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Keywords:
miner (1), church (13), bell (9), josh (8), ocean (36), sky (29), hesitate (4), guitar (831), vocals (111), harmony (52), heavy (131), serious (6)
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Description:
Written as a response to the mining tragedy in West Virginia. It just ripped my guts out to see those families' lives be played out on public television. The last lines of the song were what one of the victims had written in the dirt before he passed away.
Lyrics:
Why won't they leave us alone?
Been inexcusably wrong.
Got what they wanted to see
Ripped our hearts off our sleeves
Why won't they leave us alone?
And stop
Pretending to care
The one's we loved were down there
We had started to grieve
Now the whole has been deepened
By the media's glare
So stay out
Please give us peace
Our lives
Aren't yours to see (2x)
(over above)
We'll have cried all our tears
You'll forget in a year
Collective falling from grace
To the victims disgrace
As the church bells did ring
Were you too tired to care?
(Miscommunication)
And did you not hear our prayers?
(Is not cause for validation)
As if it's not enough pain
(Our hearts were broken again)
They say exhaustion's to blame
This is too much to bare
So stay out
Please give us peace
Our lives
Aren't yours to see
(2x)
We'll have cried all our tears
You'll forget in a year
Collective falling from grace
to the victims disgrace
As the church bells did ring
It wasn't so bad, I just went to sleep.
I love you. (Repeat)
Hardware:
Powerbook G4, M-Audio midi keyboard, Rode NT1-A, Eurorack mixer, Martin D14 guitar.
Software:
GB only
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Intensity &mdash 01/26/06 - 09:47:34 AM
From the first line, this song riveted me. Very powerful. You have a heck of a voice. Not many could pull this song off. It's often very difficult to write a song about a tragedy, but you nailed this. Tremendous emotion. Heartfelt lyrics. Those last repeating lines are so chilling. So sad. Bravo! [ Reply to This ]
Intensity &mdash 01/26/06 - 09:47:42 AM
From the first line, this song riveted me. Very powerful. You have a heck of a voice. Not many could pull this song off. It's often very difficult to write a song about a tragedy, but you nailed this. Tremendous emotion. Heartfelt lyrics. Those last repeating lines are so chilling. So sad. Bravo! [ Reply to This ]
Intensity &mdash 01/26/06 - 09:56:36 AM
Thank you sir. It is always a good day when I get an alley-oop compliment! This tragedy just hit me really hard, and I'm glad to hear it doesn't come off as presumptuous. I just felt very moved by this, and needed to express the angst with music. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16628">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Well done my friend &mdash 01/26/06 - 10:27:04 AM
Well done! It sounds like you got a new mic for this. Sounds great!!! Cheers! [ Reply to This ]
Well done my friend &mdash 01/29/06 - 12:55:52 AM
Damn dude. You're perceptive as hell!
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Nice! &mdash 01/26/06 - 11:02:59 AM
Powerful tune! You got a great voice! Work on the background production and you will be golden! LOtsa talent in the VOX! [ Reply to This ]
A Good Place to Start... &mdash 01/26/06 - 11:44:20 AM
This is a fine piece of work for a lot of reasons, not the least of which
is because it clearly began in your heart.
This story touched you and compelled you to externalize your feelings
about it. When creating any kind of art, that's a good place to start.
Your passion is evident in the writing and performance of this powerful
song... and it's all good.
I don't hear very many good protest songs anymore. This IS a very
good one... well-arranged, well-instrumented and well-performed.
Very good vocal and harmony arrangement, as well.
Way to go, Josh! [ Reply to This ]
A Good Place to Start... &mdash 01/26/06 - 02:19:09 PM
Thank you very much Mr. Hollywood. I am honored by your visit and subsequent kind words. Thank you again for listening.
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"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Great &mdash 01/26/06 - 01:05:48 PM
writing, and damn you have a good singing voice! This is really pro. Excellent! [ Reply to This ]
My vote &mdash 01/26/06 - 02:01:27 PM
Gave you very hig vote for production but not for creativity and all that as I've heard this sort of sound so often. Still, I appreciate how much work went into this [ Reply to This ]
My vote &mdash 01/26/06 - 02:13:18 PM
I'm sorry that you feel the creativity is not there, but I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16628">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
My vote &mdash 01/26/06 - 03:01:27 PM
I'm sure most people would disagree with me. It's definitely the sort of thing I could imagine on most radio stations. Keep up what you are doing and ignore people like me! [ Reply to This ]
This is just how it is &mdash 01/26/06 - 03:07:12 PM
I often react on how the media gets in the face of those who suffers. But it's of course an important part they have, to show injustice and catastrophes. It must be difficult to know, from time to time, how such events and tragedies should be taken care of. But as I get it you do, I feel they to often get to close on peoples private spheres.
Your vocal performance is stunning Josh. You have such a talent. I also think your composing abilities is great. This song is a proof to that.
