March MeFiMu Challenge
March 3, 2009 4:55 PM
This month's Challenge is a one-parter: Amnesty Month - submit songs based on any previous music challenge that you may have missed. It was suggested by AppleSeed.
I though it was big enough to stand on its own, so I decided to forgo the usual 3-part (Lyric / Music / Wildcard) format. Anyone displeased with this month's Challenge please feel free to vent here!
The last two months have seen pitifully little in the way of contributions to the Challenges. Precisely 2 submissions for January, and 2 for February. The Christmas theme for December, however, had a whole buncha takers, so I guess it's just ebb and flow. I hope this month sees a little more interest in the Challenge. We shall see!
posted by flapjax at midnite (22 comments total)
posted by flapjax at midnite (22 comments total)
Bwaaaahahahahaha!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:17 PM on March 3, 2009
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:17 PM on March 3, 2009
Songsmith it, cortex. Songsmith it.
posted by not_on_display at 6:37 PM on March 3, 2009
posted by not_on_display at 6:37 PM on March 3, 2009
Hey, n_o_d, dude, we gonna hear something from you this month? It's been awhile...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:48 PM on March 3, 2009
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:48 PM on March 3, 2009
I've been working on one song, really, little by little over the past six months. And it does qualify for the "cover request" thread/phenomenon/thing that happened around, what, October, December? (checking watch)
It started with the suggestion to "hey, let's cover [Guided by Voices song]," and I suggested she sing it, or maybe we'll duet. So I start by recording one or two tracks, then spending a few days to weeks not listening to it at all and letting it ferment in my brain. Then, upon getting back to it, it sounds a lot better than I had remembered, so I maybe record a few more tracks and then tweak it a little more, and then pause for a few days/weeks again. This cycle is still going on. And it is very different than how I normally go at it -- I usually do one night or two of recordrecordrecord and then mix it real quicklike and then it's done. Not this time, though.
A few weeks in, I solicited my co-conspirator for her vocals; the first two takes (recorded over two weeks) were timid steps into the world of "high quality production recording" (by that I mean "ok, I'm sending you this mp3 track; sing into your computer wherever you think the internal mic is." "You sung it into your camera? That's fine." etc.) So I'm now waiting for the third take. (If my co-conspirator is reading this, HI!)
Meanwhile, I'm fucking around with echoes here, drum sounds, little squirrely things to put in the background, and so on. Backward masking secret messages to the Cabal, etc. I like how it's turning out, and how unlike it sounds from what I first heard in my head.
So yes, hopefully this month it will all be DONE. Thanks for asking!
posted by not_on_display at 8:35 PM on March 3, 2009
It started with the suggestion to "hey, let's cover [Guided by Voices song]," and I suggested she sing it, or maybe we'll duet. So I start by recording one or two tracks, then spending a few days to weeks not listening to it at all and letting it ferment in my brain. Then, upon getting back to it, it sounds a lot better than I had remembered, so I maybe record a few more tracks and then tweak it a little more, and then pause for a few days/weeks again. This cycle is still going on. And it is very different than how I normally go at it -- I usually do one night or two of recordrecordrecord and then mix it real quicklike and then it's done. Not this time, though.
A few weeks in, I solicited my co-conspirator for her vocals; the first two takes (recorded over two weeks) were timid steps into the world of "high quality production recording" (by that I mean "ok, I'm sending you this mp3 track; sing into your computer wherever you think the internal mic is." "You sung it into your camera? That's fine." etc.) So I'm now waiting for the third take. (If my co-conspirator is reading this, HI!)
Meanwhile, I'm fucking around with echoes here, drum sounds, little squirrely things to put in the background, and so on. Backward masking secret messages to the Cabal, etc. I like how it's turning out, and how unlike it sounds from what I first heard in my head.
