HappyUknowit

Yeah, got few new song ideas that are in the early stages. As you know by
now, these will take way too long to reach completion. I hope they're worth
the wait. In the meantime, I recently did some sax and backup vocal work
on a song from my good friend and former LSD guitarist Gabe. The tune is
a punk/metal version of a well known children's song. Think of something
along the lines of NOFX. Check it out.

http://www.macjams.com/song/74018

Also, I'm on my 3rd version of the well-worn Kicbal Studio. Once a vast
underground lair of home studio wizardry and an occasional doubling as
a guest bedroom. Then as a smaller suburban phoenix office/guest
bed/graphic design studio. And now relegated to a corner of my master
bedroom after our 3rd child Britta took residence. Oh well, hopefully the
music is improving even if the creative space is not.

Thanks for listening.

Love Crazy Baby

That's right. New original song bursting at the seams. You should take a listen!

Lets call it a funk influenced rock song. I handled the lead and backup vocals, sax, synths, drum programming, mixing, mastering. Edward Berriman, my go2 ax man played guitar. Lola also helped out on additional backup vocals.

This was supposed to be finished back in October/November but an early delivery from out latest addition to the family put the song on the back burner for a few months. Lola and baby are doing great, and it's nice to have this music finally complete. Superfunhappymusic!

BTW the image is of Lola when we first started dating.

You should take a listen.

http://www.macjams.com/song/73041

Tools of the trade

Hello all you die-hard fans. Just thought I'd post some pics of the gear and instruments that make all that sweet Chroma Specter music shine.

Get some music

BTW, would you like to listen to some Chroma Specter music?

http://www.macjams.com/artist/Kicbal

Enjoy, thanks for listening.

2012

Long time no post. Lots happened in the interim, new addition to the family, new job, new recording studio location, new shoes—the usual. I actually finished a song too. Check it out!

http://www.macjams.com/song/69882

What else, happy 2012!!! Working on a new song that I was hoping to finish last november before the new baby came 4 weeks early, so things were delayed a couple months. The picture below is of me recording some sax parts for the tune.

Thanks for listening.

Puree

Life still retains the upper hand throughout 2011 and continues to mix things up. Hopefully that will change soon. In the meantime, a new song is almost finished. This one will feature Gabe my good friend and former guitarist for LoveSeat Daredevil. It's cool working with him again. Anyway, not much news or thoughts today as my mind is pre-occupied with surviving our current financial/un-employed disaster.

Yippee, music rushes in and saves the day! . . . Doubtful.

Arizona blue skies take me away.
Thanks for listening.

2011, Lighten Up—please?

Hello to no one who is reading this. It's been awhile, thanks for being patient.

Since I've been gone much has happenend Chroma Specter. I've written 3 songs since "If I Ran The Circus" (mentioned in an earlier post). I also have about 5 more tunes at various stages of completion. One of the 3 new songs is a cool work that was co-wrote by myself and my great new guitarist friend Edward Berriman living in southern England. It was an amazing process working with someone half-way around the world, exclusively by email and sending music files back and forth, somehow creating a lively and energetic performance and a cohesive song. A fully formed sound without all the band drama– I like this! Oh, BTW the song is called "Always Surrender". Check it out: http://www.macjams.com/song/62945

The two other completed songs are "Lighten Up", a catchy little jazzy tune featuring some of my best sax work. I also play bass guitar on this. The other song is called "1000 years", a total experiment and brain twister for me that grazes the ambient/world music genres. I don't really remember how it all came about but there it is in all its cryptic, bizarre glory. Multiple time signatures, creepy chanting and whispering, blazing synth guitars, Chinese bells, saxes, synths, lightening and wind. I'll be honest, it's not an easy listen, not something that you'd dance to or crank in the car on a long drive. It's music for a fever dream, a nightmare, or the Apocalypse. Anyway, not to worry, the other material that I'm working on is more inline with Chroma Specters musical mission statement (lighter more poppy fair).

Oh, my old guitarist buddy from "LoveSeat Daredevil", Gabe Ulibarri has finally made the smart switch to mac computers and has his own home studio up and running. It's great to hear his stuff again and I hope to have his killer guitar on some of my songs in the future. . .the future . . .the future. . .2011 . . .2011 . . .2011. . .

I've put my foot down and drawn a line in the sand. After 2 years of being at the mercy of this toilet bowl recession, 2011 is the year that I take it all back. The year that I finally bring myself and my family back to the land of the living and the reasonably prosperous. You have no idea how tired I am from the stress of the past 2 years, and it stops now!

No sooner do I make this statement and square my shoulders than Lola, who has been the champion holding our family together financially gets a notice today that her department at the greedy, unscrupulous bank where she works is getting shut down, and laying off the entire department . . .seriously what the $#@%!!!

Apparently 2011 is going to put up a fight and be a pain in the a$$ for a bit. We've been living in this economic limbo for so long now that in some ways we are not that shocked. Like what the hell else can happen to us? Apparently the shit bucket is deep and ever flowing.
Well, we are blessed with our health, our amazing kids, each other and our music.

I spit in disgust and determination, re-square my shoulders and try again. Thanks for listening.