The Widetrack Chronicles 26: Updates, New Developments and other Miscellaneous Goings-on
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In the effort to strike the right chord with our blog, I am going to try a bit different approach today and present various things here in the hope that you will find something interesting...
For starters, Zach and I have posted a new episode of Influences on Widetrack's YouTube channel... This week features the mighty Led Zeppelin... Zeppelin is one of my all-time favorite bands, so we had to make this one in two parts, as there is just far too much to talk about with this legendary juggernaut to limit it to the usual one episode...
(Part 1 of 2):
(Part 2 of 2):
When we started doing these, Zach asked me what we would talk about... I told him that the important things was to just start... If we just talked to the camera like we do when it's just the two of us talking about our favorite bands, then hopefully people would connect with our passion for music, and eventually we would find our groove...
Well, we're still finding our groove with these, but it's sure been nice to hear the words of encouragement from those of you who have been watching these... And by all means, if you have any suggestions, please let us know!
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In other news, we've been making steady progress on our new album...
Last Monday marked the mixing of track 6 (#7 if you count our recent remake of Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine) of 12 songs in all...
Halfway there!
So far, we couldn't be more pleased with the results...
Master engineer and all-around musical handyman, Andy Patalan, continues to blow our minds with his studio wizardry...
Can't wait to play this stuff for you guys!!!
The way we're approaching this final stage of making the album is a bit different from anything we've done before...
All the music is finished and recorded, except for Brian's lead guitar parts on the final 6 songs... And so, the four of us will be getting together to rehearse each of these, one at a time...
By focusing on one song per rehearsal, we're usually able to get Brian's parts together and ready to record (he works really fast!)...
This also has the added benefit of getting everyone extra tight and familiar with the music, which will make the live performances that much better once we get back out there...
Here's a clip of a song from last Sunday's rehearsal...
As you can see, we are having a blast!
On the reading front, here are a few quotes from some of the books I've been juggling... Some good stuff here that's really got my wheels turning as of late...
"It’s only when we view the world within the finite context of our emotions and ego that it looks less than perfect. You can instantly become happy and free by deciding to leave the world alone and concentrate instead on yourself. By strengthening yourself, you serve all humanity. Each of us is linked to one another."
-Stuart Wilde ('Life Was Never Meant to Be a Struggle')
"As we see, the priority stays with creatively changing the situation that causes us to suffer. But the superiority goes to the 'know-how to suffer', if need be."
-Viktor E.Frankl ('Man's Search for Meaning')
"Ceaseless change is an unreliable basis for lasting fulfillment. Realizing this, many people begin to wonder whether a deeper source of well-being exists. Is there a form of happiness beyond the mere repetition of pleasure and avoidance of pain? Is there a happiness that does not depend upon having one’s favorite foods available, or friends and loved ones within arm’s reach, or good books to read, or something to look forward to on the weekend? Is it possible to be happy before anything happens, before one’s desires are gratified, in spite of life’s difficulties, in the very midst of physical pain, old age, disease, and death?"
-Sam Harris.(Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion)
"I compounded the elements, watched them boil and smoke together in the glass, and when the ebullition had subsided, with a strong glow of courage, drank off the potion. The most racking pangs succeeded: a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death. Then these agonies began swiftly to subside, and I came to myself as if out of a great sickness. There was something strange in my sensations, something indescribably new and, from its very novelty, incredibly sweet. I felt younger, lighter, happier in body; within I was conscious of a heady recklessness, a current of disordered sensual images running like a millrace in my fancy, a solution of the bonds of obligation, an unknown but not an innocent freedom of the soul. I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil; and the thought, in that moment, braced and delighted me like wine."
-Robert Louis Stevenson ('The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde')
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In the movie department, I just gave Zach a screening of the film, Unbreakable, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, directed by M. Night Shyamalan... I remember seeing this one in the theater when it first came out, as I'd liked Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense... I didn't much care for this one at first, though.. But then I revisited it when it came out on DVD (remember those days? lol), and slowly, after a couple more viewings, its dark mood and "quieter" vibe began seeping into my consciousness until I eventually came to like the film very much (Zach liked it first time through)... This ever happen to you?
And finally, in the music department, I've been trying to keep up with Zach's ever-expanding listening repertoire of music... Currently, he's been immersing himself in the classics: Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Queens Of The Stone Age, etc... I played him some Jimi Hendrix Experience the other day, but the jury's still out on if he connected with it or not... We'll see...
As far as my own listening goes, my album of the last couple weeks has been the recently released Until The Hunter by Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions... Hope Sandoval is the former singer of the '90s band, Mazzy Star (you might remember their amazing semi-hit, Fade Into You)... Dark and dreamy is typically in my playlists somewhere or another, and this album is no exception... I just can't seem to get enough of it, but absolutely, judge for yourself...
Looking ahead, we will be focusing intensely on finishing the new album, so stay tuned for developments on that front... Maybe if there's enough interest, we'll put out a few works-in-progress sound clips... ;)
BTW, if you haven't joined our Facebook group, that is definitely the best place to get day-to-day info on what's happening with the band... If interested, you can do so at this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Widetrackband/
OK, that's probably enough for now... Appreciate you letting me share this stuff... As always, I can't thank you enough for your support... We are just getting this going with the new lineup and new album, etc., and it's so great to have you along on the journey with us... THANK YOU!!!
Stay in touch and talk with you soon!
Ron
Always love hearing from you! Feel free to respond: Ron@widetrackmusic.com
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