Unexpected

Unexpected

Written and Recorded 2014

This one was a challenge. For some reason I really wanted to write a song for a friend's wedding and this is what I came up with. I tried to bring in a few things from their story, but I didn't pull it off and we didn't perform it. In the end the groom felt the word "Unexpected" conveyed more of a Dexter "I'm going to put you on my table" vibe than a "surprise you're in love!" vibe. Whoops!

• Love songs have never been my strong suit, so I'm not quite sure why I felt like I could here. I guess I'm more of a journey/story guy. It is really important to acknowledge one's strengths and weaknesses.
• Sparse instrumentation is something I really enjoy experimenting with. That's probably my favorite part of this song, what I'm able to accomplish with a 6-string guitar, a simple mandolin part, and a single voice. It is straight forward and clean. 
• Maybe this song would work for someone else, but it doesn't work for me. I think I tried a little too hard on this one.

Gunslinger

Gunslinger
Written and Recorded 2011

This one was written in the first few weeks of being back in the Milwaukee area after 4 years in Whitewater and 2 years in Baraboo. Why I wrote a tune that sounds like I'm in Arizona? I don't know. But I have always loved that signature, western twang that a guitar can deliver. I tried to keep with my same "Crantson" rules, by having two guitars, bass, two midi keyboard instruments, but I decided to add in a wee bit of harmonica and maraca.

• This isn't my best song, but it's one of my sleeper favorites. There's something about the B section that keeps me engaged. 
• It's a simple A B form, but I tried to play with building and layers. That's a tool that I have always appreciated and love working with. I could have done more though.
• The image that I see in the beginning is the lone gunslinger, dressed entirely in black, entering a dusty old town, ready to go!...I'm a sucker for the Old West...
• The harmonica and maraca are really there for texture. I really felt that they added that little bit of organic, real instrument to give some authenticity to the track.
• It's no coincidence that this was one of the last of these instrumental tracks that I've created and that it broke my rules. At the same time that this track was created, I was starting to discover how much I craved real instruments. When recording in Baraboo, I basically rejected anything acoustic and worked with a lot of MIDI, effects, and keyboards. Acoustic instruments were missing in my life and I've come back to them in a big way. But I wouldn't have appreciated it without that time to explore. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Poison Ivy's Kiss

Poison Ivy's Kiss
Written and Recorded 2004

I often forget about this song, though I played it in two bands over the years. It was written in high school  and performed by The Manacles and then revived in college for The King's Gentlemen. It's not a bad song overall, just a rock tune. At the time I was really, really into Queens of the Stone Age. Most of the people in my circle of friends worshipped them, so I did too. This song is me trying to do my best version of QOTSA/ Eagles of Death Metal. Eagles of Death Metal are a side project for essentially the same people as QOTSA but more simple and definitely not death metal.

• This is probably my only song that uses a glass slide, and only for one chord at that. I never could quite get the technique of those things.
• I try way too hard with these vocals to be a rocker and the lyrics are pure fluff, no substance to them at all.
• MORE COWBELL
• The opening progression is your simple four chord progression of   Em  G  C   B7. Then for some reason I use an augmented F chord as a pivot to the chorus in Bbm...I didn't have any grasp of music theory at the time and I'm sure I just wanted it to sound cool, but it sure is weird. It works pretty well to break up the song.
• It's funny to think about those progressions working in the same song. Nowadays, I would never dream of doing that sort of key change mid song. But I think that's the price you pay for knowing the rules of harmony. Back in high school, I didn't know I was breaking rules, I just did things. Since I learned all that music theory, I still break rules, build up expectations and break them, but not like this. 
• This is probably my finest drum set performance (the cowbell is overdubbed...I wasn't good enough!)
• "La da da da da do dee day day." *face palm* These lyrics loosely translate to, "I can't think of another rhyme and this sounds good enough." The lowest of the lows...

The Smoke

The Smoke
Written and Recorded 2012

I remember writing this song very vividly. I was in the early stages of working at Melk and had a few late shifts every week. One morning I woke up and felt like garbage/super groggy, but not really sick. So I stayed awake in bed for an extra hour or so. It took a while, but I got my butt out of bed and grabbed my guitar...then went back to the bed. I started noodling around and quickly came up with the opening chord progression. My voice all gravely and low, I began humming along a melody. The chord progression continued to develop and I started forming words. It's a pretty long chord progression/verse and I liked the way it sounded so much that I decided it didn't need a chorus or any other parts, just repeating the same thing over and over again, but growing with intensity. I recorded a quick demo and went off to work.

• I'm not totally sure where the lyrics come from or what "the smoke" actually refers too. I suppose it's a song about feeling guilty about letting things happen. It's a slow realization that feels worse and worse.
• When the harmonies clicked, this song sounded really great. But overall this was a hard song to pull together as a band. Of the North tried performing this one many times in varied instrumentation, but I don't think the song ever felt totally right.
• The tempo change was a huge problem, especially on the demo. The problem I ran into when I put down the acoustic guitar track is that I'm finger picking in the first half, then would switch to a real pick on the tempo change. I just never got it right (read: didn't practice) and decided to move on...a costly mistake.
• I still think I could come back to this one some day and freshen it up. I like a lot of things about it, but there are a lot of things that need fixing and adjustment. 

Kick in the Pants

Kick in the Pants
Written and Recorded 2009

Back to Baraboo! This song is the predecessor of many more instrumental tracks written during this time period. I think a large part of me wished that I had written this while still in school, then it could have been adapted and performed. My compositional style at the time was still very cinematic in nature. It's kind of a long piece, but I tried to keep it as interesting as possible. The title comes from the simple fact that I was trying to give myself a kick in the pants to get creative and write something.

• The chord progression in the A section is simply Dm, F, Am, outlining the notes of the Dm triad...I thought I was pretty damn clever for that one.
• The B section is almost like a chorus. It's got a more solid melodic line going on that breaks up the atmospheric and building A section. It also has a little call and response action going on.
• I like that I made each B section different in terms of instrumentation and dynamic level. You don't get to a full instrumentation till the end, which gives it a bit more weight.
• Some of the A sections go on too long, but I was trying not to be too restricted by "pop" sensibilities, i.e. 4 bars of each progression.
• The rumbling alien noise is weird. I'm not sure why I really put it in there. 
• I have always loved the sound of the lower notes on a piano when played really freaking hard. There is great power that my MIDI piano replicates pretty well. I use it the octave, bass register hits extensively in the A section.
• I wish I could have come up with another melodic idea to make push it beyond the simple ABABAB. I think it could have elevated the piece a little bit.