where you runnin to
there sunny
in the light
in the clouds
with the withall
to be without
where you going to
leave your window
open
let all the light through
wish and wish
perfect blue
why not
a,
per
fect
po
em
for
uyer
night
light
pentagram
as in
not
wasted
nahmean
?
whatever
this way and that
how come we never
hang out together
hanging over the rails
seems like the real thing
put it all on display
and out in the wild
put the everything
out there into nowhere
show them
a new year
new instruments!
and after a break it feels
well it feels rusty to get back in
to tell the truth.
rusty good.
and the winter is upon us
who has time to
dwell on it
anyways?
It’s getting cozy in here
quiet down now
sleepy head
been out here all day
in the gray
gonna stay
all my life away
maybe i’ll write a song
or whatever
oh me oh my
i’m for everything and everyone
making way for having fun
make the rain run from the sun
triple your pleasure
answer to no one
make me a star lit from within
in the win
dow of your thought
with understated
heat
make me binge and twist
and wait
and weight
full
let me just say
an apology
let me just see
an apology
let me just be
hey
just you know
what the fuck?
did i die and this is purgatory?
when… hmmm… i remember being scared when…
car? walking? mis step somewhere?
i don’t know
let’s pray together
be together
let us pray
and not prey
ok?
out a way
a way back
to go there
not get off track
didn’t mean to get there but here
we
is
[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_p4LyE2Pjs[/embedyt]
Here is the new video. Shot this in Northern California, by the Feather River behind my grandparents’ house, and in Hopland up in the hills.
I’ve been sorta kinda organizing my back log of tracks now that I’ve got a good chunk of my projects sorted out. It’s funny what you find just sitting there.
This is an instrumental that is kinda wandering and pretty. Cellos swirling, as they tend to do, and a kind of trance-y beat. I must have, well I’m sure of it to tell the truth, recorded live with loops.
I just felt like putting this up tonight.
It’s a fine Summer night. Is it the end of Summer? That’s what I hear. Me and Cinco are tending to the empty home while the rest of the pack is off at FYF Fest. Slowdive is playing. Hmm. I wish I was there. It was sold out.
I’ve mostly finished up on a big buffet of music I’m going to serve up in the near future. I’m happy with the work done and mostly the feeling of the songs.
Los Angeles for me: still and ever just past my fingertips somehow. It’s there, I push at it, brush it aside like curtains. But I have yet to pass through.
It’s a good city after all, and there are just so many surfaces you could attach your mirrors to here. Everyone is beautiful and larger than life, even if just in their own minds.
There aren’t country lanes, nature revery is rare, and the general balance leans one way and then the next, undecided. It’s menacing and inviting at once.
Blah blah poetic yada yada. Meaning: I’m here, making music in my dear studio with my dear cellos and my dear thoughts and I’m not on that damn stage at this damn point in this damn city.
That’s my check in.
Hope this version of this song fits with your time and place.
You. My friend. Are the first. In the world. To ever. See this video.
Because you, my friend, are subscribed to the podcast.
High fives, to you!
This song has been around with me for a long long time. I probably wrote it more than ten years ago. Unlike some songs from that era it has aged well, ie. I’m not embarrassed by it.
I don’t know how it never ended up on an album or fully produced. It’s a perfect example of a thing that works well in a room with people and flat/not quite alive on album…
I’d tell you what it’s about but doesn’t that always ruin a song? I will tell you there is a lot of church related imagery in there. Clearly growing up Catholic and an altar boy invaded my subconscious and probably will give me songs by the bucketful forever. Because? Because church is the imperfect institution, the fallible middleman? Because church is metaphor for society? Church can be metaphor for any thing in our lives be it music or art or love or nature? Because because because. Whatever it is to you.
Without further ado!
So, if you read the post I wrote pre-show that was a major spoiler as I quite clearly blew the secret that I would perform an Elliott Smith song.
And believe me I had every intention of recording the actual live performance but among all the moving parts of playing my show I forgot to press record. Alas. You had to be there.
So last night I figured I’d record the songs I played live since my camera crew (myself) blew it so bad. This way you can imagine I’m playing a huge arena… although a cozy brick walled room with loads of friends and listeners in the heart of Silver Lake was, I think, much better.
I’ll post more songs from the set in the coming little while, even trying to get them on the podcast first to give you subscribers your due priority!
Let me know what you think of the cover. It’s such a fine line with songs you love… you want to show your love, but you really don’t want to disrespect them by ruining them either.
This one is all yours now. Just an impromptu recording I decided to do as I was working on mixing for my upcoming albums.
This one is a little rare for me in that the bittersweet-ness (not new) is mixed with a little mean-ness (new!)…
Backstory? Hmmm. Well I just wrote it quickly after going through an old box of memories and realizing that some states of mind are better left behind as far as possible… It’s good to forgive and to move forward but sometimes too it’s good to expunge and exonerate yr own feelings.
Wrote this song a few days ago. Been playing cello again a lot, and wanted to create something using this arpeggiating technique across the strings (string players… what is the technical term for this? Can’t remember!)
