I Conquered The Day

This is an autobiographical piece. William and I used to paint signs for a living. It's also a very old piece... we wrote it while we were still painting signs. However, I've never played it on the piano before. Until today it was strictly a guitar piece.

I really, really, really like this song. Oddly enough, William doesn't think much of it. I think that it mainly just reminds him of another day at work.


The sound quality here is poor, but I mainly just wanted to get the arrangement recorded so I don't forget it.

I CONQUERED THE DAY
wmh

I conquered the day with paint-stained fingers
And brought life to a painted man
His double dimensions seemed no more alive
'til I moved with a brush in my hand

It continues to keep a sane man sane
This yellow faded through red
Though the eyes in the back will steady the hand
The vapors go to my head
The vapors go to my head

Work out the brush in Gothic one-stroke
I've heard over and over again 
Of its eyes how they move!
For it's heads that they turn on the roads of the world
That give you the money you spend

Small letters make dreams for six-o'clock days
As the easel falls off the wall
A pile-up of patterns makes life oh-so-easy
For letters of twenty-four tall
A pile-up of patterns makes life oh-so-easy
For letters of twenty-four tall

Work out the brush in Gothic one-stroke
I've heard over and over again 
Of its eyes how they move!
For it's heads that they turn on the roads of the world
That give you the money you spend

I conquered the day with paint-stained hands

And fingers that formed color schemes

But I've washed them away, along with today 

To forget what I've done and I've seen

I've washed them away, along with today 

To forget what I've done and I've seen

Work out the brush in Gothic one-stroke
I've heard over and over again 
Of its eyes how they move!
For it's heads that they turn on the roads of the world
That give you the money you spend

For it's heads that they turn on the roads of the world
That give you the money you spend

On My Way

Here's a nice little song, with lyrics by William. It's a mood piece that are just vague enough for you to assign whatever meaning that makes it personal to you. The original lyrics don't have a date, but I'd put them somewhere around 1980 - 1982. This is the first they've been set to music, though, and they were re-tooled for that.

This is just me on the piano, but if I were to produce it, I think I'd do it as Bluegrass... banjo, fiddle, guitar, double-bass, and and brushed percussion.

On My Way

-- William Hoover

There's a grassy knoll I've been dreaming to
And a fountain not too far away
And I'll be sipping that water
As soon as tomorrow
'Cause I'm leaving today
I'm On My Way

There's a cool water summer on my mind
And a breeze blowing over the bay
And by Tuesday this week
I'll be off of this street
And settling down to stay
I'm On My Way

On My Way
And soon I will be far away
Ain't gonna stay
Sometimes here -- always on my way

There's a shady tree I've been thinking of
And a sunset to follow that day
And I can't wait to go
Into my Tomorrow
Say goodbye to Today
I'm on my way

And there's a moon in the river staring at me
From the eye in the glare of a wave
And I don't even know where this river is flowing
And don't really care what they say


On My Way
And soon I will be far away
Ain't gonna stay
Sometimes here -- always on my way

On My Way

On My Way

On My Way

On My Way

SpinTunes 6 Round 4 Reviews

I'm not a judge. I have no standing. But I'm going to review this round anyway, and reveal my preferences, too; because that's the kind of jackass I am.


OK, this is tough, because I like all these guys, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm being as critical as possible here, which is quite likely to mask the fact that I like all of these entries. If it sounds as if I'm worst possible take on things, that's probably true, but only because cheerleading is a little less interesting to me today.

First, let's look at what the challenge really says. "Write a protest song in which you try to convince your listeners about something you strongly believe" (that's from Round 3). Round 4 constrains the contestants to the same topic they used in Round 3.

Here they are, ranked in order of my preference, top to bottom.

