A SONG A DAY

Going STRONG! Finally made time for a long overdue BLOG!  As I've been working on making this "song a day" a habit; I must admit that it can be challenging. Besides the obvious, the songs need to be produced, mixed and mastered which sometimes can take longer than expected. (lyric/vocal tracks)

Here are a few things  I've discovered on my journey so far that I'd like to share. ( and really, it applies to anything you do) 

#1 CONSISTENCY

-Do it everyday! Just do it. 

-Give yourself a specific time and time frame. (2pm-4pm) If it's on your to do list, there's no panic or the "I don't have time" excuse. NO interruptions. 

#2 PURPOSE

Why am I doing this? Speaking for myself I do it to:

-Get better and faster at my craft

-Treat it as a job 

-Structure, discipline and self-motivation

-Up my production and writing skills

-Build my catalog

-Train myself to write wherever, whatever, without having to wait on inspiration. 

Inspiration is everywhere. Once you start, once in the zone and amazed what comes out.

#3 CONCEPT

-Think albums

-Specific genres

During my 31 Songs in 31 Days challenge, I was writing full songs with lyrics and vocals. I gave myself two hours. The goal was to write a complete song, start to finish. I didn't think too much about a specific genre, I let myself write whatever I wanted which was very liberating and fun. Now that I have the 31 songs, as I finish them one by one (production) I'll find them a home, some will be on my album, while others will go straight to a library. 

For Instrumentals. I think of it as making compilation CD's for music libraries. Specific themes and genres. Either Holiday (Halloween, Christmas) or Drama, or EDM tracks. This way, the end of the month I have 30 tracks to submit. It just makes sense and it helps to focus.

#4 EXPAND

-learn and experiment

It's easy to go to the same Virtual Instruments, (I do it all the time) while it is extremely helpful to have a go to Instrument if you need to write fast for a specific  request, force yourself to use just one instrument for example, write the entire piece in Massive, next day just use FM8 or Omnisphere and so on. The point is, we do want to expand and learn our instruments. Most of us have a ton of toys we hardly ever use or don't even know how to use.

#5 LISTEN

-Educate yourself

-Learn the genre you're in (or a new genre you're interested in)

-Stick out while still fitting in, be different from the rest

If you do library tracks, go to the high end libraries sites and listen to the genres you do, compare where you stand out yet still fit in. Same goes for songwriting, listen to the new releases on Itunes, 

As an Artists we do want to sound unique, different and fresh but we still want to know what's going on out there and stay current. Obviously, if you do vocal tracks for libraries, you do want to be able to make sound-alike tracks, you need to know what that artist sounds like. And it can inspire you to make it your own.

#6 KEEP ORGANIZED

-Find a system that works for you

-METADATA

-Register your songs with PRO

-Create Song Inventory to keep track

As you keep writing more and more music, it can get pretty overwhelming. I make folders for each month. (Sept. 2014) Inside that folder each song gets their own folder , I name the songs "Sept.1st, Sept. 2nd and so on" I also have a MIXES folder inside main folder where all the mixes go from all 30 songs; this way I don't have to go to each individual song folder if I need a track. Make wav and mp3 files. Vocal and Instrumental tracks.

Metadata, so important to have all the info about the song, like bpm, name, genre, artist info, description etc. It will make submissions way easier if you have it all in one place rather than having to listen to each track way after you worked on them.

Have a track inventory of all tracks, where the tracks are, (what libraries) non-exclusive or exclusive. (That just seems a blog all by itself) It can get overwhelming quickly.

#6 HAVE FUN & STAY FLEXIBLE

While it seems like a lot of work and  requires lot's discipline, we are doing it because we love it. We do it because we want to work our creative muscle. Not every song has to be the most amazing thing you've ever written. It's not about that, it's about putting it out to the universe that you are living your purpose, so your subconscious mind knows that this is what you are meant to do. It's so that your catalog grows, as well as you as an artist, composer. singer/songwriter. We only get better by doing.

There might be a day or two where you don't write, it happened to me a few times, I wanted to beat myself up but decided to just acknowledge that life happens, things come up and throw you off balance a bit. You go off track, you get back on. Write two the next day, make up for it. Laugh it off.

#7 READ

Read reviews, interviews, articles that catch your interest, use it as inspiration for lyrics and themes.

#8 COLLABORATE

While I personally love writing alone, especially instrumentals, I LOVE collaborating, it's expanding, fun and magical with the right person.  Together you'll come up with things you would've never done alone. It's easy to get stuck doing what you always do. Collaborators are great teachers and often become great friends and inspiration. Find collaborators that will care about the song as much as you do and help shop the song as well. There's power in a TEAM! No one succeeds doing everything alone.

