Time for Demos

Really excited to start recording some demos.  In the past, it has always been “fit as much as you can into this tiny time frame because we only have enough money for four hours of studio time.”  Now, with home recording, time isn’t as much of an issue, which is great.  I currently have 12 songs I am interested in recording (I believe 3 of those are current works-in-process).

I’ve had this idea for a song in my head (it is actually a re-recording of a song I had recorded with Pudding & Fruit back in 1994).  I always thought it could use a better, more energetic recording – some additional sounds, distortion, etc.  So, I plan to re-record the song.  Lately, I’ve been playing the song clean on my acoustic guitar and am really liking it.  It hit me.  With home recording, I can go ahead and record different versions of the songs because I’m not as pressed for time.  I can record an electric version, as well as an acoustic version of the songs.  If I’m debating between taking a song in a couple different directions, I can go ahead and take the time to do both – I don’t have to decide before the recording.  I don’t know why that lightbulb didn’t go off before.

With Pudding & Fruit, my regret is the speed with which we recorded.  In hindsight, I wish we would’ve maybe done some home recording demos or something and really worked on the songs.  Maybe do a song or two at a time but make them really good instead of being satisfied that this version only had 5 mistakes or shrugging because only a handful of people will probably know I mispronounced that word (I cringed when I heard myself say Gee-ya instead of Hee-la in regards to the Giant Gila Monster in the song “Sci Fi Movie” but didn’t think it was worth the time to overdub it).  I understand we were young, and, for all we knew, each time we recorded could’ve been the last time cuz who knows if we would ever scrape enough money together for another session.  I am proud of the CD we made, but I think limiting the songs (we did 15 in total) would have been a good idea and really worked on making them great.  There’s not a song on there that I don’t like.  Still, maybe we should’ve knocked it down to 8 – 10 songs and made it really solid (could’ve kept the other songs in reserve).

I don’t know.  I’m just really excited to go through the process again and making sure I’m satisfied with the end product.  No need to rush….

Name Change?

Every once in a while, I wonder if I should change the band name.  I have my days where I’m just not too sure about it.  I was originally going to do the project under Musicians Anonymous Cleveland (I thought that would work since I figured it may be a revolving door of musicians).  I put Cleveland on it just because I figured someone else was already using the name somewhere (although I couldn’t find anything on Google or iTunes).  And, if people liked the idea, they could put their own city name at the end – and we could be different chapters.  Any thoughts?  Or, maybe an unspoken third option?

Here’s an idea for the Musicians Anonymous logo:

Musicians Anonymous Cleveland

Positive Weekend

Songwriting Inspiration

This is kind of how it works with me.  I get inspired in bunches.  It’s pretty easy when all the songs you write sound pretty much the same.

This weekend has seen a good basis for three new songs. 

I have the subject matter for one song.  I just need to decide on the actual lyrics to go into it.  The music itself is something I’ve been playing here and there for quite a long time but never found a home for it.  The basics are there.  Once I get the lyrics written, I’ll see if anything needs tweaking.

Another song is a variation on a song I have already written.  I do not have the subject matter yet, and I think the way I was playing one of the guitar parts kind of reminded me of Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun.” 

The last song is another one that I do not yet have any subject matter set in stone.  The song, I think, has a really good groove and is my favorite of the three.  It sounds like something I would write, but it also sounds different to me at the same time. 

I’m really excited to get these things nailed down.  I may need to demo the guitars and listen to them repeatedly at work to see if any lyrics come to me.

Recordings

Nothing is planned, but I really want to get the core of a few songs recorded…some really good recordings (hopefully my friend Josh is still up for doing something – if so, I will record some guitar demos and send over to you).  I think the plan may be to get the basics recorded (guitar, drums, and possibly vocals).  I think the bass playing will be a revolving door, so I may have the guitar and drums done and then add in the bass at a later time. 

As blogged a few times, I have a song called “Polyester” recorded.  Since finishing it, I have been thinking of ways to improve it, so I think that’s one of the songs I want to record.  I’m hoping to also get a song called “Where We Fell” completed – if I can get a solid recording of drums/guitar/vocals, I can hopefully send that off because a bass part that I really like has already been written (I hope Dave B remembers it cuz it’s been awhile since I started to try to get that recorded).

I will need to determine which other songs I would like to get recorded.  Deciding between putting out an EP or trying to do a full-length album.  Or, in this day and age, I’m thinking that I may do a song or two at a time and make it available digitally, which may eventually be a full-length CD or (hopefully) something on vinyl.  So many possibilities for the DIY musician these days.  Based on timing and not always being available these days, would it be best to take the time and try to record a couple songs?  Or, would it be best to try to bust out five or six songs to have waiting for a bass player to add his/her touch?

Shows

Nothing planned at this time.  Would really like to do another show, especially with a band.  May start looking at getting on a bill somewhere.  I would love to leach on to someone’s show and not have to worry about being the organizer the next time.  May start looking into Happy Dog and/or Beachland Tavern.  I don’t know if The Garage regularly does shows, but I just saw the Restless Habs play there on Friday Night (Feb 10), and the sound was great.

