Song written by Nelson LePine, a resident of Bowen Island who recorded the track at Shael's studio.

The musicians are:    Nelson Lepine   vocals, guitar
                                   Peter Lepine      bass
                                   Sendil Selvan     lead guitar
                                   Anne Cozean      backing vocals
                                   Shael Wrinch      drums,organ

Up - Nelson LePine / Shael Wrinch

This one is clearly inspired by The Beatles during their Rubber Soul/Sgt. Pepper's phase and started with the rhythm guitar parts for the verse and chorus. I forwarded those bits off to Greg and he added drums, bass and a new part that had a Strawberry Fields vibe to it. I went back and redid my rhythm guitar parts as a stereo double and Greg asked me to have a go at the bass in the verse and chorus. With those parts now in good shape, Greg added slide guitar and vocals and fired a rough mix back to me where I added the guitar harmony and solo part starting just past the 2 minute mark. From there Greg did the final tweaks on the instrumentation and did the mix and master. Greg used the Abbey Road plugin for the mastering phase which emulates the old Studer-designed reel-to-reel tape machines which George Martin used in the studio. George would bounce tracks back and forth between these tape machines to create the multi-layered songs that the Beatles were famous for during that time which broke new ground and set the standard for modern multi-tracked recordings. I highly recommend this plugin for application to digital recordings as it seems to remove the brittleness that is inherent with today's digital recording technology without losing the definition of the sound or making it sound dull.

You're You - Greg Hurley / Dave Friend

This represents a number of firsts for me - not that it's where I'm going, but it's kinda cool doing something new. This one is a big band jazz standard - I don't know who wrote it but there are tons of big bands on YouTube doing this song. Here's the version I used to figure out the parts and arrangement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuCPBeSBnHk

My daughter played a version for me and I immediately thought - hey this sounds more rock n roll than big band and I thought I'd have a go at recording it myself. Now, I'm not a horn player so I've figured out the horn parts by ear and translated them to guitar. Added some drums and bass and voila - a guitar version of a big band jazz standard. So what's new you ask - it's a cover (never done one here), it's a jazz standard (again never done one), it's a big band tune done entirely on guitar (new for me) and it's just me (Dave) this time - no collaborators, just me, my guitars and a whack load of tracks!! Hope you dig it.

SPECIAL THANKS - to Greg Hurley who ran the final mix through his awesome Abbey Road tape plugin!!

Engine No.9

Edie Brickell is a treasure. For those of you who are familiar with her Soundcloud page, you'll know that she posts at least one new song every day and the amazing thing is - they're all great! So one day Shael and I were talking about collaborations and thought - hey wouldn't it be cool to dress up a few of these little songlets that Edie's posted and then surprise her by doing a private share of the resulting tracks? Well, that's exactly what we did. So thanks to Edie for encouraging us to post these little numbers - there's 4 in all, this being the first of them. 

just to give you an idea of where the track came from, here's the original phone recording that Edie did:

https://soundcloud.com/ediebrickell/sweet-change-of-heart

Many thanks to Edie for being the cool person she is - if you haven't already, I encourage you to check her page out as well as her website at:

http://www.ediebrickell.com/

Credits:
Edie Brickell - original song, 12 string guitar and vocals
Dave Friend - guitars, slide, bass and drum programming
Shael Wrinch - production assistance

Sweet Change Of Heart - Edie Brickell, Shael and Dave

Here's the second installment of the Edie Brickell collab tracks. In this one Edie recorded on her iPhone while sitting out on her front porch in the summer. What's incredible is the sound of the bugs which you can hear through the whole track. 

Here's a link to her original recording:
https://soundcloud.com/ediebrickell/ride-back-home

Again major thanks to Edie for being the coolest and I'm looking forward to next week's post already!

Credits:
Edie Brickell - original song, acoustic guitar and vocals
Dave Friend - tremolo guitar, production assistance
Shael Wrinch - guitars, synths, drum programming and production

Ride Back Home - Edie Brickell, Shael and Dave

Here's the 3rd of 4 Edie Brickell posts.