Lyrically it carries the same theme as the rest of “The Faraway”. Journeys, changes, destinations.
Funny how I thought that the lyrics for this were just absolutely impossible. I banged my head against my lyric book for a couple days, recorded several scratch tracks of improvised lyrics and then walked away. When I came back it wasn’t garbage anymore, at least not when stitched together.
The real reason I made this was because I wanted to test out my GoPro Jaws Flex Clamp. It’s so simple, yet super brilliant for capturing live music. It worked! Now I just need to get like five more and clamp them everywhere.
Thought I’d gather all the pieces I composed for Shar, Nisha and Brad’s film “You Follow”. It’s my first official soundtrack! I’ll be unrolling them in rapid succession here on the site, via the podcast. Hope you enjoy…
A while ago I made my girlfriend Katy an album. She has a certain playlist she’s created for painting and has talked about the perfect music for that kinda thing… meditative and non-disruptive, but interesting enough maybe to be listenable over and over. So obviously I created a polka/deep-house mashup. And that didn’t fit the bill. So I tried this.
Just a live cello performance using some looping, and a very brutish beat to pull it all along.
It’s long, and it’s a pretty good quality mp3 if you are into that sort of thing.
This is the first of three parts to that album.
Here,
to give you a minute of cellos intertwined
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I think I’ll use these as interludes on the coming album.
When my girlfriend heard me play the early version of this she said “that’s pretty is that a Bruce Springsteen cover?”, which I took as a compliment. Nebraska is one of the most beautiful albums ever recorded. I didn’t intend to have the influence be so obvious, it wasn’t conscious, and also, if there is a sound I’d love to pay homage to it’s that one.
A song:
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Came across this early version of “You Can Get Far” (video from the album REDWOOD SUMMER here).
And it reminded me of when I recorded it, at Canyonlands National Park, sitting up on a cliff’s edge. As you can hear not a lot is different in the studio version, just perhaps a nicer mic and the absence of the sounds of rocks scraping underneath my shifting weight. And the view I had was incredible.
Here’s an early version of a song I’m working on.
Last week, for Christmas I got both a new guitar and a ukelele. I was ecstatic. And immediately tried recording with them. It was nice, I was out in a little ‘casita’ a two room adobe house in the middle of some beautiful Northern California (where I’m from) vineyards. The inside was mostly tile so the sound in there was very bright and reverby.
This is what I’d call a ‘scratch’ version… The guitars are pretty good for now, though I might have to fix some issues. The vocals will be replaced. And I’d like to hear it with cello, which I’ll add soon, and maybe, just maybe some Nashville sounding drums. Good thing I know a drummer from Nashville I could call!
Lastly I may tweak the lyrics, especially the chorus, a little bit… I’m still trying to sort exactly what I’m trying to say there…
I suppose this is the first song of 2013 (kinda). Cheers to many more.
Thanks for listening…
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This song is made famous by the lovely Skeeter Davis.
We made a version of it a while back, with vocals by the also lovely Katy Unger.
I’ll let music do the talking for me.
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I’ve put up a new video off of REDWOOD SUMMER.
It takes a simple performance of the song You Can Get Far and layers a whole year of photos (I take a lot of photos) streaming over the top of it. It’s cool for me, I hope for you too… all the places and people flying along… I thought it fit the song well.
Enjoy!
As always, for those just joining us, I like to post random tracks up here on the blog. I like them to be unique, different, old, hidden, lost, remixed… basically, I like to dip into the vast pile of tape that gets left out when I complete albums.
The point is, and this important: The music I post here is intended to be special, for you, oh faithful readers, as you most likely have already bought the album (what’s that, you haven’t? Never fear, go to iTunes and do it right now)
Or make sure you explore my main site here: LukeJanela.net
I’m thinking that I’ll eventually need to put a disclaimer on all my blog music posts. I’ve been advised by music marketing gurus that the thing to do is to demand your email address out of you in exchange for a song. I’m not really there yet. Emails are fine but I’m thinking if you become a fan on Facebook that will be more better for all involved than emails. More voluntary you could say.
So here is an early version of Wrecking Ball Heart. Putting this up for my brother, who says he likes this song a lot, so you can hear the early incarnation. What you hear is simple and rough, more raw, than the version you’ll find on the album, here.
Hope you like… more soon…
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I’ve been putting off basically everything working on some new music, so much new music in fact that I’m needing to break it down into its respective pieces.
This one is on an album I’m putting out that is basically electronic music meets cello. I’ve done that in the past, but the key with this one is that I more or less be able to play it live. Or some semblance of it. With looping that is possible!
So without saying much more, here is a new electrocello song. I’m likely to take it down soon, as I don’t want to spoil the fun, but love rewarding you my faithful readers…
Take care, enjoy…
I’m thinking of remixing all the tracks off of JUNEAUREVOIR, my all cello instrumental album, or having other electronic musicians give it a go. This song is my first foray into it.