I doubt anything would happen, but I’m probably traveling to Nashville on business at the end of March.  I thought it would be cool if I was able to set up a show on one of those nights.  I’ve never played out of state (in fact, I think I’ve only played out of Cleveland twice).  Anyone familiar with the Nashville area and know of any places that would be kind to a solo acoustic show?

The End

Thanks for reading.  I haven’t been very active since the January show.  I think this weekend was the first time I’ve really picked up the guitar since then.  As always, feel free to like Toasters in Love on Facebook.

Jan 21 Thank You

Thanks to everyone who came out to make the January 21 show at The Symposium a success.  Great sets by Joe Rybicki and Peter Woodward.  It was definitely fun being on stage again.  A different sound being on stage vs. playing in the basement (think I need new cables).  Hopefully, we can do this again sometime.

SHOW THIS SATURDAY (JAN 21)

A mere two nights from now, Toasters in Love will be making its stage debut (just Keith for this performance) at The Symposium (11794 Detroit Ave – Lakewood, OH).  18+ Show.  $5 if 21 and over.  $8 if 18 – 20.  Doors will open at 8pm.  Show will start around 9pm. 

Joe Rybicki (formerly of Whatever… and currently of Johnny High Ground) will be opening the show – he is the crust of this musical pizza.  Check out Whatever… and Johnny High Ground music on bandcamp.com.

Peter Woodward (formerly of Dreyfus, The Unknown, and Sidecar and currently of Restless Habs) will be the sauce in the middle.

Toasters in Love (former member of Pudding & Fruit) will be the cheese on top to cap off the night.

This is going to be a fun evening.  The Symposium is a nice, intimate setting and seems perfect for this type of show.  It has a nice bar (which I suggest you take full advantage of).  And, you’re going to have some great music to go along with it.  I can’t think of a better way to spend my saturday night…

If interested, I plan on bringing some old Pudding & Fruit CDs for sale for $5.  That comes out to be 33 cents per song.  Can’t beat that deal.  Also, you get a fabulous carrying case and booklet.

Hope to see you all there!!!

January 2012

Symposium Show – Jan 21, 2012

As a reminder, Toasters in Love (just Keith for this performance) will be playing its debut show on Saturday, January 21 @ The Symposium in Lakewood, OH.  Doors open at 8pm.  Joe Rybicki will be starting the night’s music off at 9pm.  The remaining order between Toasters in Love and Peter Woodward is to be decided.  The cost is $5 ($8 if you are under 21).  Must be at least 18 years old to be admitted.

Polyester

Guitar, Vocals, Bass, and Drums have been recorded for what will be the first completed Toasters in Love track:  Polyester.  This track should be appearing on a benefit release for burn victims.  Keith is hoping to fix the guitars and vocals tonight (Jan 6) to have the completed song submitted by this weekend.  It’s the first time Keith was involved in a recording that the main track was not recorded live as a complete unit.  He now sees the benefit of having everyone play together…

A benefit show for the release may be happening sometime in February.  Toasters in Love will most likely be a part of that, so we will keep you posted.

“Polyester” personnel:  Keith Kanderski – guitar, vocals; Dave McLaughlin – bass; Josh McLaughlin – drums.

More Recordings

Hopefully, Toasters in Love will be able to get started on some additional recordings.  The next song up on the list may be one entitled “Where We Fell,” which already has a bassline written for it (would like to get this one officially recorded while Dave B. still has the bassline fresh).  Based on the experience from the “Polyester” recording, we may want to record guitar and drums together in order to avoid any ”pacing” issues.  We’ll see how that goes.

Other

• Still in the process of reading Noah Levine’s Dharma Punx.  Amazing how little time work and family allows for curling up with a book.  Probably getting around halfway through.  So far, I would recommend this one.
• Disappointedly, I started to watch Rob Zombie’s The Haunted World of El Superbeasto but could only manage about 15 minutes of it.  I don’t know if it got better later on, but those minutes were brutally bad.
• Looks like there may have been a decent amount of good independent horror released in 2011.  Hoping to somehow find a way to start viewing it.
• It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how you look doing it.

Show Flyer

Will be changing as more details finalized…

Toasters in Love w/ Peter Woodward and Joe Rybicki

Show Confirmation

Toasters in Love will be playing The Symposium on Saturday, Jan 21.  Save the date and call the sitter.  Peter Woodward (Restless Habs and formerly of Dreyfus, The Unknown, and Sidecar) should also be playing a solo set.  More details on the other acts to come as they get finalized.  Also, click the associated links and “Like” them on Facebook.

Hoping to make this show a big success in order to keep getting booked.  Please come out and support us.

Show Me Some Polyester

 

2012 Shows

• I am not yet comfortable with saying it’s a done deal (I’m hoping to get a firm confirmation soon so that you can all make the appropriate plans), but it’s looking like Saturday, Jan 21 will be the first Toasters in Love show.  It will take place at The Symposium in Lakewood, OH (right by The Phantasy, near Detroit/W 117th).  The line-up is yet to be finalized.  More details to come.
• Early February may mark the second Toasters in Love show.  Details are not yet known, but it will be part of a benefit for burn victims (Dave, please correct me if I have anything wrong).  It will be a record-release party for a compilation benefitting the same cause.  The dates being bandied about are February 10 and 11 (one night will be a show in Columbus, while the other will be in Cleveland).  Which city gets which night and the venues are to be determined.  Again, the dates are not yet set in stone.