Edie Brickell - original song, vocals and acoustic guitar
Dave Friend - bass, drum programming and guitars
Shael Wrinch - production

He Loves You - Edie Brickell, Shael and Dave

This track was unusual from the very start, although listening to the song you might never know it. We started with a vocal melody which I thought had a Steely Dan kind of vibe to it but it was tough slugging from that point on. I figured out the chords that best fit the melody and that took several sessions before I was satisfied that I had got it right. Bass and drums went on next which were much simpler thankfully, after which I whipped up a quick mix and sent it to Greg who wrote the lyrics and had a go at singing them. After a bunch of attempts he realized that it just wasn't in the right range, so we agreed to transpose the song down by a semitone. That proved to be the right thing to do because soon after, Greg completed the vocal tracks and they sounded great. At that point the song was really taking on the Steely Dan vibe and I thought "gee, what would Donald and Walter do"? I watched the video of "The Making of Aja" and realized that they brought in the best studio players that they thought would complement the 
track they were working on at the time. That works great when you have the players in the studio on the other side of the control room glass. I had no idea how difficult that would be over the internet where you have no real ability to "produce" the performances. My sincere apologies go out to the players that I put through hell just to get what I thought was right for the song. Admittedly there were points in the song production where I thought that it was cursed and when the last solo was done it was a tremendous relief. All tolled, the song took well over two months from start to finish but when all is said and done I believe it was worth the effort. Thanks to all who participated - your efforts are greatly appreciated!

Original Song: Dave Friend / Greg Hurley
Vocals and Percussion: Greg Hurley
Lead guitar: Derek Cornett
Tenor and Alto Sax: Dave McKeown
Bass, Drums, Rhythm guitar and Keys: Dave Friend

Laguna- Greg Hurley, Dave McKeown, Derek Cornett

Hog Iron has really taken a new form where Kev Sumner (Dunlooser) and I have taken the reigns and kept the torch burning. This one features instrumentation by me (Dave) with Kev providing the lyrics and vocals. Hope y'all dig it!

Heading Downtown

Here's the latest from Greg and I featuring a special guest (my daughter Rebecca) on backing vocals in the chorus.

Out Of My Dreams - Greg Hurley/Dave+Becca Friend

Made this track for a movie cue, submitted it to Taxi. Nothing happened. C'est la vie. No collab this time just little ol' me.

Armed Robbery - movie cue

Got myself a new Les Paul recently and got around to creating a bed track which I shared with Greg, who did the lyrics/vocals and slide to make it a real song. Always such a pleasure to rock with Mr. Hurley!

Up To You - Greg Hurley/Dave Friend

Second installment from Project Funkify. 
Paul Harder - sax, production
Dave Friend - guitars, bass, drum programming and production

Metrotown - Paul Harder & Dave Friend

Here's a happy-go-lucky funk track which is the 5th installment for Project Funkify. For those with a penchant for dancing, this is your funk!

Paul Harder - sax
Shael Wrinch - B3 organ
Dave Friend - guitars, bass and drum programming

Gassy Jack - Paul Harder/Shael Wrinch/Dave Friend

This is a special addition to the Funkify project as we have some good friends joining us on this one. Shael Wrinch (Sun Tower, Hitmen) is on vocals and jazz guitar; Billy Zickmantel is on bass (Hand of Fate, Hitmen, Chafafa). This is inspired by the dilemma faced by US voters in their upcoming election. 

Shael Wrinch - vocals, udoo and jazz guitar
Billy Zickmantel - bass
Paul Harder - sax 
Dave Friend - guitars, drum programming

Original song by Dave Friend and Paul Harder
Copyright 2016

Don't Say Nothin ft. Shael Wrinch and BillyZ

Here's the latest installment to Project Funkify featuring Shael Wrinch on vocals and of course Paul Harder for which whom Project Funkify would not exist without. 

Shael Wrinch - vocals
Paul Harder - Sax and Funkmaster General
Dave Friend - bass, drum programming, clav and guitar

Here For Now - Paul Harder/Shael Wrinch

Here's one that's inspired by the grooves of some of James Brown's best like Good Foot and Sex Machine. The vocals are reminiscent of Robert Palmer's "Looking For Clues" and the sax shots are much like something you'd hear in a Tower of Power tune.

Shael Wrinch - Lead and Backing Vocals
Paul Harder - Sax
Dave Friend - Guitar, Bass and Drum Programming

Flip Side - Paul Harder/Shael Wrinch/Dave Friend

When you have a target as yuge as the Donald, how can you not write a funk song about him?
Shael Wrinch - lead vocals and production
Paul Harder - epic Sax Stacks
Dave Friend - guitar, bass drums and production

Promises - Shael Wrinch/Paul Harder/Dave Friend

Inspired by events in North Korea and the US.

Nasty Biz - Paul Harder/Dave Friend/Shael Wrinch

Just cuz you're right don't mean you're right.

Shael Wrinch: Lead and backing vocals
Paul Harder: Saxophone
Dave Friend: Guitars, Bass and Drums

Routine Conflict - Paul Harder/Dave Friend/Shael Wrinch

What will be your legacy?