For any purists out there, this track is not pure anymore!
Which leads me to a quick note about what I do. Currently I am making music across a broad range of genres, here is my quick summary:
1. Garage Rock With Cello, Punk-Folk Action (ala REDWOOD SUMMER)
2. Highly orchestrated dark electronic influenced with vocals, cello, beats and lots of other sounds (ala Midnight Door).
3. Cello instrumentals, kind of classically influenced, kind of not, it depends (ala JUNEAUREVOIR)
4. Dark dance electronic beats with cello, instrumental and mainly live at parties and whatnot. (Album on its way)
OK, so that’s out of the way, below is the track, enjoy, and thank you.
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PS – Click here to listent to a sample of the original on iTunes
B sides are always around in my boxes. I have a lot of ideas that eventually would lead to a melody, but sometimes, like in the case of this one, will never be duplicated because the performance is so unique.
So here you go, so amazingly uncut or edited:
Here Is Enlightmenent
permalink to this post: http://midnightdoor.com/word/?p=558
I was playing around with vocal range in this one, total Mariah Carey inspired (kidding), it’s pretty rambling for sure. I’ve got a “holidays” ish song coming next week, so stay tuned!
Thanks to everyone for spreading the word on the new video “Strobe Light”, let’s totally make it viral dudes!
Here is the YouTube version, which is generally easier to share:
And here is the link to the Luke Janela YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/lukejanela
So hear for you first is the new video for the first track off of REDWOOD SUMMER – “Strobe Light”
Enjoy!
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To celebrate the final mix and master of Redwood Summer, I’m sending you this album version of track one: Strobe Light.
You heard it before, perhaps, but that was before the choir got added!
Enjoy!
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You hear: rock cello, acoustic guitar, 2 drum sets, many backup vocals, a choir.
OK so I’ve been talking about this for a while but now the album is getting mastered this Friday!
I’d really like to have any and all of your voices on the backup vocals for the chorus (just the chorus… easy!) of my song ‘True North’
The lyrics are simple and maybe cheesy, but whatevs. They are:
“Start a great fire
start a great fire
start a great fire
in your hearth
turn a blind eye
turn a blind eye
turn a blind eye
to the lie”
The way I envision you being able to do this is to simply open up any audio recording program on your computer (garageband on mac, audacity on PC), put headphones on in another program (say, itunes) press play on “true north”, press record on your audio program and sing along during the chorus into the computer’s mic. Yup, that mic is fine. It’s ok if it sounds treble-y, it will create a roomy ambience, it is the easiest option, and I will fit it in the mix however it goes. I don’t care if you sing it amazingly or not. I want the sound of many voices. If you have a better mic that is fine too.
Then you press stop on the audio program. Save the file as pretty much any audio format, and email it to me. No, I won’t hear the rest of the song because you had your headphones on, but don’t clip it down to just the chorus or anything like that so that it is easier to line up with the recording.
If you have time that is more than great. If you don’t, I understand. But please just take 5 minutes to do it if you want/can! You will be immortalized forever and most likely a radio signal will send your voice into space. Most likely. You will get credit on the album. You will be irrevocably awesome.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
Let me know if you think you will. I need it by thurs at the absolute latest (Sorry for the late notice… )
The mp3 is noted here. If it doesn’t show up in this facebook post, go to http://midnightdoor.com/word/?p=467
Thanks Guys!
So I have gone ahead and done my 1500th revision of my website. Someday I will leave it be. Someday. It seems like since the beginning I have needed to “improve” the site, make it easier to frequently update. Like this. And this.
But now I’ve found it maybe!
I want it to be such that new visitors will be able to quickly hear the music and get the feel for what I do. And I want it to be such that returning visitors like yourself get to this page, and that perhaps I’m a little bit more free with my commentary and posts on the blog. Bookmark this page!
Let me know what you think of the new design… MidnightDoor.com/LukeJanela
Download this action while you can!
Part of me knows I shouldn’t be too impulsive and leak out my own stuff, but my feeling is that, hey, if you are here at the site, you deserve to have it.
So here is your summer jam. I’m just so excited about this track. It’s a new kind of anthem for me to write, and it’s not even finished. Picture some sort of church choir in the middle instrumental. It’s on the upcoming “Redwood Summer” album. Lots of deep rock cello and crazy layered vocals.
Download it now, I’m gonna take it down as soon as I regain rational thought… enjoy!
The albums are coming along. I had the pleasure of recording some drums with Molly from Huff This!. She adds such a rock sound to the tracks. It’s perfect for the feel of the album.
So here is a more rounded out version of the song I posted a few weeks ago. This is the sample of the more rock, acoustic guitars and cello based album I’m calling ‘Redwood Summer’. Enjoy!
Remember the earlier version of this song?
Here is my sample from the electro-cello album tentatively called ‘Half Moon’. It’s the stuff I’ve been playing live lately.
Here is a sample of my all cello instrumental album, as yet un-named.
Here is where the electronic-instrumental album will be coming from.
