Anyway, mixing suggestions welcome.

Agreed, you're not the first to say so. I very likely will do another mix. Thanks for the kind words.

Thank you. Very kind.

Yeah and every time you put up a track on SoundCloud - every time - some account with a picture of a cute looking chick likes your track within minutes. Go to that account and you see a pitch to let them 'submit your tracks' for you to artificially gain (buy) followers. Gah.

Final release is done. I worked hard on mastering this.... finally getting the hang.

Too many choices. All I know is I'm close to maxing out my free Soundcloud account...

Thanks for the kind words, on this and the other songs! Yes, I miss San Francisco. At least the San Francisco of the 70s, 80s and 90s. :'-( I've added some more controversy to the ending... mastering it now. New mix soon.

I fiddle a bit with it, but couldn't find anything I wanted to change on the outgoing solo. I boosted the snare a bit and added more thunderclaps at the end. I'm also trying hosting this on Bandlab; let me know if you can't get to it. https://www.bandlab.com/post/745c6f14-bced-ec11-b656-2818789a16d5

Good ideas. Perhaps at the end it's time to set a few more things on fire! LOL.

Hey Kirb! Nice recording. I like how the bass almost seems like a lead instrument as well as the bass, underpinning everything. It's higher in the mix than I'm used to, but it works. Everything is nicely balanced, nothing collides with anything else. Sounds great! Side question: just how many Westerly Sessions were there?!?? ?

Beautiful song! Wonderfully written and heart-touching. The vocals are flawless - the fast passages (melismas) are not always to my liking, but here they're done very tastefully. Love the piano, love the subtle swells underneath as the song progresses. The only suggestion I have would be to minimize or clarify some of the stuff on the low end; it just sounds like a big rumble to me, doesn't seem to add anything to the song. It first came to my notice around 2:47. But a stellar piece of work! Ms. Lynn should have quite a future.

Great groove, love the sound of the electric piano. Great balance throughout, the bass is rich without being overpowering. Somewhat off topic, how do you do a video like this!?? You said it was a 'quick video.' What the heck, man, how is something this polished a 'quick video?'

Very fun. Just liken when I listened to "Atom Heart Mother" while perfectly straight, the room started spinning. ? Production is faultless, but I had trouble understanding the words! Not sure why. Compositionally, I'm not a fan of the bass and guitar playing the same melody throughout, but that's an artistic choice. It was executed flawlessly. Fun stuff!

EDIT: I've released the final version. Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. Hey everyone. Here's a new one. It's more hard charging than a lot of my songs, so I might need some guidance on how to make it powerful without clipping / overdriving. It's political, and it has a few salty words, so get your pearls ready for clutching. ? Comments / suggestions welcome.

Final Cut is out! See the first post. https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/aluminum-stan

Thanks. The chords are kind of a Steely Dan rip off, in some ways. I had to do some serious research on those - Steely Dan songs are so often a mystery to me!

SECOND BEST!??!?!?? ? I'm keen to hear the first. Thanks for the kind words, Mark.

Jam night in an Italian bistro, a jazz cat known for his vamp He took one look at my Stratocaster, made me plug into his amp He throttled my volume like a strangler, he put the shade on my light I was dyin’ to be a rock and roll star, but he wouldn’t let me that night. Finally out of f-birds to give, I played some rubbishy junk Schizoid solos, bumbling chords, metaphysical bunk But Mr. Magictone thought it was genius, he said my playing was hot “Where did you learn that amazing technique?” He hired me right on the spot Way cool, old school, midnite cruisers, sneaky and sly is the plan Kirschwasser, Columbian, zombies and losers, hide in the back of the van Drive west on Sunset, turn down the music, no one can see it’s a scam With a cough, I pull it off, I am Aluminum Stan So I gave up my previous gig, a Seventies soft rock band The new group’s starting to make a big noise, playing across the land Eminent hipsters all over the country are analyzing my songs On Instagram I’m an influencer, something about that’s just wrong Zoom calls, big balls, concert promotions, playing a gig on the Strand A two month residency in Lost Wages, six nights at Hakkasan I’m singing and playing presumptuous nonsense, still I accumulate fans Soon I’ll be the king of the world, I am Aluminum Stan I learned to work the guitar, I couldn’t quite play what I feel (Then) I got a bad case of tour disorder, it got even more unreal I finally broke down playing at Red Rocks, I floundered and lost my hat I sang an old song about sailing, I blacked out after that I came to on the sofa, a jackhammer in my head Libby came out, she said I’d been tripping, it’s time that I went to bed Rick Beato had finished on YouTube, I turned off my LEDs That was a nasty handful of mushrooms, I ain’t takin’ no more of these Way cool, old school, too far from Broadway, more than a little bizarre I threw out my gold teeth, I smell like an ashtray, is there gas in the car? Gauchos and strangers gone back to Hollywood, I’m stranded in Spokane My little wild time is over and done, I was Aluminum Stan

Hey guys! I'm sorry I've been gone for a bit. I had some mid-size health issues take me off the table for a bit. Then, when I came back, I decided to do THIS. When you spoof Steely Dan, you really have to bring your A-game, in writing, playing, recording, etc., so this took me longer than originally anticipated. So here's "Aluminum Stan," rife with more in-jokes than you can shake a guitar at. (I'm actually thinking of having a contest to see who can find the most! :-D) Let me know what you think regarding mixing, playing, etc. Thanks! https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/aluminum-stan

The last mod I had him make (not shown above) was to put Fender Vintage pups at neck and middle, and a Seymour Duncan 'Shawbucker' at the bridge. The third knob had a push-pull button to switch the Shawbucker from single to double coil. He changed the master volume pot from 250k to 500k, whatever that means. He said it was a 'compromise' that wouldn't help the Fenders but would help the Shawbucker. But the whole thing came to life! I finally got that STRAT sound I had been longing for.

New mix: I redid the bass and worked to make the sound richer.

I wrestled with a lackluster tone on my Frankencaster for years; even went through three sets of pickups. It wasn't until my tech replaced the volume control pot that the thing finally came to life and gave me that Strat sound I've been longing for. The soloing here is just the neck pickup and TH3 effects. I'm lovin' my Strat now!