So yes, hopefully this month it will all be DONE. Thanks for asking!
posted by not_on_display at 8:35 PM on March 3, 2009
Amnesty month inspired me to finish up a snake challenge from around nine months ago.
posted by umbú at 9:09 PM on March 3, 2009
posted by umbú at 9:09 PM on March 3, 2009
Ooh, nice idea. I started the spy music challenge but got distracted; maybe I'll finish it now...
posted by equalpants at 9:34 PM on March 3, 2009
posted by equalpants at 9:34 PM on March 3, 2009
I'd like to request that the "Updated!" banner at the top of the main Music page include what month it is. If it always just says "Updated!" it's hard to tell if it's actually been Updated!
I dig Amnesty Month. Two submissions already!
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 10:20 PM on March 3, 2009
I dig Amnesty Month. Two submissions already!
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 10:20 PM on March 3, 2009
I'd like to request that the "Updated!" banner at the top of the main Music page include what month it is.
Good call, I must've checked that link at least a dozen times in March before it actually was updated.
posted by BrnP84 at 11:52 PM on March 3, 2009
Good call, I must've checked that link at least a dozen times in March before it actually was updated.
posted by BrnP84 at 11:52 PM on March 3, 2009
This is a great idea, flapjax. I'll even try to do more than one, because I shouldn't have missed the one-minute-song challenge and the "wrong" challenge. That and I've also wanted to cover more songs from other mefites. Let's see how much I can get around to finish.
posted by micayetoca at 2:49 AM on March 4, 2009
posted by micayetoca at 2:49 AM on March 4, 2009
This is a great idea, flapjax.
Glad you (and others in this thread) like the idea, mica! But, to give credit where credit is due, it was Appleseed's idea. I'm just the messenger!
Looking forward to hearing what everyone comes up with, and I'm gonna try to get at least one (hopefully more) in myself.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:44 AM on March 4, 2009
Glad you (and others in this thread) like the idea, mica! But, to give credit where credit is due, it was Appleseed's idea. I'm just the messenger!
Looking forward to hearing what everyone comes up with, and I'm gonna try to get at least one (hopefully more) in myself.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:44 AM on March 4, 2009
I guess this means I have to actually finish my spy music song...
posted by andrewraff at 7:59 AM on March 4, 2009
posted by andrewraff at 7:59 AM on March 4, 2009
Time to bust out my old tune about ol' man Brisk (who is a Cupcake), sailing around the world on his trusty Interstitial (a ship).
posted by ORthey at 9:33 AM on March 4, 2009
posted by ORthey at 9:33 AM on March 4, 2009
It seems like everyone just missed their chance to put together a song for the spy challenge. Well, I missed because I wasn't yet a member. But I've put mine up!
posted by orville sash at 2:15 PM on March 4, 2009
posted by orville sash at 2:15 PM on March 4, 2009
Is there anyway to view the first eight challenges, in case we really want to take it back? This is exciting!
posted by abc123xyzinfinity at 7:43 PM on March 4, 2009
posted by abc123xyzinfinity at 7:43 PM on March 4, 2009
Someone needs to do a podcast retrospective on the challenges, telling the history, playing clips of some of the most interesting/best ones, and foretelling the future.
posted by ORthey at 12:01 PM on March 5, 2009
posted by ORthey at 12:01 PM on March 5, 2009
I would like to nominate ORthey to do a podcast retrospective on the challenges.
SEriously.
(You DO have a great voice for such a project!)
posted by snsranch at 5:39 PM on March 5, 2009
SEriously.
(You DO have a great voice for such a project!)
posted by snsranch at 5:39 PM on March 5, 2009
Seconding that nomination!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:45 PM on March 5, 2009
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:45 PM on March 5, 2009
And a request: when submitting your Challenge songs this month, in addition to the mefimuchallenge tag, could you please also add an amnesty tag? Thankee!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:57 PM on March 5, 2009
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:57 PM on March 5, 2009
To be honest, that whole RPM Challenge thing kept me away from MeFi Music pretty much all of February. Signal to noise ratio was not good.
posted by awfurby at 11:57 PM on March 18, 2009
posted by awfurby at 11:57 PM on March 18, 2009
But this is March, awfurby! Has been for a couple weeks now! Get your amnesty submission(s) in! :)
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:02 AM on March 19, 2009
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:02 AM on March 19, 2009
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Curse you.
posted by cortex at 5:45 PM on March 3, 2009