29 posts tagged with mefimusicchallenge by flapjax at midnite.
Displaying 1 through 29 of 29.
Suffragette City
When I was assigned this tune for the David Bowie 'Ziggy Stardust' challenge, I was a little worried that I couldn't really manage it, somehow. But I had fun with it and I think it turned out OK. Plus I got this total blam-blam to help me with the promo clip, which you can viddy, my little droogie, at YouTube or Vimeo.
It Gets Better
Wrote this tune early in the month, shortly after seeing the Challenge announcement, and would've posted it much sooner, but other commitments plus a dose of good old fashioned procrastination delayed the recording until this afternoon. The last day of the month, of course! Just in under the gun, then, is my submission for this month's Mefi Music Challenge.
Fitter Happier ((Russian language version))
My assigned tune from OK Computer. For mouth bow and Russian vocal. Video here.
Jingle Bells
Impromptu version of the holiday classic. This closed out the night for the Smoke Benders' last gig of 2011. Video here.
I Used To Hate You But Now I Love You
This month's Challenge got me to thinking: with 'hate' being such a profound and powerful emotion, isn't it odd that there are really so few songs that really employ it as an idea or as inspiration? I mean, 'love'? Heck, you can't spit without hitting a love song, but hate, that's a different story. So anyway, this is a song of hate and love. Love and hate. Simple as that. Video here.
A FETID VORTEX OF SUN-DESTROYING CRAP
Two musical minds meet, in the deepest reaches of space.... [more inside]
Buckets and Big Ideas
This is a song from my 1993 release, The Big Off, redone with vocals only for this month's MeFiMu Challenge. El cheapo pitch shifter in effect. Video at YouTube or Vimeo. [more inside]
Watched You Drive Away
Just in under the wire for September's "transpo" Challenge theme.
All Shook Up
Elvis Aaron's #1 hit single for May 25, 1957. My version clocks in at eight seconds longer than Mr. Presley's, and uses slightly different instrumentation: the marron glacé guitar, the one string double drum, a shekere/maraca and talking drum. And, um, I made a... *ahem* ... video for it, which, if I had an ounce of dignity, I never would've posted to YouTube or Vimeo.
All Tomorrow's Parties (SKIST)
Skist (previously) is my band with singer/sound artist Haruna Ito. Hope you enjoy. I also made a video for the song, which can be seen at YouTube or Vimeo.
I'm Waiting for the Man
Aren't we all? [more inside]
Hallelujah (drone version)
Here's my version of the esteemed Mr. Cohen's paean to the religion of love. I dropped the rhythm and chord changes, and made a new melody. The very minimal accompaniment consists of three tracks from my trusty old JUNO 60 analog synth. That's it! Video version (photos by yours truly) at Vimeo and YouTube.
All Undone
For this month's MeFiMu Challenge, here's a song first written in 1986 and first recorded and released in 1991. This version was recorded earlier today. Rewrote the last verse. The old is new again...
Chase Scene
One track of face-slapping, three tracks of voice. That's it!
Gone Gone Gone
For the April "two chords" Challenge. The two 3-note chords even share a note in common, so we're talking a total of five notes serving as harmonic accompaniment for this song. Played on the strumstick. There's a hoop drum, too, of indeterminate pitch. I posted a lo-fi, live version of this song to YouTube as well, direct from my 6-mat tatami room at home. You can see it here.
That Guy In That Room
Theme song for an imaginary TV series called "That Guy In That Room". [more inside]
Deixa Isso Pra La
For the current MeFiMu Challenge, here's a song in a language I don't speak. This bit of Portuguese proto-rap is a longtime standard in Brazil. [more inside]
A Little Scared
Hand clap, face slap, jaw harp and voice. For the August LYRIC Challenge (thanks for the inspiration, loquacious). NOTE: This is a pretty bare bones arrangement, so anyone wanting to add a track, please feel free to download and monkey with it. Could use some low end, for example... [more inside]
I Burned This Song
For this month's LYRIC Challenge. It has a very simple backing track, consisting of three elements: a drone (from my trusty Juno 60 analog synth), little wooden bells (from the 100 yen shop!), and my daughter's plastic ukulele, which has a picture of Maisy Mouse on it.
Blue Train (the slow one)
I loved baby_balrog and his band's rollicking original of this tune. For this cover, I figured I'd take the train down another track: slowed way down (down on the ground), stripped way down (just vocal and strumstick), and with a little different shade of blue for the engineer's hat.
Life
For this month's LYRIC Challenge. Jessamyn's comment was the spark that got this song going. This was also a chance to do a little strummin' on my new Strumstick. I've been having fun with it. [more inside]
Body Music 1
For this month's WILDCARD Challenge, all sounds made using only my body: cheek tapping, belly slapping, finger snapping and vocal utterances. Clocks in at a crisp 1:29, and takes its inspiration in roughly equal parts from eefing and katajjaq.
Cupcake, When You Have a Chance
This month's themes (cupcake, brisk, interstitials) didn't exactly turn the inspiration amplifier up to 11, but, goddammit, I ain't one to run away from a challenge, no sirree. I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. So this one goes out to you, my little cupcake. You know who you are. [more inside]
Man of Very Few Words
Well, it's a few days late for the November '07 MeFi Music Challenge, but my on-the-fritz computer spent most of the month in the repair shop, plus the dog ate my homework, but better late than never, I reckon. So this one's going under the veryfewwords tag, as if the song title didn't give that away. [more inside]
Don't Play Cards With Satan (D.Johnston)
Took a look at this month's challenge themes and thought: Tom Waits does a much better Tom Waits impersonation than I could ever muster, and I'm just not a 'lots of notes' kinda guy. But, "spooky"... there you go! Submitted for your listening pleasure, my version of this Daniel Johnston song. With lines like "I saw my own heart laying, black with blood", I guess you could say it's pretty damn spooky. Here's a very powerful clip of Johnston performing the song on organ. [more inside]
Some Kind Of Superhero
For the MeFi Music Challenge. This one uses mouthbow, bodhran (but it sounds like a bass drum), a little bell, shakers, some little woodblock rattley things, a drone, and voice.
Bridge In The Sky
Fellow wants to cross a bridge, but it floats up into the sky. Woman comes along but she turns into smoke. Fellow throws a fistfull of dirt in the air, gets a new idea, goes and does some other stuff. Then there's a happy ending. Written for the "bridge" challenge, but I reckon you knew that already. Guitar by Ken Kawashima, who can also be heard here and here. Lyrics inside.
Until You Sever The Snake
Written and recorded for the serpentine challenge now underway. My buddy Ken Kawashima brought in the North Mississippi blues riff and yours truly did the rest. Apologies to animal rights advocates, but some snakes were severed during the recording of this song. Had to be done. [lyrics inside]
Used To Ride That Train
There must've been hundreds of times over the years that I've tapped out a rhythm on a pan full of water while doing the dishes, the pitch woozily shifting as the h2o sloshes about. At those times I've almost always thought, hey, I should put this on a track sometime. Of course, I never did, until the first MeFi Music Challenge, with its "water" theme. Along with the big metal bowl full of troubled waters, you'll hear jawharp, talking drum, bombo drum, bell, shaker and vocal. [Lyrics and more inside]
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