Dee Snider - Ultimate Fighter Champion

Apparently Dee Snider from Twisted Sister was an ultimate fighter long before the TV show. Go to youtube and search Dee Snider Dee Snider Ultimate Fighter

Dec 28 2008 Rain, and more Rain

Well almost the end of another year. Spunky Munkey is working on a new song. It's a slower one but it's one of a few that have to make it to production. What's New Added some software called Drumsite, like it, been trying it out off and on for the last year. http://www.guitar.sk/drums/drums_main.htm The best thing about it is that you can create drums from scratch, it's not sample or loops, so individual tracks of each drum are available. Another great songwriters software is Verse Perfect and its free. http://www.bryantmcgill.com/Free_Rhyming_Dictionary/ Am using it for the new song. Used to read the Lefsetz report but no longer, has this guy got anything good to say about what's going on in the music biz? On the recommend list for music enthusiasts, check out Annette Haas, a very good local artist. www.myspace.com/annettehaas Where does Spunky Munkey go for a beer, well right here. http://www.coachandlantern.ca/ On the acoustic guitar am in the process of adding John Barleycorn to songs played.

LHO - Lee Harvey Osmond

Went and saw Tom Wilson's new band Lee Harvey Osmond the other night in Hamilton, LHO as I prefer to short-form the name. I highly recommend seeing them when they come to your city. http://www.myspace.com/lhosmond There's a mood set with the music, it's somewhere between something heavy and a real good hoedown. They are a big band, with some well known musicians amongst the performers. The sound was among the best I've heard, no awkward frequencies anywhere. The music really fired up the full house and it wasn't long before most folks were rocking by the stage, kind of a big bar scene idea turned concert. The songs have a real good rythmic punch and this is a band that I really enjoyed seeing. To be quite honest I would see this band before I would see Blackie and the Rodeo Kings again. They are both great bands but this band is more up my alley. You truly can't appreciate how these songs rock until you see the live show.

So You Wanna Rock

Check out Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. http://www.rockcamp.com/london_camp.html Someone needs to start the idea in North America. Liverpool isn't the only place where great bands formed.

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Some Good and Useful Links Passed on by Derek

Hi Spunky - You know I don't bother you unless there's something that I think could help your career. These links, below, are worth your time. I've tried to sort them in order of importance to you, but you can be the judge of that. :-) I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on them, so please post a reply in the comment-box below any that excite you. If you have a question, though, email me back here at derek@sivers.org **** Want to meet 10 companies that might help you get into the European market? Last week, I went to the PopKomm Music Conference in Berlin, Germany - and brought my video camera around the exhibit hall, asking companies questions from a musician's point of view. The edited videos are posted here for you: http://sivers.org/popkomm Since I posted an overwhelming list of books last week, here is a much more useful short list of top recommendations, with short descriptions and categories: http://sivers.org/book-picks This has become one of the most popular things I've ever written : 6 things I wish I knew the day I started Berklee. A transcript of my talk I gave to incoming first-year students at Berklee College of Music. http://sivers.org/berklee What's the future of the music business? Nobody knows the future. So what should you do? http://sivers.org/no-oracle If you were able to free up even a few more hours of time per week, it could make a huge difference in your music. Read my interview with the author of the #1 bestselling book, The 4-Hour Workweek, sharing his tips on how to have more free time to work on your music: http://sivers.org/tim-ferriss (long, but easy to print) What's your grand pursuit? http://sivers.org/grand-pursuit Like baby ducks think the first big creature they see is their mother, people do the same thing with prices. So how do you set a new standard? http://sivers.org/uncomparable Have you noticed how a small action can change your self-identity? http://sivers.org/small-actions-changing-identity Are there things you assume you have to pay for, that might instead be willing to pay you? http://sivers.org/reversible Should I put my music on lots of websites, or just a few? http://sivers.org/be-there FOR FUTURE HELPFUL NEWS AND UPDATES, you can subscribe to my blog/news, here : http://feeds.sivers.org/sivers/bPwd - or just bookmark http://sivers.org/blog Enjoy! -- Derek Sivers derek@sivers.org http://sivers.org

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David Henman

Remember the song Drop Your Guns,,,, look it up on You tube. Drop Your Guns He's just realeasing a new CD David Henman

Licorice Spice Herbal Tea by President's Choice

I have tried throat coat teas before, but I recommend Licorice Spice Herbal Tea by President's Choice. You don't need to add any sweetenor, it has a very calming effect and most notably for anyone so inclined, it seems to be an appetite suppressant as well. Instead of a snack, try this tea and get back to making music. I actually stocked up on it because it's sometimes not easy to get.

