This was my attempt at a holiday/Christmas song, mainly inspired by Christmas songs by alternative rock bands like Christmastime by The Smashing Pumpkins & The Christmas Song by Weezer.
 
Some Christmassy elements in the song, for lack of a better word, are the very obvious & ever present sound of jingle bells, as well as multiple acoustic guitars, & a flute for a woodsy/cozy To Grandmothers House We Go type-feel. 

Some early feedback from a friend was that it was sounding like a song by The Cure, so I started leaning into that, adding strings to the arrangement.

The chorus, verse & pre-chorus riffs were all written around the same time. The bridge/solo section is a variation on the pre-chorus riff, with a British post-punk inspired distortion guitar tone, inspired by The Smiths & other bands of their era. I found the bridge/solo section started sounding a bit like the theme song to the tv show The Kids in the Hall, Having an Average Weekend by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet.

This song was notated in Guitar Pro, with the MIDI/RSE audio files exported & mixed in Garage Band. Additional editing was done in Garage Band, then sheet music was altered in Guitar Pro to reflect this when necessary.

2023

A Cure for Christmas (Demo 18 )(Completed Reference Track)(2023)

Fold

Same Place

flight fm

Grow

LIMBO

Bergamot

This was my 4th attempt for this group of songs to create an overtly CKY sounding song, while trying to limit my other usual influences/sonic preferences. It ended up sounding like a mid-point (along with the 1st track) between the most successful attempts (the 8th track) & the initial attempt (the 4th track on the album).

The song is built around one riff that changes slightly during each section of the song, with the different drum parts providing the change necessary to keep the song interesting.

The guitar tone throughout this song, & tracks 1 & 8 on the album are a close approximation of the signature CKY guitar tone, that’s achieved through an octave pedal & fuzz/distortion.

In a departure from the norm for my songs, the bass throughout the song is played with a pick, as are the 1st & 8th tracks, with a bass line that grooves but still follows the guitar part, adding to the signature CKY sound.

This song was notated in Guitar Pro, with the MIDI/RSE audio files exported & mixed in Garage Band. Additional synth, sound effects & editing were done in Garage Band, then sheet music was altered in Guitar Pro to reflect this when possible.

Bruiser Brody Blues or King Konga (Demo 19)(Completed Reference Track)(2024)

The inspiration behind this song was initially my stab at a mix of Britpop & 80’s goth rock. However the song ended up taking on a more symphonic sound, with a lot of 80’s new wave influence, as well as quite a bit of influence from the sounds of the band HIM, as was the 2nd track in this collection.

The intro/verse riff was written first, followed by the pre-chorus, which was initially written as the chorus riff. The chorus riff was written next, initially intended to be the bridge.

The bridge for this song was the most difficult to get inspiration for, as I’d run through my usual bag of tricks (key change, tempo change, guitar solo, completely new riff/instrument, etc.) In the end I settled on a partial chord change, mixed with the chorus riff & some different drums.

This song was notated in Guitar Pro, with the MIDI/RSE audio files exported & mixed in Garage Band. Additional synth, sound effects & editing were done in Garage Band, then sheet music was altered in Guitar Pro to reflect this when possible.

Little Fire Tender (Demo 20)(Completed Reference Track)(2024)

This song was written, arranged & completed by me, (unless otherwise noted) in 2024. The intention behind this song (& my creative songwriting mission going forward) was to create
relatively easy to play songs, in a timely fashion, using none of my pre-existing riffs.

I started writing this song’s intro riff first, and it came out sounding like the opening to an 80’s horror movie, like Halloween or Creepshow. That then led to me incorporating synths and piano
to enhance that mood.

The verse and chorus riffs were written next. The bridge was written closer to the end of the total composition completion.  

This was my 5th attempt to create an overtly CKY sounding song, while trying to limit my other usual influences/sonic preferences. 

The guitar tone throughout this song is a close approximation of the signature CKY guitar tone, that’s achieved through an octave pedal & fuzz/distortion.

In a departure from the norm for my songs, the bass throughout the song is played with a pick with a bass line that grooves but still follows the guitar part, adding to the signature CKY sound.

This song was notated in Guitar Pro, with the MIDI/RSE audio files exported & mixed in GarageBand. Additional synth & editing were done in Garage Band, then sheet music was altered in Guitar Pro to reflect this when possible.

All my songs have working titles that reflect a theme, mood or inside joke that reflect each piece.

This is a reference track for a studio recording hopefully in the future.

A Cure for Christmas (Demo 18 )(Completed Reference Track)(2023)

For Future Reference

Related tracks