Got the bus out and about yesterday. Nothing like stopping into a gas station to fill up a little and suddenly you’re answering questions as to who you are because you’re in a tour bus. If you’re a fledgling band and want to raise your profile, get a bus.
There’s also nothing like sitting around listening to other people talk about how they’re gonna do things for you while you’re sitting there listening to the business talk. On the one hand it feels good. On the other you wonder in the back of your mind if it’s all a bunch of bullshit. At least that’s what tends to run through my mind while I’m there. Otherwise I’m attempting to enjoy the moment, and think about more songs to write. It never stops.
In the vein of thinking forward with music, lets turn up the juice a little today. If you’re familiar with the likes of the Warped Tour then there’s a good chance you may have already heard of My American Heart. If there is a sound that I could attribute to the Warped Tour it would be the very sonic waves that are coming from my player right now. A quick look at their Myspace page reveals there are quite a few people that are familiar with them. And they’re already right where I’m looking to be later this spring – on the road. I attempted to find their official website, but I’m thinking they may have dropped it in favor of Myspace. Not exactly something I would recommend a band to do.
Despite that it’s the music that matters anyway. I’m not sure I understand the irony in the lyrics. I don’t see the fun in scaring others with the use of a gun. A product of too many cop/gangster films maybe? Not sure. What I do understand is the driving beat and the top notch production of the mix. I can also remember the hook which is the sign of an effective song and it’s songwriters.
In terms of the production they are making use of a lot of production techniques. Ones that I’ve been told are cliché. The funny thing is, they still get used and I doubt the record or song buying public really cares. There’s a reason why some things become cliché and it’s because they simply work. One of the very cliché things is the megaphone effect on the vocal from the get go. When I used it on a song a few years ago an A&R bloke bashed me for it saying it was an effect that should die. However, its still effective at getting attention for something so it still gets used.
The drums sound extremely smooth which is something I’ve still been chasing on recordings I’ve been doing. The guitars are thick without jumping all over the place, and the vocal is legible all the way through. It’s a solid mix without a ton of dynamics. Which makes it exactly what the doctor ordered for that Warped sound. I would be really interested in hearing them with more of the dynamics intact, I think it would heighten their vibe even more. What do you think?
Are you going out to see the Warped Tour?