Ross Durand - Someone's

A few things put Ross' entry on top for me, though Edric's is undeniably more emotional and RC's is smoother production. This, like Ross' previous entry, is the quintessential War Protest. This could easily have been a bad thing, since Ross is supposed to be trying to convince someone of his point, and Hawks are notoriously difficult to sway. But Ross grabs you with a strong, strong beat and an intensely listenable hook that keeps you there for the message. Of all of these songs, This one is the one I would listen to, by choice, most often, while paying attention to the lyrics. These are lyrics and a message that can't be ignored. Then Ross drops napalm in the form of Sierra Durand for the penultimate chorus. "Someone" is an impersonal pronoun: Sierra makes it personal. We can send "someone" to war, but this little girl's dad needs to stay safe at home. By extension I start thinking about the other little girls with dads of their own. This was exactly the right string to pull. The production has a definite "live" feel to it... I could hear this played down at Shady's on a Saturday night with beer, peanuts and a whole lot of whoopin' and hollerin'. I'm a sucker for songs with the human factor.

RC - Get Out Of My Way

I thought that RC's lyrics lacked some subtlety last time. He definitely corrects that here. The shift to first person is always a good choice. RC's no longer telling me about these problems, he's showing them to me, and that makes the difference between preaching and persuading. My quibble is that it may be a bit too subtle here... RC almost misses his own challenge by focusing on general problems rather than inequities (he left himself a really narrow challenge), but this is tenuously rescued by one line: "I hear the schools across town are so much better". Solid production, smoothly listenable and good replay value means that people will hang around for the message. It's possible that the production works slightly against it as a protest, in that it's easy to just sit back and let this tune wash over you without paying much attention to what it says.

Edric Haleen - On The Matter Of Bullying (Part 2)

At first you'd think, yup, Edric poured everything into that and it's a shoo-in... and it may very well be. I know *I* love this song. I was indeed the stereotypical chess-club nerd in the locker. I actually carried a slide rule in a holster... this is the universal bully-sign for "give me a swirly". This song should be punching every emotional button I have. But my logic wouldn't let me be until I understood what was bothering me about it.  Who's Edric convincing, and of what? At first it seemed to me like preaching to the choir... the message is just one that doesn't require a lot of convincing. Who disagrees with the statement that bullying is bad? That's when I did an about-face and realized that it's a good thing he put in the talking points at the end, or one could easily driven to despair if one were pre-disposed to that mindset by bullying. That kind of suicidal reinforcement obviously isn't the intended message. On the other hand, "You're special, and don't let those bullies destroy that" would be a great message to convince your listeners of, but unfortunately it's not in the actual song*. This is a song for healthy people who already agree with you. For that group, I think it's very effective as a protest in that it would move those healthy people (especially those who have overcome abuse) into offering help that they might not otherwise, but it's not something that I would recommend be played for someone who is actually suffering from abuse at the present time.

* I know it's possible to have a healthy discussion about whether being on the recording makes it technically part of the song or not, but in my mind, stepping away from the piano and dropping character signals the end of the song, and the beginning of a serious talk that's not part of the song.

MC Ohm-i - If You Were Gay

I'm going to sound like the world's biggest curmudgeon here, which is really sad, because I really, really like MC Ohm-i's stuff. His first stab at gay marriage didn't get me because it had no emotion. This is more of that. Ohm-i is definitely focused on that "convince your listeners" bit, but he's going about it like that annoying guy on the bus who keeps quoting facts and figures at you who you'd really like to steer into a discussion about baseball or sneakers or what kind of onion is best on hot dogs but you can't because you can't get a word in edgewise and why did you have to miss that earlier bus and OH MY GOD you've eighteen more blocks to go and is it possible to cut yourself with a ballpoint pen?  OK, I'm exaggerating. My point is that I think this subject goes over a lot better with a first person perspective and a little heart. Between that and the audible "seams" in the sample, I'm left wishing I could justify placing this higher. 

(Just an observation: there were a boatload of "gay marriage" songs in the last two rounds. We might have done one ourselves in Round 3 if we hadn't already done the topic, and as a protest song, too. I think I may go ahead and produce it better now.)

