Our Opening Hymn

Our Opening Hymn
Written and Recorded 2010

My mom and dad have this rather Moog-esque synthesizer called a Six-Trak. I know nothing about it other than I can make some cool sounds with it. There were a few weeks in Baraboo where I decided I was going to really lean on this thing to make some music. I had also started a project with one of my brother's friends in D.C. named Aaron DeNu. He is an extremely gifted guy who has some great photography skills. I saw his photographs online and approached him about the possibility of me putting some music to them, also in the Songette style that I had been using. Some of the photos that I put music to were landscapes, architecture, etc. This Songette was written for a picture of an old, old church. I wish I could find the picture to share with you.

• Melodically I tried to make this as much like an older style hymn as possible. I feel like I achieved that through a slow, simple line that a congregation would be able to follow and a basic accompaniment that an organist in northern Wisconsin could handle.
• I dressed it up a bit with the moving Moogish lines and few other things. It gives it a more modern and quirky vibe.
• A lot of inspiration for this comes not only from the photo, but from a childhood surrounded by church music. I learned a lot throughout those years. This is just one small example of that.

That Was Me

That Was Me
Written and Recorded 2006

I have very clear memories of writing this song. "That Was Me" is one of the few songs I wrote following a break-up, this one after my freshman year of college. But unlike most break-up songs, this has nothing to do with pining for a lost love, but was a reflective piece on how I acted during that relationship.

However, the chord progression started as an effort to write a song for a ska band...that's right, a ska band in 2006 called Odd End Out. I had classes with some of the members and was admittedly a little envious of other people having a functional band in college. I was asked to sub for them on guitar on a gig, but it ended up being cancelled. When I got home that summer, I wanted to write a song for them to play. I guess it was going to be my way of living vicariously through them. Because of the lyrics that I wrote for the song, I never presented it to them and it stayed in my computer. Try to picture the rhythm guitar playing quick off-beats and a faster tempo for the ska version that was never to be.

• This is one of my stronger "pop" tunes. It's straight forward enough and the content is accessible. It would have fit great in my non-hard rock band in high school.
• Again, I tend to take pride in my bass lines, this one particularly on the chorus. It's sort of a Paul McCartney-ish "trick" I use by just going up the arpeggio. I also do a quick riff every once in a while in the verses.
• The chorus is repeated each time, but changes from the tonic (I) to the submediant (vi) on the first chord of the phrase the second time around. It' a pretty simple way of extending the chorus and giving the second time through a little more weight emotionally with that minor chord. I'm sure I learned that in a Beatles song somewhere along the way.
• I did try and get a band together to perform this and a few other songs at the start of my sophomore year. We were going to be the Skeleton Blues, but with only one other member and not enough motivation, it quickly fizzled out. We did practice this song with prerecorded bass, drums, and organ on my keyboard while I played guitar and he played trombone. The trombone part was in place of the guitar interlude line. It worked surprisingly well.
• The melody of the verse moves along nicely. Each line has a separate set of notes that build on each other and resolve before the chorus. I wouldn't say it's catchy, but it functions in a way that sets up the hook of the chorus.
• I shared this song with my parents that summer. The one thing I remember my mom saying is, "I wish I had you as a cantor at church!" I took it as a huge compliment (my parents are both church musicians), but this recording is pretty pitchy on the verses. Still had quite a bit of learning to do there.

Fire or Pearl

Fire or Pearl
Written and Recorded 2012

Written almost exactly 3 years ago, "Fire or Pearl" was one of my more ambitious songs. Of the North would go on to play this song for the duration of the band. At the time, I had picked up a book of old Wisconsin folk tunes and was inspired to write one of my own. This song comes from the original Wisconsin Badgers. In the early 1800s, the lead miners who settled here would also dig out tunnels to live in during the harsh winter months. So I made up a little story of my own about a man hoping for a better future for his son, then heading off to the mines. The chorus continues with how the miners embraced the dangerous nature of their job. This is an early demo I gave to my bandmates.

