Original Song: Summer Days
Well, here it is – the first original song of 2013. Summer Days was very quickly penned during the heat wave in Sydney this month, although I do have to admit that a couple of lines in this one were pulled from some notes I made several years ago. As usual, it feels a bit unfinished, but you guys are aware that I always say that! Perhaps this should be the year where I actually take a bit more time to record more than one or two takes of each part and spend some real time mixing it properly. Then again, maybe I should just accept that what I enjoy most is simply getting the song recorded in its most basic and raw form! Yep, I think that’s it!
I’ve got a very limited understanding of the intricacies of the mixing process and I’d love to spend some time with someone who could work with me on these songs. You can read all you like about it, but that doesn’t seem to make up for a lack of practical hands on experience.
Anyway, for the more technically enquiring, the basic strumming pattern uses a Taylor T5 guitar and a Line 6 patch called San Diego, the guitar solo part used a Variax guitar emulating a Gibson ES-175 for a lightly jazzy tone, the bass part used a Variax bass emulating an upright bass (I would so love to get a real one…), drums are simply programmed in Garageband. Everything is recorded in Garageband using at Line 6 interface (when I’m using Podfarm for guitar/bass sounds) or an Apogee One interface for vocals and “unpatched” guitar/bass.
So that’s January’s offering done and dusted. I’m looked forward to February already as the plan is to create some kind of music video to go with it using the GoPro I got for Christmas.
SUMMER DAYS
©2013 Chuck Smeeton
Now I’ve gotta say that winter
Has always been my favourite season
Give me crisp and cool over stinkin’ hot
I got no better reason
But for a few months I’d been thinking
About the summer on its way ‘bout
Lazy waves upon the sand
And kickin’ back on a sunny day
Rolling in ’bout half past three
Will do me very nicely
As I sit beneath this tree
Sleeping under ceiling fans
Cicadas in the air
Lazy dogs lie in the shade
It’s life without a care
Salt water drying on your skin
Hot sand beneath your feet
Smell of coconut sunscreen
An ice cream for a treat
It’s the sound of Jack Johnson
Playing on the radio
It’s ukulele’s strumming
It’s going with the flow
Two-foot waves you wouldn’t catch
At any other time
Are summer’s little treats
That leave you feeling fine
Other Cavan Project stuff you might like!