And that's all the songs. Yup. Every blessed one.

UPDATE: Someone has pointed out to me that there were shadows this round. OK, many people have pointed that out. And they noticed that there were no reviews of those shadows here. In my defense, I've already posted reviews of every blessed song, which is all I promised. That said here are...

THE SHADOWS!   (bum bum BUUUMMMMM!)

Again, a reminder... we were tasked to do another protest song, using the same topic as last time. Since the BYD gave us an anti-PC rant and one against Big Software, that's the target. I think I know what's going to happen here...

Boffo Yux Dudes - Wireless Head (SHADOW)
I immediately like the rhythm and the instrumentation. I also like the song a lot... easily my second favorite BYD song ever (after "FOOT!"). It doesn't meet this challenge, though.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Tear it Down, Build It Up Again (SHADOW)
Err... uhm.... I'm going to argue that this meets the challenge, because it expresses the same sentiment as "Eliminate the upper class / Along with the lower and middle" from Eat the Whales. There. I said it.

Cherry Pi (w/ Boffo Yux Dudes) - Octo Pi (SHADOW)
Err... uhm.... See, it's like this... "Occupy SpinTunes" -> "Occupy" -> "Ocu Pie" -> "Ocu Pi" ("Pi" from "Cherry Pi") -> "Octopus Pie" -> "Octo Pi". That's a long way to go for a misspelled pun, but it's not a protest and doesn't meet the challenge. But it does have Cherry Pi in it, which is something.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Operating System (SHADOW)
HEY! How did THIS get in here?!? It clearly meets the challenge, taking up the same lament as "The Ballad of the Last of the Hackers" from Round 3. I don't know how to handle that.

SpinTunes Round 3 Results and Round 4 Challenge

We were eliminated in round 3. We did do a fair bit better than I expected, coming in at 6th place in a field of 12 competitors.

Here's the challenge for the remaining competitors:

Mulligan - Write a protest song about the same topic you picked in round 3. (2 minute minimum) (your submission is due March 10th 11:59PM)

 I must admit partial culpability for this, as it's based on a challenge idea called "do-over" that I submitted. The intent of that was to present the same challenge exactly as it was presented before. If they had done that simple, simple thing then they would have gotten four new, interesting songs about other topics that these competitors also feel strongly about. We'd get new angles, new perspectives, new ideas from the same prompt.

But nooooooo... once again they have to open a six-pack of Derp Cola and pass it around before dicking with an already simple, clearly worded challenge to its overwhelming detriment. So now the judges insist that the same old ideas be re-hashed. The result... well, the result remains to be seen, but here's what it looks like from here:

• Edric Haleen gets to write another protest against bullying.
• MC Ohm-i gets to write another protest against the prohibition against gay marriage.
• RC gets to write another protest about the inequality of educational opportunity.
• Ross Durand gets to write another war protest.

A lot depends on an email sent last round. Spin asked us for a short explanation of our round 3 song. Now we know why. Dr. Lindyke would have been fine this round, as we explained that our official entry, "The Square" was a protest against political complacency, not Communism or oppression in China. On Facebook I said, "Plan A is, frankly, more exciting intellectually, but it's a complicated thought that we're struggling to illustrate." Were we competing in this round, I'd be thanking William for going with that "complicated thought". We could do a dozen songs on that topic and never mention Tiananmen Square again. We'd just paint another illustration.

Somehow I don't think these four guys were so oblique in their explanations. Of the Final Four, I'd surmise that Edric is in the tightest spot. He not only picked a very clearly defined topic, but he hit on every permutation of it in one song. Finding a new angle is going to be tough. RC's song had a very narrow focus as well... but as I stated in my review, I think it could have been more subtle, and this is a chance for him to come up with some lyrics that match the artistry of his music. Ross Durand went with the most oft-used protest topic, and I'm fairly sure he simply describes it as a "war protest", so while another angle as artistic as this last one will be difficult, it should be do-able... he's got plenty of source material.