And those last words... very touching. [ Reply to This ]
This is just how it is &mdash 01/27/06 - 07:23:13 AM
I am so glad you liked it Thoddi. Thank you for the wonderful compliment. Anytime you need some backup vocals, give me a shout!
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Very moving &mdash 01/26/06 - 08:15:32 PM
Powerful lyrics and performance. Excellent commentary on the callous,
cold and voyeuristic nature of our media today. The words are probably a
refrain that was going through the minds of all those touched by the
tragedy every time a TV camera was shoved in their face. [ Reply to This ]
Is this the same Joshosh? &mdash 01/26/06 - 08:58:53 PM
Wow, Josh, this is by far your best effort, and what an amazing step-up
from your pinhole mic days! The talent has always been there,
especially the vocals, but this new mic and your more elaborate
musical arrangement give your music a lot more justice. The full
spectrum of your music just shines. I like the harmonies, and the
angst of your voice is quite fitting to the theme of your song. I still
think the volume of the drums and percussions can be upped just a
little bit, especially inthe beginning.
I'd like to give you the best score I can give, but with all the new
changes and controversies in the ratings lately, this rave review is
worth a lot more than the points. [ Reply to This ]
Is this the same Joshosh? &mdash 01/27/06 - 07:20:43 AM
Thank you so much Leon. I deeply appreciate the kind words.
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 01/27/06 - 07:36:33 AM
I appreciate the depth of this song! Good lyrics and preformance.
"The Media" is often cold and disrespectful.
Thank you for this reality check. [ Reply to This ]
Holy f%u2022ck. &mdash 01/27/06 - 10:50:59 PM
I knew checking your song list everyday for a month would pay off.
I'm packing my bags, selling my kids and moving to Astoria - just so I can listen to you sing live. Everyday.
From the lyrics to the delivery of every-single-word, it was perfection. If I were you, I would save your pennies and get into a pro studio, because I truly believe you have what it takes to get loads of airplay. You are so freaking talented.
If I had to give you constructive critisism, it would have to be the same issue you have with a lot of your recordings, the guitars. I know you're a vocalist, but I'm a guitarist, and I want to hear the guitar just as clear as your voice.
Hey, at least I have another song to put on my new mp3 player!
PS - sorry about not getting back to you on our collab, I've been working with a band writing material for the last month. I swear I'll get to it. [ Reply to This ]
Holy f%u2022ck. &mdash 01/29/06 - 12:52:18 AM
wow man. i'm glad you like it. I told you i was getting back into the harder stuff. Don't sweat the collab. Get it to me when you can, it's cool. How's the band? You gonna give us a taste?
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"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Very well done &mdash 01/28/06 - 09:51:11 AM
Josh, the music and vocals were just right for this kind of song. Very
moving.
You might be interested to know that Randy McCloy, the lone survivor, is
steadily improving. That's something you won't hear on the news!
God bless,
Rick
[ Reply to This ]
Very well done &mdash 01/29/06 - 12:54:43 AM
That is good news. I had heard that, and I'm thankful there is at least some positive in an otherwise bleak situation. Thanks for the info, and for listening.
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Powerful good &mdash 01/28/06 - 02:02:30 PM
Your bellow is really pumpin here. A song coalesced from the fallout of
media insensitivity. Great structure, instrumentation, mixing,
everything. You go, Josh! [ Reply to This ]
Powerful good &mdash 01/28/06 - 02:11:43 PM
indeed! Thank you for stopping by a giving this one a whirl Mr. Schletty! Obliged as always.
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"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
I will Mirror ..... &mdash 01/28/06 - 04:40:57 PM
what everyone else has already said ... and I think I may have said it myself once or twice ..... you have got the goods to go all the way !!! Not a hobby for you my friend .... I'll be looking for you in my local CD store .... [ Reply to This ]
Beautiful Song &mdash 01/29/06 - 01:37:10 AM
Sung with such passion. Has a sort of Elvis Costello vibe to it, in part. It's great to hear something that was genuinely inspired, sung by someone who cares about the content.
I can hear the compression in the mix. Maybe you can open it up a bit, just compress the vocals a touch?
[ Reply to This ]
Beautiful Song &mdash 01/29/06 - 01:50:15 AM
Thank you for the advice! I'll give it a shot. I really appreciate the helpful comment.
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Great Work &mdash 01/29/06 - 03:48:22 AM
I love how you've sung this song with great passion and heart. I think
that's a huge part of a song. I think it's awesome that you've taken the
time to write something that goes out to the tragedy and . . . you have a
great quality voice! (Love the harmonies) [ Reply to This ]
Real passion and feeling. &mdash 01/30/06 - 07:09:50 PM
I listened to this before, and apparently forgot to comment. This is just a
fine combination of feelings and an understanding of how shallow we
(Americans, journalists, people in general) can be. The ending was very
powerful. [ Reply to This ]
Very stirring &mdash 02/01/06 - 07:08:15 PM
You've really nailed a deeper story in the lyrics and it hits home like a hammer to a nail. Great voice and emotion - you're IN this song moment and it's very wrenching. My only nit is that the backing tracks are just that - they sound very much in the background. With a stronger production, this song will OWN. Well done -- [ Reply to This ]
Very stirring &mdash 02/02/06 - 06:19:28 AM
Bing, always apprecaite it when you swing by. Since you and pgreenstone basically said the same thing, I was wondering, when you get a chance, if youy could fire out some suggestions for how to improve the background mix. Honestly, I'm pretty lost on how to do it. Is it in the recording? Layering? EQ? All of the above? As always, thanks for listening.
