Groovy Sympathy/ GS Remix

Groovy Sympathy
Written and Recorded 2006
GS Remix
Arranged and Recorded 2008

When I was in college, it took me an extremely long time to finish any song. Even when I thought something was finished I would go back, take it apart, and start over. These two recordings are an example of that. I'm not sure why my songwriting changed so much during this time, but I believe it had something to do with the amount of musical knowledge I was being exposed to and the changes that I was going through throughout college. I probably wrote 8-10 complete songs during my 4 years at UW-Whitewater.

The first version of the song is my original demo I created with no band in mind. It was mostly recorded in my dorm room and my first off-campus apartment. A year or so after it was written, I tried adapting it for a band I started called The King's Gentlemen. The band played two gigs, each a year apart and with almost completely different band members. "Groovy Sympathy" was performed as you hear it on the first gig (or pretty close anyways).

The second version of the song was adapted and arranged for a smaller, more rock oriented version of The King's Gentlemen. This recording was part of a 4-song EP for a recording class and features the talents of my then bass player, Dan Hennig, and drummer, Trevor Saint. Our lead guitarist was added for the second and final gig where this song was performed, but isn't on the recording.

• The first version started with piano and guitar, then grew from there. The synths you hear are from my mom and dad's old synthesizer, I think it is called a Six-Track. I was a little production happy in those days. Drums and bass came from my keyboard, though I'm not sure why I didn't record the bass myself.
• Overall, I think the verse and chorus melodies and chords work together to create a well-crafted song (for both versions.) The chords are pretty simple, but the melody kind of roams, but in the same way on the verse and chorus.
• While the first version will always have fond memories attached, the second version is one that I am more proud of. I think we really transformed the song into something that stands out a little bit more.
• At the time of the second recording, I was going through some vocal identity problems. About 6-8 months before these recordings, an ex-girlfriend was not particularly kind in her assessment of my work, in particular my voice and mispronunciation of words. It shattered my confidence. Despite breaking up and moving on, that vocal confidence wouldn't return for a few years. As a result, I worked extremely hard to sing as accurately as possible, and then hiding my voice with some new effects.
• The lyrics of this song are somewhat disjointed. I know most verses were written in a notebook much earlier than the song itself, then adapted. The chorus was originally inspired by a conversation that I'd had with the aforementioned ex-girlfriend at the start of our friendship. We were talking a little bit about faith/church. I wish I could remember the exact comment she made, but it was something about how one person questioned if what she'd been taught was right, and that of changed her entire outlook on it. I thought it was a powerful image and wanted to convey that through this song.

Say

Say
Written and Recorded 2012

"Say" is a song that came a bit later in Of the North's time together. This song was very temperamental in performances, especially with tempo. A lot of these songs feel a bit incomplete, like they're just missing that extra step to go from pretty good to great. "Say" is one of my favorites from this batch of songs, but there's always been something not quite right about it. Reflecting on it now, I think that something that inhibited the full growth of these songs was jumping too quickly into a fixed instrumentation. In this song, the bass becomes the absolute backbone, but if you're missing the lead guitar line, it is also incomplete. Those were crutches to lean on at the time of inception, rather than crafting a song that can work in any instrumentation.  I've uploaded another demo version of the song that was given to the band.

• I've always loved the twang of a clean guitar with a little bit of delay on it. That was largely the inspiration for this song.
• I remember getting more into the Steep Canyon Rangers around this time. I think I tried to emulate their modern bluegrass stylings in this song, especially in my vocal delivery of the verses. My dad once said of the singer of the Rangers, that "he never sings the same line the same." What Dad meant was that the singer let the words dictate his inflection.
• Three part harmony is a really cool effect when done well. Even the most passive listener's ears will perk at the sound. With this song, I wanted to give the relatively forgettable chorus melody more weight by adding the other voices.
• These verses were very difficult for me to memorize. It wasn't necessarily that I didn't know the words, but if I swapped the order of the lyrics I was toast. So I had tried memorizing the first letter of each line, and luckily they are in alphabetical order: Deep inside, Lost and lonely, People see you, Take a moment. As a result of this problem, I've completely forgotten where these lyrics came from. They have become like flash cards.
• I really like the bridge build-up on this song. The chorus is surprisingly catchy, which I definitely attribute to the harmony and placement within the song. I usually don't lead off with choruses, but I'm glad I did here.

Grasping Reality

Grasping Reality
Written and Recorded 2009

"Grasping Reality" is one of my short songs that I wrote while Kristen and I lived in Baraboo. These were never intended to be full songs, so I had dubbed them, "songettes." Seldom more than one or two parts, I see these now as more of a creative exercise, exploring melodic material that didn't fit into a mold. Most were recorded in an hour or less, but I remember this one going particularly quick. I've only shared these with a handful of people over the years, but am excited to share this part of my past.