There are a huge number of ways to illustrate the gay marriage arguments, and a fair number of them are likely to be more compelling than reciting statistics. So, if I had to handicap this race, I'd say MC Ohm-i has the early advantage in terms of opportunity. I've been listening to some of his other stuff, and he has range. I complained about lack of emotion in the last round, so I should explain this: an artist doesn't have to emote... he has to make us emote. It just takes the right words.

Handicapping aside, it's a new round, but for the first time ever all slates are NOT wiped clean. Topics having been assigned, it's anybody's round.

Fortuna vobiscum.

SpinTunes 6 Round 3 Reviews

Wow... tough round! I'm glad the judges are doing the judging. I'm going to give you opinions anyway.

First, the songs:


And, so there's no guesswork about it, here are my picks for "The Final Four" (in order of preference):

Ross Durand - Don't Send Them Away
Jenny Katz - Next Nice Town
Edric Haleen - On The Matter Of Bullying
The Middle Relievers - Love Builds Homes

Now the whys and wherefores (in album order):

TurboShandy - Guns 
Catchy and well-executed (can I say "executed" for this song??) but lacks subtlety.

Jenny Katz - Next Nice Town 
Witty, clever, and easy to listen to. It's a scathing rebuttal of First World insensitivity that has a bit of that Joni Mitchell "They Paved Paradise" vibe, and which suprised me with a little Hendrix homage. This is one of my picks for the final four.

RC - An Equal Start 
This has a great melody and sound. To my ears it's the best produced song of the round. Like TurboShandy's entry, I think the lyrics lack a little subtlety. 

Edric Haleen - On The Matter Of Bullying 
Edric starts this song in the "kiddie pool" and wades into progressively deeper waters. Not content to describe bullying, he punctuates his point with an assault-weapon barrage of words that will resonate with anyone who's been bullied. And once he posits that the adults will have a solution, he goes on to prove they don't. It's a great illustration that bullying reaches far beyond the playground. One of my picks for the final four.

Ross Durand - Don't Send Them Away
This is the quintenssential protest song format and subject. Ross bullseyed the challenge with this folksy military lament, and he makes it personal by adopting the voice of a wounded veteran. One of my picks for the final four, and my number one choice overall.

Steve Durand - Just War 
"Is it a just war / or is it just war?" I like the hook, I like the funk. As a war protest I don't think it carries the same kind of emotional impact as Ross' entry.
Steve has written a song bio.

Jerry Skids - The Separation Of State And Nothing
I was initially put off by the harsh vocals and the fact that it initially seems to be a bunch of aimless bitching, switching targets from verse to verse, finally resolving in the bridge into a protest against the Pledge of Allegiance. Then it hit me that the delivery (complete with explosive plosives) and the rambling seem to follow the pattern of a George Carlin-style monologue.  It became a lot more clever. Carlin had pretty much the same opinion of the Pledge.
Jerry has written a song bio.

“I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.” -- George Carlin

The Middle Relievers - Love Builds Homes
Instantly brain-catching song which makes it's point through illustrative storytelling, not bludgeoning. I wish the vocals were cleaner. It sounds like in a place or two the choice of note may have been up in the air. Nevertheless, one of my picks for the final four.

Brian Gray - Walk (Live From Woodbury)
Love the 9/4 time (which I mistook for 6/4 on first listen). It's clever, but as a protest song "about something you strongly believe", I think this Walking Dead tribute takes too many liberties with the challenge to hit the final four.
Brian has written a song bio. (I admit to not catching the hunger angle at all.)

Dr. Lindyke - The Square
Competent drums and piano this time, but given the dated material, weak vocals, and the strength of the other entries, I think it would be a travesty if this weren't our last round.
I've written a song bio.

MC Ohm-I - If You Don't Like Gay Marriage
I like everything I've heard from MC Ohm-I, and on this particular subject he's preaching to the choir. That said, this loses me a bit in the statistics. I think the Middle Relievers tackled this subject more convincingly, pulling both the intellectual and emotional strings. MC Ohm-I is missing the emotion.