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Very stirring &mdash 02/04/06 - 11:49:23 AM
Sounds like perhaps an EQ issue with the background. There's a lot of mid-range missing, so some of the layering (which is all really good) isn't punching through the upper levels of volume, which is mainly vocal. It sounds like you've got a lot panned to the middle, spreading things out will also help the background to move forward and join with the vocals. The equalizer presets in GB are pretty good about doing a lot of the fader tweaking for you - maybe experiment with some of those and see the difference that it makes in your bed tracks. I'm still playing around with these things, used to ignore them - and it's really key to fattening up your sound. Again, great song!
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Mahalo nui loa,<p>
Bing Futch<br>
Another bomb has been dropped - <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17661" target="_blank">"Bomb (Remix)"</a> - Check it [ Reply to This ]
great singing &mdash 02/01/06 - 11:35:23 PM
You have a great vocal presence. Really solid, expressive singing and
harmonies. The general music structure is solid and moving. The
production of the music is another thing. Not terrible at all but not on
the same level as your vocals and the sound that I imagine you were
going for. You clearly demonstrate great ideas for the arrangement
but the recording and mixing of the elements comes off rather thin
and, well... dinky. Not really filling the tonal space the way it should.
Your tremendous singing performance almost compensates for it, it's
so good. You have a really good song here and and good ideas for the
structure, but I think you could improve it a lot on the instrument
recording and mixing end of things to bring it up to the level it sounds
written for. Again, I'm not saying the the production is all that bad; I
just think you've got something here that calls for quite a bit more in
the execution of it, stellar vocals aside. [ Reply to This ]
great singing &mdash 02/02/06 - 06:14:26 AM
I appreciate your honesty. Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the background sounds? Less layers, more EQ?
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
great singing &mdash 02/02/06 - 11:08:43 AM
Hard to say exactly. I think the layers are good. It's just a matter of tone and
stereo space. I hear great things in there in concept, like the bells. It's really
just about the recording quality and treatment. Hard for me to say exactly. If I
get the chance to listen to it some more and something more specific comes to
mind I'll tell you. It's mostly technical. The artistic vision is solid.
---
<b><a href="http://www.simig.com/records/artists/peter/peter.htm">My debut album, "Something", available on CD here</a></b> [ Reply to This ]
This is a class act, bro' &mdash 02/01/06 - 11:38:01 PM
Great statement &mdash 02/01/06 - 11:53:58 PM
Certainly songwriting and vocals to be proud of here, Joshosh. Emotional
committment to an issue is a powerful tool for your craft, and this song is
a great example of that notion.
Congratulations on bringing this song to fruition. It was well worth the
effort and heart you put into it. [ Reply to This ]
Great statement &mdash 02/02/06 - 06:16:03 AM
Thank you very much.
---
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. "
check out my latest song <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17447">here</a> [ Reply to This ]
Good work Josh &mdash 02/02/06 - 09:39:15 AM
To be honest, I wouldn't have checked this out if it weren't for your post.
Very nice song. The best music often comes when it's straight from the
heart, and that's true in this case.
The song was produced fairly well... when your production skills catch up
with your songwriting and performance, you will be a force! I'm gonna
look up some more of your stuff later this afternoon. You've made a fan.
I hope the families of the miners find their way to this song. [ Reply to This ]
honest and good &mdash 02/02/06 - 12:53:03 PM
Nice work. And like dcchapman stated, I wouldn't have checked this
out if it weren't for you post either. I'l have to try pimpn' that corner
one day...
Everything about this does me... I don't know your music; this is a first
time for me, and I expected to hear somethng that would make me
clinch my butt cheeks while listening. Well, I can't do this and smile
from a deep and gratifying place...
Very nice. you shouldn't have to wear that big brimmed hat and loudly
colorful suit to get my attension the next time around. Thanks for
sharing this. Very nice work. I'm really impressed with your songwriting
,and overall arrangement is 'ritght on' the mark. Congradulations pimp
daddy.
Dion [ Reply to This ]
All things to all people.. &mdash 02/02/06 - 05:24:19 PM
Josh- some were born to produce. Some, like you, are born to sing- to tell
a story. To heck with production values, the tale and the way you tell it is
what is most important here.
Very tastefully done and an amazingly passionate vocal performance.
Excellent job. [ Reply to This ]
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