Is it Really Necessary to Play Live ?

Unless you're a known act or something, well of course it is necessary to play live, but for the average songwriter isn't the internet the place to be? Potentially the world is available. Lets face it, if I go to a bar I don't want to hear original songs unless I know of them, or the artist, or perhaps the event is billed as a songwriter's night. It's either covers or canned music these days. Not to be discouraging to others, but that's the way it is. On top of that, many bands can't control volume and I 'm not going to pay good money to leave with numb hearing. Playing with others is a good feeling thing but it has to be creatively right. There has to be a collective band vision, a structured practice regimen, places to play, and a collective band desire to get everything right. If there isn't, it's a waste of time. For a songwriter, what's the sense in playing live unless your songs demand that level of performance. Look at Nine Inch Nails. When one can pick up a guitar, plug it in, have just about every sound you can imagine on basically infinite tracks, record at leisure or 3am, and not have to lug equipment around and play in front of the wasted dude at midnight who wants to hear Sweet Home Alabama, well what would you do? I will still play out but only for the right reasons.

Live From Daryl's House

I haven't seen this yet but it sounds like a great idea. Use the resource of the internet to bring a webshow to music fans. We all know digital downloads and the internet have changed the dynamics of music performance and Live from Daryl's house is an idea indicative of the times. Even the way I found out about it shows you how much things have changed, it was advertized in a suppliers catalog that came across my desk, other wise I would never have known. I think i'm going to check it out, here is the link. Live From Darly\'s House

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Chinese Democracy

"Seventeen years in the making with a reputed cost of over $20 million, it seems that the Godot of albums "Chinese Democracy" may be finally making its way onto general release this year.", Obviously this album was started before every Tom, Dick and Harry could make music on their home computer. It's kind of like a science unto itself, for mere mortals like myself it's mind boggling to wonder how you can spend $20 million american dollars making one album.

The Creative Process

The creative process really involves a lot of discipline. It's a bit like a formula you stick to create music. First rule is, when the music idea presents itself, record the idea so it is not lost. I have fallen into that trap on numerous occasions. Even now as I write this I have a music idea which really should be recorded in snippet form. On my computer there are numerous snippets of ideas.

The way I work up a song these days is that I record the basic rythm tracks first. I will then listen to the track and get a sense for the melody and quite often a catch word or song hook will present itself. Sometimes the vocal line will change as guitars, bass and drums form the shape of the song. I usually have lots and lots of music ideas. Words to songs sometimes take longer as I formulate what a song is to be about however, even that process can be sped up if necessary. There are so many web sites around to assist creativity if someone is really stuck, song title generators, suggesting lyric generators, word generators in the style of certain artists, rhyme sites,

To tell the truth, even though I have access to all these sites I really don't use them. I generally pick out a song title and write the song story based on the title. I like the David Bowie way to write lyrics. Someone passed me the January 1988 issue of Words and Music and in that particular issue, it has everything about writing songs and how David Bowie creates, taking various lines etc and making a new story. To me a song is not in perfect plain word view unless it is country or something. If you want to speak in that tone, write a speech.

Even with music arrangements themselves there are various creative tricks, doubling the chord bars before changing, reversing the chord sequence for a chorus etc.

I would say let your inner emotional self come out in your music,  sure I have country based songs sitting around still to record but essentially I'm a rock guy. That's my attitude on guitar. If you want hear my country side check out the song Pleasure and Pain. Years ago I wrote another Pleasure and Pain song but I didn't follow the rules, I never recorded it.

Here are CD's I have made this far 

Spunky Munkey CD\'s There is another CD called Commercial but the recording quality is too low so I will probably take a few songs from it and record them again. 

Here is a link to Pleasure and Pain

Pleasure and Pain

L.H.O.

No doubt about it Tom Wilson is a very creative artist. In his latest creative change he has formed LeE HARVey OsMOND.

LeE HARVey OsMOND is Tom Wilson, some of the Cowboy Junkies, a few Skydiggers, Ray Farrugia from Junkhouse, Brent Titcomb and a lot of groove.

The music is very good and with what I've heard so far there is no doubt this will be a very successful Tom Wilson project.

Anyone Ever Thought You Were Someone Else?

It's happened a few times and a few times people said I look like this person. I think it happened recently in a restaurant although the people never came over and said anything, someone just alerted me to some people who were staring at me. I actually never even saw them. I remember one time, a long time ago i was walking down a street in Lisbon Portugal and some older man passed by and stared at me as I was a walking ghost or something. He looked frightened. I was as much freaked out as he apparently was.

Anyway, just the thought came up.