• "Grasping Reality," as you can tell by the title, was born out of a relatively dark place. As I mentioned before, I had a difficult time adjusting to life after college. I didn't know if my talents were relevant, if my skills would ever transfer to something practical, or how I could use my creative abilities to do anything of consequence. At some point, I started to grasp the reality of my situation and started being present. 
• The first section's melody warms my heart. It was a great comfort to me at the time, perhaps telling me that, "it's ok." It has an air of hope to it.
• The second section has two lines, almost like two paths. You can choose to continue listening to the same instrument or hear the new part coming in. But they also work together.
• I had a lot of fun playing with MIDI percussion. I will always have a strong affinity for playing hand percussion and the sounds that were available in Garageband/Logic helped bring that to life in our apartment.

Give Them More

Give Them More
Written and Recorded 2002/2003

And now for something completely different. Jumping back over a decade of songwriting and experiences to high school Nathan. "Give Them More" is another song recorded on my 4-Track that I was very proud of at the time. It was the second track on the "I Say, 'Go'" album. I think this song's purpose was to call for social justice/rebellion...not sure why. Nevertheless, here's another from the start of the catalog.

• First word that pops into my head is "BUSY." There is so much going on right out of the gates. The lead riff/power chords are all over the place, the lead guitar line is moving about like drunk bumble bee. The "More is Better" mentality shows itself again.
• The intro/interlude and verse chord progression is the same here, but the verse is muted. I can't really say palm muted because I couldn't do it correctly at the time. I mostly put my pinky over the strings behind the chord. But muting the chords and using them for multiple sections was a songwriting technique I learned from Alice in Chains. They use palm muting in such great and interesting ways to accentuate dynamics.
• I definitely used power chords as a riff, trying to mimic other grunge bands like Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden.
• The bridge material is still interesting and grabs my ear. I remember the first part spawning from a mistake that I just went with. I missed a chord and stayed on it. The second part with no drums is a nice breakdown midway through a very loud and busy song. There is a lot of energy there that maybe should have gone straight to a chorus. 
• Despite not having room for a bass, the rhythm guitar is quite bassy. Most of the effects used on these early songs come from a BOSS bass multi-effects pedal. It definitely helped with that aspect of early recording.
• Lyrics here are not too bad. Though with everything else going on, I'm not sure how much they matter. 

End of the Day

End of the Day
Written and Recorded 2014

"End of the Day" is one of the most recent songs I've written for the current band that I'm in called Whiskey Doubles. This recording is a demo that I gave to the rest of the band to work up their own parts. Originally, it was just me and the guitar, but then I thought it'd be awesome to have some clarinet on the track. So I wrote up a nice, melodic part for my wonderful wife, Kristen. She is also in Whiskey Doubles, singing, playing clarinet, baritone ukulele, and harmonium. In a few weeks, Whiskey Doubles will be getting together to record a new EP that will also feature this song. Kent will be playing cello and Ellie some nice harmonica and foot tambourine. But in the meantime, enjoy this earlier version of the song.

• This song was a very natural outpouring of what I was feeling at the time. Written in early August, frustration with my job had been growing for quite some time and I finally decided to start looking for something better. A month later, I quit and started my new job. I think writing this song helped me realize how unhappy I really was.
• After I had written a verse or two, I really wanted to put a powerful, angry chorus in there, telling off my boss and giving him the proverbial finger. But that's not me and it wasn't going to sound natural. So I landed on something a little closer to what I would actually do, leading with, "Respectfully, sir."
• I've been a huge fan of traditional Irish music for many years now. Last December, Kristen and I took our honeymoon to Ireland and got to hear some real Irish musicians in the pubs of Dublin. I came back with a renewed love and admiration for those songs. Though never a truly conscious effort, some of the language of that music has worked it's way into mine. 
• There are three parts to this song: the interlude, verse, and chorus. The interlude and verses are very simple, leaving a lot of room for the story to be told and melody to move around.
• I love the clarinet part. Though very simple, I find it very beautiful and it compliments the vocals nicely.
• The decision to only have the interlude's chords repeat three times was very intentional. I've written songs in the past where the interlude is simply too long and starts to feel like filler material. I didn't want that to happen here, and knowing that the last line of the chorus would really be the first of the three, that only left two more before jumping back in to the verse. In fact, I skip it all together after the first verse into the instrumental chorus. Though three times through anything in music doesn't usually feel natural, I think the listener would never notice (unless told) and it helps move the song along.