• The song has two different tempos and time signatures. I can't say what originally inspired this, but I felt that the first part of the story should be more exposed and delicate. It is a neat effect when done correctly, but it also makes for 5 minute song.
• The "Ooos" that follow the chorus are the highlight of this song for me. The harmonies are really nice over one of my favorite chord progessions. I always remember audiences looking up and smiling a bit more when we hit that part of the song.
• Overall, I think the song is a bit too long. That comes from the slower intro, a long chorus, a post-chorus section, solo, AND recap of the first verse AND a double chorus at the end. When Kent came on board, he did a lot more with solo section on cello that helped keep it interesting.
• Because I had a clear vision of what the song should be (i.e. Wisconsin folk tune about miners) I probably forced some of the lyrics to work. The chorus is a nice idea to jam those words in, but it's almost too much. Though it was easier to walk into the setting of the song because of the story I was telling. That's always been key for me, especially in terms of remember lyrics!
• This is one of my favorite bass lines. It keeps moving on the chorus and drives the song along. I know it's pretty simple, but it works quite well with the progression.
• The song just didn't come out cleanly. I usually work well within parameters or instrumentation restrictions, but as I've said before, lyrics don't work so well when I box myself in. I think it was a good effort at something new, but still a bit forced. 
• Fun fact: In the early days of Of the North I would play banjo on this song. It was always ridiculously difficult to sing and play, but that was another nice element.

PJ Max

PJ Max
Written and Recorded 2010

Being lost can have unexpected results. There were times while we were in Baraboo where I would force myself to be creative, go to the computer and make something. I remember sifting through hundreds of MIDI sounds through Logic and making these kind of grooves. I don't really know where this music fits, but I enjoy this song immensely.

• The title refers to the fact that I was wearing my pajamas when I made it. 
• There is more percussion here than anything else. I loved layering those parts to create an organic kind of soundscape for the listener. Being so synth heavy, I think it adds a nice contrast.
• I highly recommend listening on speakers with a sub or headphones. The bass synth that I use is pretty sweet and rumbly. I tried to make this as interesting to listen to as possible. Bass lines have always had a little more weight in my music, but this one especially works as both a bass line and a countermelody.
• Aside from the bass synth, there are really only two other melodic instrument tracks at work. There is the arpeggiating keyboard and the melody piano. The mix between these instrument creates a surprisingly full sound.
• Structure is still loosely based on pop/rock. Being that the track is only 2:26, only one verse is added, but we're still starting with an intro, into the A/chorus section, B/verse, section, break, then some final A/chorus sections with the outro. I think the song would be harder to listen to if the B/verse section came back again. The track isn't that infectious to get away with making it another minute longer. This kind of music doesn't really call for that kind of repetition. I think it was more important to have some variety in there, but the A section is really what we're here for.
• Funny enough, the B section is the same chord progression as the A.
• The break is almost uncomfortably long (4 measures!!!) I believe my thought process at the time was to build the song so that you think you know exactly what's coming next. That extra time breaks the expectation.
• I find it hilarious that all of these things were done for a non-existent audience. I think I only shared this one with Kristen and maybe a friend in Baraboo. Oh well! I hope you all enjoy this little departure.

Ricochet

Ricochet
Written and Recorded 2007

I don't think I have ever shared this song. It's definitely one of my more interesting ones, but it does have its moments. This was written on one of the first nights I'd spent in my first apartment after my sophomore year of college. I remember it all happening very quickly and excitedly, laying down track after track. The original files of this are lost, but I'm guessing there are well over 12 tracks on here. There was never any band in mind while this song was written. I see it now as more of a creative exercise...and I had nothing better to do.

• I thought I was pretty slick by having the piano play the lowest notes and the bass harmonizing it. It's hardly amazing, but I do enjoy the punchiness of the bass register of the piano in conjunction with the higher notes of the electric bass.
• This is one of the only songs from this time period that doesn't have a guitar. Because of the music theory, aural training, and piano classes I'd taken, I was far more comfortable on piano than ever before. There are a few clunkers in there, but I enjoy the various levels of keyboard on this track.
• "Ricochet" is one of two songs that I've written that feature what I call "Mike Patton Vocals." Patton was (is?) the lead singer of a band called Faith No More, along with numerous other projects. He is a ridiculously talented singer who has been called a man of 1000 voices. One of them being the kind of speaking in a lower register that I use on the verses. This is my least favorite part of the song. 
• The melody on the chorus would swim in my head for days after writing it. Even now it is one of my favorite choruses. This also is one of the first songs to have non-verbal chorus (ooos and ahhs)...more to come.
• Because of the weird pivot chord that I use between the chorus and verse, when the verse comes back to the chorus it always feels like I'm making a massive key change, each time going higher and higher. I think this is due to the extreme change in vocal register and the nature of the different progressions. Regardless, I love the effect.
• I was extremely focused on production at the time. The song needed to build, so I would add something new nearly every time a part of the song rolled around. Enter a countermelody here, an extra layer there...this thing is MASSIVE by the time you get to the end.