Shael Wrinch - lead vocals, percussion
Paul Harder - saxophone
Dave Friend - guitars, bass and drums

Life Lives On - Paul Harder/Dave Friend/Shael Wrinch

This version of Streetnik is a collaboration of:

Pavithra Chari on vocals ( http://soundcloud.com/vapmok )
Brian Sanders on guitar ( http://soundcloud.com/brian-sanders )
Dave Friend on Rhodes, bass, drum programming and lead guitar  ( http://soundcloud.com/sun-tower)


Many thanks to Pavithra and Brian for their contributions to this version!!

Prologue - by Dave Friend
This song was inspired by an encounter that I had along with Shael (lead singer for Sun Tower) where we ran into a street kid in downtown Vancouver one evening when we were heading to the studio. We talked to him for a while and asked him why he was living on the street and he said that was the only option. We asked him about his parents and why he wouldn't just go home and he told us he just couldn't do that. It was so sad - there was really nothing we could do for him except give him some change and wish him well. 

The street is no place for anyone, let alone a kid. This song is dedicated to all kids who have no choice but to live on the street and I hope this raises awareness to the reality of this tragic circumstance. Thanks for listening!

Streetnik - Featuring Pavithra Chari and Brian Sanders

Social media has become a political venue which it really wasn't designed for. 

Shael Wrinch - Vocals
Paul Harder - Sax
Dave Friend - Drum programming, bass and guitars

Virtual Battlefield - Shael Wrinch, Dave Friend and Paul Harder

Here's another collab with the fabulous Pavithra Chari and Brian Sanders! The song is inspired by the long distance collaborative process and highlights that trust is critical to that process, but it's really against human nature to trust someone you only know through music.

Pavithra Chari: Lead and background vocals
Brian Sanders: Synth
Dave Friend: Original song, drum programming, bass, guitars and piano

Other Side of the World (lyrics)
Well I don't know who you really are
but I trust you
And I don't know what I mean to you
Or in a day what you might do
but you have to trust me too


A picture on a page 
makes you seem more real
Words in a time line
Tell me how you feel
but I don't know you
And I guess I never will
You're on the other side of the world


Now I hear your voice coming down the wire
and I like it
And I don't know how you came to be
Or what you ever saw in me
But your music set me free


The notes that you sing
They say a thousand words
The passion you bring 
Well it's just got to be heard
but I don't know you
And I guess I never will
You're on the other side of the world




Other Side of the World - Original music Dave F, Vocals by Pavithra Chari, synth by Brian Sanders

Delighted to say that this is the last track for the album. Will be mastering and prepping for release shortly.
Shael Wrinch: Vocals
Paul Harder: Saxophone
Dave Friend: Drums, Bass and guitars

How Many Times - Shael Wrinch, Paul Harder and Dave Friend

Delighted to post our first collab with Emma Shanley. This track was based on an old original that Emma had recorded on her phone. I thought it was a fabulous little tune and it inspired me to write a bed track for Emma to sing over. Very happy with the result!! Thanks again Emma - you ROCK!!!

Original Song: http://soundcloud.com/emma-shanley
Lead and backing vocals: Emma Shanley
B3 Organ: Shael Wrinch
Bass, Guitars and drum programming: Dave Friend

You Excite Me (original song and vocals: Emma; guitars/bass/drums: Dave; B3 organ: Shael

A while back one of my kid's friends challenged me to do a remix of this American Idol song by General Larry Platt. Just thought it might be fun to share...

Pants on the ground

Here's the latest installment to the Crucible from Greg Hurley and I. Basically the story goes like this: I came up with the bed track and forwarded it to Greg, who very quickly wrote lyrics based on something one of his friends had said to him - then proceeded to do all the vocals, harmonies and slide parts. I assembled Greg's parts into the mix as they came kind of mixing as I went, which really helped make the final mix go quickly. I had one go at the solo out which I thought was ok but I knew I could do better and fortunately Greg had the patience to give me another night with it, which I think was well worth it. I hope you enjoy this as much as Greg and I enjoyed creating it. 

To summarize:
Greg Hurley - lyrics, vocals, slide guitar 
Teresa Hurley - special production assistance
Dave Friend - bass, drum programming, guitar and solo out


Crazy Fine - Greg Hurley: slide/vocals, Dave Friend: guitar/drums/bass

Here's one that "Coyote" Kev Sumner (aka http://soundcloud.com/dunlooser) and I put together based on an original that Kev had from a while back. Not really about Superman or anything but a fun story about a guy who is in the wrong place at the wrong time, get's busted and falls in love with his legal representative who is a lawyer by day and a rocker by night.

Note to the production geeks, I've implemented a little thing that I'm calling "skip panning" in this song where as instruments come in and out of the mix, the panning configuration jumps to what I figured was an optimal spread for those instruments. Nerd alert - whoop whoop whoop!!!

