ZeCoop: My brother and I were together this past weekend and we ended with a big idea that we had started the weekend with... a live mixed song, created from looped tracks on two cassette players. We had a Tascam 488mkII (8-track) and a Tascam 424 (4-track). We each created various looped sounds and filled each track with them, one at a time. He filled up the 4-track and I filled up the 8-track. Each track takes about 12 minutes to record and doing it one at a time took a long time, even when we were recording one on each machine concurrently.

Anyway, this started Sunday night around 8 or 9pm. By the time we had everything figured out, recorded and set up... it was about 4am. We started the song and dove in deep - We ended 15 minutes later. It was really fun and very intense. :)

Moods (In Three Movements)

"Ice" by Greta Ehrig

I wrote this song in 1997 on a Gibson J-200 while watching the sun go down at the end of the driveway sitting on the tailgate of my 1984 Orange Ford Ranger. I immediately headed down into the basement and in a little less than two hours this was it. 

The drums, recorded first were a jellybean (all different colors) hodgepodge of a kit with an EV 635a microphone right in the middle of it all between the kick and snare. The electric guitar is a 1954 Les Paul with P-90s through a Russian Big Muff and a tiny Silvertone tube amp with a 6” speaker turned to the max. I switched the fuzz on and off for the different parts as I was playing and you can hear the amp melting down at the end. I miked it with an SM-57 set on the floor in front of the amp. The vocal was sung up close on a cool looking, but terrible crystal mic from a 50’s era Webcor tube reel to reel. I kinda liked the way the totally telephonic, midrange sound of it fit the mood. I played a 60s Gibson nylon string guitar solo in the middle. The sole effects box was a Lexicon Vortex, that made the guitar sound cooler and then I switched it back and forth between two presets during the bridge to get the echo part on the vocal. I played everything, and everything is a first take.

Recorded on a Tascam 238 8-track cassette deck.

I wish I hadn’t lost some of the fearlessness of this version of myself along the way to now…


I wished upon a star
To take away my pain 
I wished so very hard 
To tumble down like rain 

I feel a challenge deep 
And rising in my throat 
I keep on hiding underneath 
My overcoat 

So bright so simple 
So pure and undisturbed 
The perfect truth never speaks 
But yet, is heard 

For those with eyes and skies 
Visions ever clear 
So close to almost truth 
But never drawing near 

My overcoat 
Safe and so secure 
My overcoat 
Tucked away inside 
My overcoat 

Where do stars go 
In the daytime?
Where do tears go 
When the phone rings? 
Still outside 
Still inside 
Behind the lining of my 
Overcoat

I’ve been praying for a solution 
To open up my heart 
What humble contribution 
Can I make for my part?

Beyond my disillusion 
Is a love and a reward 
To drop my guard
I must discard 
My overcoat

I leave it on the floor 
Turn away

Overcoat 1997 Demo

Tainted Love

Song number 4 from FAWM 2024. Sound of a skateboard on a plywood quarter-pipe ramp
2024-02-27

One of my goals for FAWM this year was to write a song in memory of my brother, Eric Agner, who passed away a year ago. One of my memories is of him at age 10-12 on a skateboard ramp. He and an older neighbor boy built a ramp out of plywood (and I'm not sure which one of them spray painted the Rolling Stones lips and tongue image on it) and then spent hours going up and down it. Again and again. Kind of a mesmerizing sound.

In a departure from violin/viola instrumentals, this time I let Finale play the (very simplistic) piano part for me. I recorded it on my phone with my computer playing the piano part. So, it's a it's a little bit raw.

Lyrics
Intrepid pre-teen
pushes off asphalt
Gaining speed
Balance caught
Urethane wheels
Gravelly drone
Not impeded
Clunk on wood

Then a loud rumble
Softer as speed slows
Then silence
Nearly weightless, afloat

Is that why you do it? Levitation?

Deafening rumble
back down the curve
Thud on the pavement
Did it take nerve?
Repeat until dark.
Repeat until dark.
Caution to the wind.

Skateboard

Written in late 1988 in Hollywood at the Holly Drive house. I was experimenting with altered tunings on the guitar and liked this one. DADGAD. Recorded in 1996 at the Waters Road farmhouse basement on a Tascam 238 8-track cassette machine. It was my first attempt at recording acoustic guitar in stereo. I think the fluttery tape hiss adds to my nostalgic feeling about this one...

The Secret

This is just a rough take that might evolve into a song or something I collaborate on for Santa Dharma.  I was playing around with the Korg Super Section.  It's one of those instruments we have around the house, but almost never use and just kind of wanted to make a dub feeling track.  I get a little tired of seeing obnoxious drunk people all over and smelling tobacco smoke everywhere here in Japan, but people have such an anti-marijuana stance (even for its medicinal purposes).  It just seems really hypocritical to my Californian ears, and I always think music is a good place to discuss these things.

Greens

Rough mix of the work I did at The Old Library Recording Studios on July 3rd 2019 for the song 10:33.  The session started with recording a very rough guide on acoustic guitar, in one go, for the whole thing.

From there, I added other instruments to sections,

The bass guitar will possibly change in places, because I'm aware of how simplistic the bass is, and that bugs me in a way!

The original acoustic guitar guide track is there throughout, which will not end up being the case, and I never replaced a transition are where it was supposed to be more interesting than a place holder.

So far then I've got acoustic guitars, electric guitars,

The acoustic guitar from the initial guide recording is still all over the mix, but won't be eventually.  The intro for example, I am thinking of taking the acoustic out altogether, but I'm unsure whether to leave it in during the rock sections.

So far then, I performed acoustic guitars (my resonator and a studio Yamaha), electric guitars (my Ibanez Artcore, plus a studio Fender Telecaster and a studio Gibson SG), my 4-string Fender Squier Jazz bass, Synths, Organ, shaker (percussion), and a sitar.

I plan on adding tabla, tanpura, bansuri, shenhai, harmonium, mandolins, recorder, tin whistle, drums, and cleaning up some bits here and there.

As I was recording it and listening back, I'm a little off about my bass parts in some areas, but I may get used to it, or replace it in the studio at some point.

1033 Rough Mix

LHCisco - Voices Carry (Full Version)

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Moods (In Three Movements)

ZeCoop

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