#9 MOMENTUM

The more you write, the more creative you'll get. The more you hit the gym , the firmer your body gets, the stronger you become. And your CONFIDENT grows.  Confidence is very attractive! Successful people love confident people. Do not confuse that with arrogance or cockiness. Stay humble and keep living your purpose!!!

Songs All Around You

So many ways to write. So many ideas all around. Day 28. Still on  fire. A little resistance creeped in around the 18th, which is interesting, cause it was my Birthday and I thought for sure I'm gonna kick ass. I guess I made it my priority to thank everyone on Facebook instead for the many Birthday wishes. I ended up singing my idea on my phone on my way to dinner.

My major breakthough has been lyrics. I decided that every song has to have lyrics. I usually take a pretty long time to write lyrics, especially if it's for my personal project. Yet, under pressure, knowing I only have a certain amount of time, and I need to complete them, I do. While the first draft is most likely not the final, what matters is to get creative, keep "throwing up" what comes out, brainstorm, let your train of though run it's route. Make up or enhance a story and run with it. To just let it flow and not over think or over analyze.

Getting up, taking a break is most definitely working for me. I purposely don't  try to find the right words while on break time. Instead, I make calls, play with the dog, completely switch off. I than return to the track with a fresh mind, and usually everything falls into place. (for the first draft at least)

Not only does it become easier, it's fun and exciting each and every day to just explore without the pressure of having to sound like something or someone or fit into a genre. Of course I want the songs to be great, find a home for them, ideally in film/tv or on someones album but writing just for the sake of perfecting the craft and fun takes the pressure away and get's you in the place you want to be. The "zone".  One of my favorite quotes "Nothing Happens Till Something Moves". [Einstein] Let your guard down stuff starts to move. And let's be honest, a song is hardly ever done in one sitting. It's all in the re-write.

I've collaborated with a few people for far, not as many as I had hoped but the ones involved  are super talented and fun. One person gave me a metal track and my first thought was "so not inspired, so not what I do" than I just muted everything except the drum and bass and did my thing (apologizing in advance to my collaborator, lol ) Thankfully he was open minded enough and took the leash off.

I started out as a solo writer and still love writing on my own, however, collaboration takes a project to another level. It's a challenge and a test. Do you listen to your ego or what's best for the song?  Obviously, the song always wins.

You're so much more vulnerable when collaborating. Sharing a half finished track or a raw,  out of tune vocal idea with someone can be uncomfortable for many of us, it's like showing up naked to their party. Trust is essential.

Although I did consider sharing some of the songs, I just listened to a bunch of them and they do sound kinda shitty for the most part, as the focus was not to fully produce but write fully structured song a day instead of just a hook or a few lines.

Plus, I don't want to spoil the fun that's coming in August, so bare with me until I reveal the next step!

Stay tuned for August mission!
xoxo
JVB

DAY SEVEN

It's been pretty fun so far.The biggest challenge has been to not write about the same old things and to use different approaches, let's say, one song starts with a vocal melody, another get's inspired by a drumbeat, guitar riff or synth sound. Yesterday was my first Collaboration on this project, felt good to only come up with lyrics and melody. I did feel a little resistance at first but once I let go of the "inner judge" allowing myself to just dive in, it became effortless.

I don't always have a concept when I write, some writers do. I usually let the music take me, picking a theme has been another one of my challenges. The beauty in writing is, it doesn't matter how you start the journey, as long as you end up with a completed song that resonates with you. A song that captures a feeling, a vibe, a mood. And of course if I was writing for a specific project, a music library, I'd have more of an outline and theme, most likely writing a sound alike. What's fun about this project is that I can write whatever I want without having to fit a format. It's fun to express myself any way I want, goofy, serious, off beat. No RULES! Of course in the back of my mind I am thinking about where that track could be placed and ultimately, I want to find those 31 babies a good home but as of right now. All I need to do is give birth to another creation. ;)

I've been pretty good as far as only spending a couple of hours on writing,  not all in one sitting, I work for 30 min, get the idea down, take a quick walk with the dog or do my workout  than come back with a clear head and fresh perspective. It's working really well.

The frustrating part is that I can hear some of the songs fully produced and want to do it right than and there (yes, I've spend several hours on a couple of songs I felt strongly about). I have to remember to just WRITE the song first, start to finish, THAN focus on production, although in some cases tweaking the sounds along the way is extremely inspiring, as long as I don't get caught up in "tweaking" that sound forever.

What I did notice is that I am more creative, ideas keep popping up consistently, I've recorded some ideas right after writing a track or while waiting for a student. The fossett is open and little symphonies keeps flowing, effortlessly. Day Seven accomplished. (Just realized, I spent so much time on this Blog it's already day Eight, hahaha.