Kevin Savino-Riker - Dinosaur Sam
This challenge was tailor-made for KSR's distinctive vocals. This has some really clever wordplay... and the West Coast funk is spot-on. I think it's edged out by my top-four pics, though.
Kevin has written a song bio.


SHADOWS 

"Buckethat" Bobby - Knock Off (Shadow)
The most polite protest song you will ever hear... a true Canadian protest. Stop fighting, eh? It's a shame it didn't make the deadline. I don't think it needs the bass.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - Eat The Whales (Shadow) 
I keep threatening to analyze the distinctive "BYD mode" of which this song is a prime example. I started to do that here, but it really deserves an essay, and maybe a government-funded study.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - The Ballad of the Last of the Hackers (Shadow) 
There will NEVER be a last hacker. ;)

Dr. Lindyke - Memory Of A Future Past (Shadow) 
This protests nuclear proliferation by means of a vision of the future. It's my first attempt at a live electric bass guitar, and I'm fairly happy with the way that turned out.
I've written a song bio.

Dr. Lindyke - It's A Joke, Not A Dick (Shadow)
The full title is "It's a Joke, Not a Dick (don't take it so hard)". Some people have suggested this should have been our official entry. Nah. This is a joke, and it's for a very limited audience of people who I hope have a sense of humor. Making it official would have ruined it as a joke and made it an insult.
I've written a song bio.

The Square

When I (Dave) first saw the lyrics, I said, "William, Tiananmen Square happened in 1989!" He said, "Yeah, but it's been bugging me." As this song is written in response to the Spintunes 6, Round 3 challenge, it's supposed to be about something you feel strongly about. I'd say 24 years of simmering qualifies.

A painting of the infamous "Tank Man"

The incident struck a chord with us, as it did with most Americans, touched by the spirit of the Chinese students who stood up for their Liberty. Like our own Founding Fathers, they made a difficult choice to seek Liberty over their security. In an oppressive society you can accept the security of state control or you can fight for individual freedom; you cannot have both.

We're not telling you in this song what you should choose, though I think our own bias is pretty clear. This isn't a cop-out... it's part of the message we're sending. This is a protest against political complacency. We're sick to death of people telling you what you want. The people of this world demand societies that are both free and socialist, to various degrees. To us, what's more important than whether you choose either individual liberty or security is that you make the choice. Don't let someone do it for you. And once you've made your choice, stand up and defend it. Be the Tank Man.

Notes on the music continue after the lyrics.

 
THE SQUARE

We are the children
Of Tiananmen square
So little and so much has changed
Since our comrades died down there

We thought we could cure the world
Of a desperate disease
We'd find a way to make it work
Not just for freedom, but for peace

Peace or Freedom
The choice is up to you
Fear itself often frightens me, too
But every battle needs survivors
There are some things you should fight for
And with courage and with will
We can fight for them still!

We marched a million strong
To parade upon the Square
We were sticks and stones against the storm
We had nothing to compare

Our signs and banners
They never stopped a thing
But though the cause seems lost right now
We will return again in the Spring
More than a billion strong!

Peace or Freedom
The choice is up to you
Fear itself often frightens me, too
But every battle needs survivors
There are some you should fight for
And with the courage and with will
We can fight for them still!

--==//==--

As for the style of the song... in the first place, I'm not Chinese, and I don't know enough about the culture to make intelligent musical decisions; so no, I wasn't about to try for some Oriental song stylings here. It would wind up sounding like "Hong Kong Fooey".

In the second place, the event was one in which the students involved were trying very much to adopt Western-style democracy (up to and including displaying a statue of the "Goddess of Democracy", so very similar to the Statue of Liberty that graces New York's harbor). A Western-style song seemed to me to be in order. I started with a 12/8 time signature, reminiscent of the old Perry Mason theme song, which reminds me not only of Justice, but of the L.A. Chinatown near which the fictional lawyer practiced his profession. The distinct "nightclub" feel allows for the dynamic range pretty much demanded by the chorus.