Polyester

So Smooth

• Toasters in Love is contributing a song to the above-mentioned compilation.  The song is called “Polyester” and was recently recorded using Guitar and Vocals.  Keith is listening to it over and over and over, trying to decide if it’s good the way it is or if it would be a good idea to flesh out with bass and drums. 

• This song was originally written back in the mid-90s and has never been recorded, although it did see two public performances – once as part of a set when Keith was a member of Planet Log 3000 and once during Keith’s wedding reception (was it an attempt at being romantic or did Keith hear that a record exec may be attending the reception…we will never know).
• The compilation is set to be released on February 14, 2012.  More details about the comp and how to get it will be forthcoming.

Dharma Punx

So far, Keith is enjoying Noah Levine’s “Dharma Punx” autobiography.  Hasn’t had much time to read it lately.  I believe he is just about to start Chapter Nine.

Miscellaneous

• Still hoping to record a polished version of “Where We Fell.”  The guitar/vocal demo is up on the Toasters in Love Facebook page.  Bass has been written.  Possibly some drums have been written as well.  If so, then we could hopefully put together a final version somewhat quickly.  Would love to have that ready before the Jan. 21 show, but I don’t know how realistic that is.  Leaning more towards releasing the final version as a stand-alone in order to have something to send off to the college stations.  May then include on an EP once enough songs have been recorded.
• Looking into ways to make finished tracks available for sale in digital format (sure that has to be an easy process at this point).

Where We Fell

Bass has been written for this song.  Need to get some drums going, and then I think the demo will be ready to go and can work on the true recording of the song.  Once completed, we’ll see what we’re going to do with it.  Release a one-song teaser?  Keep it for a longer release?  May start sending it out to college radio once complete.  May also look into making it available for download.

Shows in 2012

Working on putting together the first Toasters in Love show for January 2012.  More details will be posted as they become known.

Holiday

Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season!

Dharma Punx

Noah Levine’s Dharma Punx

I picked up a copy of Noah Levine’s Dharma Punx, which I have not started to read yet – figured it would be the next book.  I was walking around Half Price Books on a day off of work killing some time, and the title jumped out at me.  The book is Noah’s “unconventional journey from Gen X Punk to Buddhist.”  It says he is studying to be a Buddhist Priest.  Sounded like it may be a good read with my interest in both Punk and Buddhism.

When I got home, I opened the front cover to read the synopsis on the inner jacket.  Something strange struck me as I was reading, which made me question the book a little, so I’m really interested to see how it plays out once I start reading it.

The inner jacket states that “he finds his most authentic expression in connecting the seemingly opposed worlds of punk and Buddhism” and “chose not to reject the punk scene, instead integrating the two worlds.”  My eyebrows raised up.  Seemingly opposed worlds?  To me, there is probably nothing more similar than Punk and Buddhism, and the combination seems like a natural marriage.  So, I’m hoping it’s not a book about what a genius he thinks he is for combining the two – like a book called Socrates Cafe, that I couldn’t finish because I got tired of the author patting himself on the back for creating the Socrates Cafe.

A core Buddhist teaching is to take what works for you in order to best live your life and be kind to others.  Buddhism does not put together a strict program in order to reach Nirvana.  Buddhism does not put together a strict set of rituals that you are supposed to be abide by.  One of the popular Buddhist sayings is:  “If you see the Buddha on the side of the road, kill him.”  It isn’t about following a ritual you do not believe in or attending church on Sunday to give that Christian appearance when it really isn’t doing anything for you.

Punk, in its purest form, is about being true to yourself and accepting others for who they are.  It isn’t about dying your hair blue (which I have done), rebelling against authority (unless it deserves to be rebelled against), or doing drugs (which I haven’t done).  Trying to create a punk persona but feeling uncomfortable in it is not a punk thing to do.  If you are hanging around your punk friends and feel more comfortable wearing a shirt and tie – then the punk thing to do is wear that shirt and tie.  Feeling like you need to “belong” and following some pre-defined creed is not what punk is about. 

When punk was starting, the bands that defined it were The Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, etc.  Musically and Stylistically, they are as different as can be – it wasn’t about one attitude or one type of music.  I think The Sex Pistols (although I do love their music) kind of ruined punk.  They were loud and violent, and, suddenly, they were the poster children of what punk was (if I had heard correctly, they were more of a manufactured band like The Monkees – Malcolm McMoney liked John Lydon’s look and decided to make him a singer in a band…). 

It doesn’t matter, I know.  When I read the inside jacket, it really got me thinking again (I’m making this point all the time and I can hear Christine’s eyes rolling now) and felt like posting this.

Punk is not about rebelling against whatever you’re being told.  It’s about following your heart and being true to yourself.