Starting tomorrow,  I will post snippets of the tracks, I don't know if it would be a good idea to post the entire songs. (copyright, quality and time wise)

My goal is to do at least 10 Collabs on this project.
Stay tuned the fun is just about to start!
xoxo
JVB

Go Fuck Yourself?

I'm a huge NIN fan and admirer of Trent Reznor. I love almost everything he's ever done. However, he lost me when he started to preach his "DIY" approach and new business models, which didn't mean shit to DIY artists for the most part. While some of it was brilliant, the whole giving your music away for FREE never sat right with me, a REAL INDIE (D.I.Y.) ARTIST.

I've always been against giving music away for FREE. When there was a wave of "indie" artists who decided to put no value on their music and let their fans have it for FREE, did no one realized that all of these "indie" artists were made by MAJORS? I give them credit for continuing without a label but don't act like you're doing it from the ground up.

So how ironic than to hear Trent Reznor talk about his new album, telling people the album "costs ten bucks or go fuck yourself". While I completely agree with that statement, maybe more like "it's $10 bucks, take it or leave it" why would he go back to a major label when he could make so much more as an "indie"?

After leaving Interscope, Trent was such a huge advocate of the DIY route (which is bullshit, no artist that has been signed and build by a major can ever truly call themselves an indie "DIY" artist) So why is it that suddenly Mr. Reznor went back into bed with a major although he'd make more money as an indie? Cause NOTHING beats the big machine. Unless you get extremely lucky, your chances of "blowing up" are pretty slim.

The indie route is hard, expansive and time consuming. Not impossible, but definitely not easy.The music business is a fucking roller-coaster, and you better be passionate about it, cause it can drag you down and drown you just as fast as it can pull you up to the highest point, with or without a label.

While success is subjective and means different things to different people. We all want to feel appreciated, get compensated and recognized for our work. And there's nothing wrong with signing to a major, just don't run around preaching one thing than doing the exact opposite. We get it; you don't want to put your own money into it but why not be honest and say it how it is? I might go buy your album, I might go fuck myself. haven't decided yet.

With all that said...My God is dead and no one cares. If there is a hell....I'll see you there!

A FLASH OF CLARITY!

I'm sitting here with 4 workbooks on my desk, [one for lyrics, 2nd for goals, 3rd is my daily journal, (my daily "to do" list and accomplishments) and the 4th is strictly my composing book, keeping track of what music/project I'm working on]

My workspace is cluttered just like my mind. While I'm inspired I'm also extremely frustrated. Too many roads I want to travel, too many projects and ideas. Seeking balance as an artist/performer and music composer.

Re-evaluating my life. I feel that it's time to move on. Start brand new, yet I can't seem to completely let go of the old just yet. And I wonder why? What exactly am I holding onto? Is it fear, faith or denial? I know I will continue making music, being an artist but it will be something different. I feel like I'm pulling a dead horse up hill.

So today I stumbled onto a few music career blogs that inspired me to stop the DOING and get very clear about what I want and why. I started answering a bunch of important questions defining my goals and the motivation behind them.

One particular exercise kept going on with the same question (once you've written down your goals, find the most important one to you), than ask "when I have this (your most important goal), what will that get me?" and you keep asking that question until you get to the core of it, which will most likely be an emotion, not a material thing.

It took me a while to get to the core and I'm still digging. Very interesting and eye opening. While I do want financial freedom, what I really want is artistic freedom. Do what I love. To create without limitations. Express myself. Inspire others.  I love my friends and family and I want to spend quality time with them but I NEED to make music.

It's not something I do because of the money (hahaha, I would've quit a long time ago) It's something I must do regardless, to feed my heart and soul. It's something, I can't live without. And I do belief that I can be financially free by doing what I love. After all success is a mindset. What's your passion? What do you want?

If you are interested about these blogs, feel free to jump on musiccareers.net

Much success!
JVB

Queen Of The Dragonfly

Playing our first show in Hollywood was slightly disappointing yet affirming to me that it's time to move on. Do something different. Step it up. Performing the new song felt great and so appropriate. It is time for a new chapter. Time to explore and move out of this box I've outgrown.

One thing I'm grateful for are the friends that came out. It means the world to me.

I did a few costume changes which was fun, definitely want to bring the theatrics back to life, mix music with performance art. I'm curious and excited to see where I'm heading as an artist/performer. ;)

We stayed till the end of the night, it was freezing cold out, we went to Toi, (a cool thai place on sunset that's open till 4am) with a handful of great people having fun conversations and yes, we closed that place as well.

Priceless!

Fuel for Creativity!