I tried delivering the vocals in various ways, but always wound up belting out that last chorus when it got to the "every battle needs survivors" line. Though my voice is not ideal  for this, I finally just gave up and went with it.

A few lyrical notes... 

I agonized more over the use of the word "comrade" than anything else in this song. Originally, William wrote "fathers", and that gave us the problem where we switch perspective after the first verse. Unacceptable. After a couple of attempts to re-write the verse, I decided on "comrade", even though it could be considered to be uncharacteristic embracing of the principles these student demonstrators were rejecting. I used it for two reasons: 1. it's the best word for the job; despite the leftist connotation. These are friends, compatriots, comrades. 2. used in the modern day context, it's ironic. Yes, they attempted to embrace Democracy, but they lost. Today you can't even do a web search for "Tiananmen Square" in mainland China without shutting down your Internet connection. So in referring to the fallen, they do so from within the confines of the yoke they are forced to wear.

"Fear itself often frightens me too" harks back to FDR's statement, which in context was this: "So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

When the Chinese students determined that they'd make it work "Not just for freedom, but for peace" their cause was doomed. American independence worked because we fought for it. Indian independence was won because they persevered. But the fact that these students stood up, even for a short time, is something to be admired. They have the spark. They need the flame. They needed to persevere, rejecting their fear of the tanks and the guns.

The only way for that to happen is to keep the spark alive, and try again when the season is right. Hence, "we'll return again in the Spring", invoking the memory of the recent "Arab Spring". And of course the actual date and time of that "Spring" is irrelevant. That verse is about Hope, and hope springs eternal.

Taken together, these verses are not about inciting people to a new protest, but encouraging a protest that is already underway.

Memory of a Future Past

This is a protest song against nuclear proliferation. As children of the Cold War starting school in the 1960s, we remember a time when "Duck and Cover" wasn't funny.

These days, the Cold War is over, but is the world safer? Instead of known enemies who fear us as we fear them, we have unknown enemies who may strike at any time, and are motivated by a fanaticism that leaves no room for fear. At the very least it should give you pause.

This song doesn't attempt to persuade you intellectually, but emotionally, by painting a picture of disaster from the point of view of a person in the future, remembering it. (much as the Dwarves sing retrospectively about the coming of Smaug in The Hobbit.) In this case, that "memory" is a vision of the future. I know, it's a little complicated. Thinking about it is optional.

 
MEMORY OF A FUTURE PAST

I saw the city's silhouette
From a distant blinding light
Through the trees and clouds
The flash was seen
For miles throughout the night.

And the snow was almost blinding
With the water still as glass
Reflecting bursts of fire
The smoke was sent on higher
It happened all too fast.

The beauty soon was gone
As the shock waves finally came
The men began to run
From the fury freed from a captive sun
Soon followed by the rain.

The birds refused to sing at all
The streets were filled with death
Survivors soon were late
The earth had passed away
While no one had been blessed.

It had only taken moments
To fill the skies with pain
But now all Time has gone
And life has done the same

Then I awoke to realize
The visions I have seen
Beheld by older eyes
Are memories of how things will have been
For no one escapes disaster
Not the victims, not the master
What's the use, there's no excuse
When the rain has quit can you live?

--==//==--

On a technical note, this is (to the best of my recollection) the first time I've ever tried to play live acoustic bass on a song. My other bass tracks have either been electric piano, sequenced MIDI, or poorly played acoustic guitar. I'm actually pretty happy with the results, despite a little fret buzz... I'm still learning that this thing takes a very light touch.

I felt it needed the "bottom", and once it was in there, I proved myself right. With the acoustic, it gives the song a little "spaghetti Western" feel that invokes a picture of the quiet wasteland I imagine for this story.