Recollection

Recollection
Written and Recorded 2004

Now presenting Nathan Honoré as BUSH!!! Yeah, I went through grunge phase (about 10 years too late.) This song was one of the two that I had written for my high school rock band. I mostly just played bass and did backing vocals with them. We were together for about 3 years and probably played a handful of gigs, but it was incredibly helpful in my development. My bass playing moved up by leaps and bounds, and I also learned how to play in a band, how my part fit, etc.

It's fun to look back now and see how badly I wanted to be Gavin Rossdale. And this song is pretty fun too, teen angst running rampant, calling people "fake." It should be noted that this recording is actually of that band, then known as Plow. We recorded in some guy's pseudo-studio in Port Washington in my senior year of high school. We felt pretty damn cool "heading to the studio."

• The opening riff is probably a blatant ripoff of something on "Sixteen Stone," and my performance of it is pretty messy. Even Zach's lead guitar part sounds like Bush.
• "Life ain't no gravy train." This line came about because of a book a idioms I found while working my summer job as a janitor at St. Matthias. Just another thing I was doing other than actually working.
• As a whole, this song flows pretty well. The structure is solid and keeps moving. Even the bridge builds into the final chorus in a powerful way.
• Many of the backing vocal parts were done at the suggestion of the "Engineer." He was really into the echo thing. But the double tracking on the lead vocals does add some weight to those lines. Though I was trying to emulate a metalcore band called Poison the Well. Here's a link to the specific song that has some nice vocal around 38 seconds...beware, the rest of this song is not for the weak of heart.
• Needless to say that I was trying really hard to be a lot different things. A great time for experimentation!

After One Night

After One Night
Written and Recorded 2012

Written in the same batch of songs as "Say," this song is one of the few that feature the mandolin. At this time in Of the North I was still trying to play as many instruments as possible. With that in mind, I created the interlude riff and then kept the part very simple while the verses were being sung. I thought that riff was super catchy at the time, but being only one measure long, it gets a bit old.

We really tried getting this song to work a few times. When Kent came in, he added more depth to it by doubling the riff on cello. Here's a video of the "core" members of Of the North performing the song at a great place in Riverwest called Art Bar. This was probably the best it ever went, but it never quite clicked for me, especially live.

• The video has a slightly altered structure, taking out an extra interlude section before the final verse and adding a few measures at the end of the verse. These things definitely helped and made the song tighter, but it didn't fix the problem I was having.
• I don't mind the verses. In fact I think the concept is really strong and evokes vivid images. But as they say in the Food Network world, the execution is just not there. The last line in particular, "can take the place of one," falls flat and doesn't punctuate those previous lines as it should.
• The "ahhs" over the main riff/interlude are also lackluster. But the part that I really dislike is the bridge. I was definitely trying to go a little too Mumford on it and it just doesn't work. It's really long, and really boring.
• All in all, I think there could still be hope for this song down the line. I think if I extended the main mandolin riff into more of a real fiddle tune/line, and made a few other cuts/changes, it could make another appearance in the future.

Striking Back

Striking Back
Written and Recorded 2010

This is another hidden gem that I thoroughly enjoy listening to. It's done in the same style as "Ticking Away," but it doesn't fit into the time theme. I remember recording some of these parts, especially the rhythm guitar that is nearly always doing a very high energy strumming pattern, and just losing myself in the music. It's super high energy and though the recording isn't perfect, it's a pretty joyful piece.

• The start of each verse/A section is a big question mark, the listener has no idea when the progression will actually change and the melody develop.  It goes on longer than our ears want it to, which I find really engaging. 
• I recorded these songs all in one complete take on each instrument. So whatever instrument goes first is the structural template for the entire song. When I did lay it down, whether it be the keyboard or the guitar usually, I usually had the different parts kind figured out in terms of progressions, but I would almost improvise the form. The number of verses/choruses, time between progressions, breaks in the song, etc were all done on the spot and never really planned out. I would go by instinct.
• There's a lot of power in the first chorus/B section. There are a few instruments that change their role in terms of rhythm, but the 8th notes continue throughout in one way or another. This gives the brief silence before the second chorus/B section even more weight, then doubling it before proceeding the very conclusive Post-chorus/C section progression. 
• The title of "Striking Back"is definitely me trying to take a little control in my life. At that time in Baraboo, I felt like I had no command over what my job would be. There's a lot of pent up energy in this piece that I find refreshing.

Voice Memo Delux w/ Bacon

Voice Memo
Written and Recorded 2007
Voice Memo Delux
Arranged and Recorded 2008
Voice Memo Delux w/ Bacon (King's Gentlemen)
Arranged and Recorded 2008

During the winter and spring breaks of my sophomore year of college, I went back home to 'Stallis and recorded a bunch of music with a former bandmate of mine named Zach Rieboldt. He is my brother's age and had his own apartment at the time. Zach was pretty excited because he just bought a nice studio interface and wanted to test it out. So we started with a cover and then just wrote a bunch of music. I would bring in a song and record most of the parts while he essentially produced and engineered, then we would switch and I would do the same for him. It was an extremely challenging, fun, and productive time. It spawned many songs that would later be reworked again in college.

The original Voice Memo was recorded at Zach's apartment and would go on to be reworked and reworked again for King's Gentlemen. It's pretty cool to listen to all three versions. This is a pretty clear illustration of what my process was like at the time. I'd write a song and record a full demo of it, then go back and do it again until I was happy. Part of me feels doing full demos was a waste of time, but the changes in instruments and settings definitely influenced the structure and feel of the song. I would rarely go back and change things like lyrics, chord progressions, or key signature.

• The title comes from the fact that the chord progression that you hear on the verses was originally recorded on the Voice Memo function of my old, orange, and doughnut shaped phone so I wouldn't forget it.
• The lyrics of this song were originally targeted towards my previously mentioned ex-girlfriend (then girlfriend.) I just didn't get it, we did not really click. Though it was written 4 or 5 months before we broke up, the chorus is basically saying, "Let's break up, I'm clearly not what you want, no hard feelings." 
• Yes, there is a reference to Duke Nukem in the second verse.
• By the time that King's Gentlemen was going to record this song for our EP, I had established new meaning for myself in the song. I was entering my final year at Whitewater and knew it was time to move on. Instead of being a pseudo-sappy break up song, it turned into a positive journey song.
• In the second/third versions, the final chord of the bridge/pre-chorus is extended and builds towards the final chorus. That makes a massive difference in getting to that final moment, otherwise it's very plain jane, but this gives it more weight.
• Again, drummer Trevor Saint really helped this track come alive. That drum fill in the beginning (complete with the "ah fuck") became a highlight for me. He was incredibly easy to play music with.
• It's funny how in the original recording the main guitar is clean on the intro/verses and it almost sounds a bit western in nature. But by the time you get to the KG version, it has lost all of that connection and just becomes a rock chord progression. Part of that is adding the connecting riff in there.
• I always enjoyed playing this song more than listening, but lining up these three versions is really fun.