Okay, sound engineering all day is exhausting. But the instrumented track count now stands at 8 1/2 out of a possible 10 (one piece is spoken word, and I still have to finish writing the title track). Arden is amazing.
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Took a while, I know. But it’s time for the final part of my 3-part reflections from last month’s Pennsic War.
So: “Ain’t We Sexy?” The great thing about Pennsic, as an extension of the SCA in general, is that, like other large-scale events, it showcases collaboration and teamwork, because it requires so much of it for anything to happen. My personal theme this Pennsic, I came to realize, was “belonging”, and I got to experience belonging. I got to see close-at-hand, and participate in, more of the making-it-happen than I ever have before this war. I am profoundly grateful for the opportunities to learn from and help to whatever degree all these amazing groups of people.
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Studio Day: “The Name of the King”
Arden spent the day in the basement, where we finished the instrumentals for “Call Me Will” and, we’re pretty sure, put the instrumentals for “The Name of the King” together in one go. That’s six songs that are instrumentally complete (or very nearly). For an album that is going to have twelve tracks on it, that’s a significant milestone.
My new audio interface should arrive this week, which should (a) allow me to record in the basement with our new MacBook Air most anytime I want (the old Firebox interface is discontinued, so there’s no driver for it on the new machine), and (b) has a bit more power and some state-of-the-art preamps, and so should be able to produce rather sharper and cleaner recordings for a consumer-end product.
And yes, I still have one more blog post to complete on Pennsic. Real life got in the way for a few weeks, and I should have that posted this week.
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Pennsic 43, part 2: Look at You!
Time for the second of my 3-part reflections on this Pennsic War: The individuals who earned my admiration and who I wish to praise and honor. There are many, and this is a small sampling of those I remember best. In some cases I may not remember full Scadian names, and I beg your indulgence. In the interest of not slighting anyone, I will omit titles and trust no one takes offense.
Ah, the unseemly part of sharing about a major event as a performer: showing off. (Not because I find it uncomfortable–sadly, I really really enjoy it. But I know it’s uncouth to do in excess, especially in the SCA. On the other hand, there’s a long history in period of boasting, so within certain limits it is considered acceptable.) And so, like a cat laying dead mice at your feet, I give you the “Look at Me!” part of my Pennsic recollections:
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Pennsic 43: Prologue
It is Friday of War Week at the 43rd annual Pennsic War out here at Cooper’s Lake campground in Slippery Rock, PA. This evening, we will pack up our tent, head to a hotel for the night, and make the 6 hour drive home tomorrow. Some time in the next few days I will post about my experiences of this Pennsic in more detail. I intend to post in three parts.
My teacher, Maistre Lucien de Pontivy, has suggested to me there are three modes in which we celebrate achievements and merits in our lives. We move between them, and while no one is “better” than the others, a balance of time spent in the different modes is healthy. The modes are:
(My teacher is pretty awesome.) I will structure the posts to devote some attention to each of these.
I’m feeling momentum building on the album the last few months. Paul Butler (Arden of Icombe) just spent the afternoon with me, and we have now recorded most of the strings for “Call Me Will”. We also cleaned up the strings for “Tam Lin of the Elves” and “The Last Plantagenet”, something I’ve been looking forward to for months. (Squee.)
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Studio Day: Special Guest Guitarist
I’m pleased to report that Don Levey has lent his prodigious guitar talent to three tracks for the Hidden Gold album: “Call Me Will”, “The Name of the King”, and “Lady of the Rose”. Bit by bit, the project is moving forward.
[EDIT: I ended up having Dave redo the guitar for “Lady of the Rose” and “Call Me Will”, but Don can still be heard on the “Call Me Will” intro, and the album leads with his work on “The Name of the King”.]
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Start of summer check in
Heading off for some much needed vacation (mundane, not all the wonderful camping events coming up the next two weeks, but still). Projects are proceeding apace. I have a new demo for “Lady of the Rose” that I’ll post when I get back. Also on returning I get some quality time with Don Levey (fellow bard, he of the guitar in my first YouTube video of “The Bastard’s Tale” in my living room), and we should be laying down tracks for maybe three more songs to move them forward.
Additionally, I’m pleased to report that my latest assignment is coming along. I’ve been instructed to pick up my guitar, shake the rust off it, and learn to accompany myself on John Dowland’s “Come Again”. (I’m playing only the top notes, not all the chords, but I’m playing a full contrapuntal rhythm which is tricky while singing.) As of today, I’m pleased to say I can sing and play the piece off book (I’m currently just singing the first verse…this is a one-verse arrangement), nearly at speed, although my fingers do stumble on some of the sixteenth-note runs. Still, it sounds like a song, and it’s been a long time since I actually tried to seriously play anything on guitar, let alone finger picking.
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Album’s Title Track is Written
A brief check in (and a bit of a tease)…
In the year and a half I’ve been working on this album (which should be ready to drop next summer at Pennsic 44), I’ve spent some time pondering a title. Early this year, I realized I had a song that would serve as the perfect title track for the overall work, and bring the number of tracks to the 12 I want to include on it.
Only one niggling detail: I hadn’t actually written the song yet. I had a title, a theme, a tune, and even a chorus, but I hadn’t broken the story, so I had no idea what to do for the verses.
I broke the story a week ago, and today, I reached out to put words on a page and they finally came. I have a complete first draft.
I boldly leap now, and announce that my first album will officially be titled: Hidden Gold.
You know, unless something changes.
Drake Oranwood 