The Music Industry has changed drastically and it keeps on changing. Get over it! If you are in the industry and you resist change, you'll have a hard time moving forward, adapting to the "new way". Most of us haven't even quite figured out the "new way"...we're all kinda in limbo. The great news is, here's our chance to come up with something new and groundbreaking. We can try new things, they may fail, I'm sure many ideas will but so what...you keep on trying.

The worst thing you can do is bitch and complain. What exactly does that accomplish? You hate the budget cuts, the shitty music out these days...REALLY? There's always been shitty music. Music doesn't need to be meaningful and deep at all times. When I'm on the dancefloor, I want to dance, laugh, flirt....have fun! Just because it doesn't speak to you doesn't mean it's bad.

How about all those hating on Skrillex, Rhianna or Lady GaGa, how they don't deserve to be as big as they are. IF you think they suck, DO BETTER! Bring something to the table that tops their production, their mass appeal! Yes, they all have big machines behind them but you can create something out of nothing if you have the drive and the believe that you are great! Saying you don't have the big label behind you is just another excuse to NOT get to work. Let your frustration be your inspiration. Instead of getting bitter, get busy, get creative!

We're all guilty of it, but it doesn't serve us! So now go write a song about it! ;P

All OD and PinkStar Merch available right here

I spend some quality time today digging into Reverbnation & Facebook. With so many SNS, it's so important to find a way to keep everything up to date and organized. The new Single Monsters will be available on Tunecore shortly, so keep checking back!!! Great things are happening, we have many little surprises coming up!


Please follow us on twitter!!! http://www.twitter.com/pinkstarrocks



Scroll all the way down to see the OD and PinkStar merch!!!
xXx
JVB

Ramblings of Slacking Blogger

hahahaha, what can I say, music has kept me busy for the past few months. I'm working on getting this back to a somewhat updated state, it just seems a bit much sometimes between Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and all the other SN sites.
Life has been extremely great and I expect to get more of it, each and every day. I've been collaborating with a ton of people and like it.

There's a ton of excitement and news coming up about Otto's Daughter. Jim and I decided to bring some freshness to our musical journey. Now is the perfect time, we will announce all the news in may. Right now our focus is on our single and brand new PinkStar EP.

Our PinkStar summer tour is being booked right now and we will begin the end of May.

More news coming soon ;)
xoxo
JVB

JVB BOOK?

I've been playing with the idea for a while now and my fabulous encouraging man keeps telling me that I really should write a book about my story. I'm getting pretty consistent with my writing since I'm getting into blogging on a consistent basis. The more I write, the more stuff comes up, it seems like I opened a can of worms. It's incredible. I'm really excited getting up in the morning and blogging/writing. Have I found a new passion? With all my typos I never considered myself a writer other than a Songwriter. lol Well, the proof is in my hear, the pen just doesn't want to stop, well, the fingers pounding on the keyboard, lol.

Of course typical JVB-style, I can't just do one thing at a time, I'm working on 4 different writing projects. One poetry book, 2 coffee table books and one about my journey so far.

They all have a title but once I'm closer to completion I'd like to ask people for their input, after all it's all in the title isn't it? I'm so excited.

Time to work on music! I'm starting to love my new program MUSE, even though it's been a headache from day 1.

Memorial Day Weekend..it's so quiet

As exciting and fun it is to be a musician, to have a band, the ability to create and do what I love, sometimes it's frustrating the hell out of me. Technical stuff turns my creativity off.

I do love my new laptop, I finally got it to work. I am getting myself ready to go on the road and still be able to write/record music. I've never been the kind of person who just writes and keeps the idea in my head; I've got too many of those and forget them just as easily as they come to me. I have to record them. Funny thing is sometimes I listen to songs I wrote and I don't even remember writing them. Sometimes I'm amazed, like wow, I did that? lol I love those moments and I need those because they inspire me to keep going.

We are in the middle of booking a tour and doing a radio promo. While there's a lot going on, it seems like nothing is happening. But it's the same in a battlefield, you never know when the bombs go off. Right now it's really important to make good use of my time and resources.

Of course there's the JVB solo album rotting in my old computer as well as a concept album...[yes a new OD album] floating in the back of my head. I think it would be wise to use all this very intense frustration to create. I'm kinda tired of the very polished sound and crave something a bit more raw and imperfect. I just have to walk over to the studio computer and get started, for some reason it seems very hard, wtf?...the constant battle of me and myself.

Off I go to feed my soul.
xoxo
JVB

April April...

How does this happen?It's already April. Still no tour dates. Slightly frustrating but all this time can be used to be productive and finish some unfinished projects [I've got plenty of those]and maybe even work on some new OD stuff. The show at the Roxy is coming up and I'm kinda excited about it. I'm also very excited about all my little projects that will be stamped "finished" soon:)
xoxo
JVB