Original Song, Vocals and Guitar: Kev Sumner
Guitar, Bass, Drums and Lead Guitar: Dave Friend

Lois Lane - please read description

This one was fun - I asked Greg if he was up to doing a Jimi Hendrix style song and he said Hendix was a huge influence on him and that he had all of Hendrix's albums on vinyl. So I did a bed track that was kind of in the realm of Stone Free and Fire and sent it off to Greg. He did the vocals and slide solo at the end; I tried a few solos in the first solo spot but wasn't really happy with any of them. So I took one of the takes and reversed it and I thought - hey this sounds something like what you'd hear in Are You Experienced, so I tweaked it a bit so it fit the track a bit better and that's what you hear in the first solo spot. Greg and I bounced some ideas around for the intro and "You Got Me Floatin'" was what we used as a guide for what would sound cool. Finally as we got down to the short strokes on the mix, we used Spanish Castle Magic as the guide for vocal tone and overall mix balance.

If you have never heard of any of the previously mentioned Jimi Hendrix tracks, I urge you to hunt them down and give them a listen - they are really where heavy rock originated and Jimi continues to inspire folks like Greg and I to this day.

Hang On - Greg Hurley / Dave Friend see description

This one which started as a rough track forwarded to me by Mr. Kev Sumner and I was delighted to help him. Definitely one of the coolest tracks I've participated in for a while and most certainly one of Kev's best vocal performances.

Original Song and lyrics by Kev Sumner (https://soundcloud.com/dunlooser)
Vocals, Rhythm guitar, drums and B3 - Kev
Lead and chorus guitar, bass and production - Dave

When to Run - Kev Sumner and Dave Friend

The main character of the song is drawn into a life of crime, lured with the promise of easy money by the song’s villain, the “One-eyed Man”. When the main character has decided he’s had enough, he tries to leave the mean streets but is denied by the One-eyed Man. The main character gets sucked into doing higher risk, higher paying gigs and as things start to escalate, the One-eyed Man’s henchman botch a hit and he decides that it’s time for the main character’s promotion to become his hit man.

Greg Hurley: Lead and backing vocals, slide guitars, ambient synth
David Friend: Lyrics, lead and rhythm guitar, bass, piano and drum programming
Spoken word from 1931 movie production “Little Caesar”
Original song by David Friend

LYRICS:
Beggared, busted and down on luck
Working the graveyard just to make a buck
A man with a gold watch and one good eye
Says “Hey man, why don’t you give this a try”
“It’s easy money”

Sales are brisk on this dead end street
Keep a watch out for the cops on the beat
Plastic girls that look good from afar
They say they love you, but don’t care who you are
This place is empty and it’s time to move on
But the man says
“Think you can leave? You couldn’t be more wrong.”

“I’ve got my one good eye on you
You’re under my control now
I’ve got my one good eye on you
There’s nowhere you can go now”

Tawdry women and fast cars
Selling thrills to phony movie stars
The one-eyed man’s got a new gig for you
“Here’s a 45 and some ammunition too”

I’ve got my one good eye on you
I’ve got my one good eye on you


One Good Eye - Greg Hurley and Dave Friend

Here's a track that is a bit surreal for me. Collaborating on my first jazz track ever with two of the most talented people on SoundCloud - Pavithra Chari and Derek Cornett. This one started as a bass line that I had been toying with for some time and as I brought structure and lyrics to it, I knew that I had to convince Pav to sing it - which she did expertly! I tried doing the lead guitar parts but quickly realized that my jazz riffs were sounding a bit more like blues than I'd care to admit - so I asked Derek if he would like to do the lead parts on the track, which he thankfully agreed to. The song is inspired by my wife's obsession with red guitars.

Pavithra Chari - Vocals
Derek Cornett - Lead (Red) Guitar
Dave Friend - Original song, lyrics, bass, rhythm guitar and drum programming.


Red Guitar - Pavithra Chari/Derek Cornett/Dave Friend

A crucible is a little ceramic pot used by chemists to mix chemicals in. The Musical Crucible is a cloud that is specifically for collaborations between members of Sun Tower and other SoundCloud contributors, maintained by Dave Friend of Sun Tower. Thanks for stopping by - here's some of the folks who we've collaborated with:

http://soundcloud.com/emma-shanley
http://soundcloud.com/dave-mckeown
http://soundcloud.com/amanda-woollett
http://soundcloud.com/vladaroo
http://soundcloud.com/don-beekeeper
http://soundcloud.com/joe-harper-2
http://soundcloud.com/gregory-m-hurley
http://soundcloud.com/dunlooser
http://soundcloud.com/jaime0223
http://soundcloud.com/thomasschmid-5
http://soundcloud.com/vapmok
http://soundcloud.com/brian-sanders
http://soundcloud.com/kelsey17
http://soundcloud.com/through-the-wire

The Musical Crucible

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