Dodging Buses

I turn 40 today, and in honour of that, here is "Dodging Buses" (3.7 MB MP3 file), a three-minute instrumental number. Like many of my others, it has that signature Penmachine granky guitar-bass-drums sound, with a hint of AC/DC. I started recording it back in March, using my Yamaha Pacifica electric guitar tuned to an open E chord, but only in this past week did I add bass, mix, and then master it. The name comes from something I've said numerous times during my past two and half years of cancer treatment: the saying goes that you could get hit by a bus anytime, but personally, I feel like I'm dodging buses every day. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

What Child Is This? (Greensleeves)

A short (1 min 43 sec) solo classical guitar recording of me playing a solo classical guitar version of "What Child Is This?" (2.4 MB MP3 file), a traditional Christmas carol, also known as "Greensleeves" when it's not Christmastime. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

In Phase One

Based on an old guitar riff I recorded more than two years ago, finally built into an actual instrumental tune while sitting at the B.C. Cancer Agency waiting around for blood tests and such. "In Phase One" (3.1 MB MP3 file, about 2 min 20 sec) has something of an '80s U2/Police/New Wave feel. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Spokesmodel Six Eight

Earlier in 2008, I borrowed a set of MIDI electronic drums from our friends KA, Jeff, and Clive. "Spokesmodel Six Eight" (2.9 MB MP3 file) emerged from using that kit: its name comes from the 6/8 time signature I chose to play it in, since that's something not easy to find in the built-in drum loops for GarageBand. It's another track I expected to finish off, polish, and remix at some point, because it's nothing but drums and some guitars. No bass, no keyboards, no vocals, hardly any arrangement there at all. But it doesn't need more than that, and I particularly like the sounds of the guitars I managed to obtain. So rock out with it. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Striking Silver

At almost twelve and a half minutes, “Striking Silver” (MP3 file, 14 MB) is by far the longest instrumental track I've ever posted here. I originally created it as a background track for the Inside Home Recording podcast, made with (and as part of a review of) Guitar Rig 3 by Native Instruments. It's ambient, spacey, noodley, and recorded in one take with only a single guitar, my G&L Tribute S-500. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Putting up the Christmas tree (video)

We put up and decorated our Christmas tree today. So I made a time-lapse movie of it. The music is my earlier recording of "We Three Kings." Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Quick 'n' Dirty Drums

What? Four months without a podcast episode, and more than eight months since my last new tune, and all I have for you is a drum track?! Yup, "Quick 'n' Dirty Drums" (3.5 MB, 2 min 35 sec MP3 file) is it. I played them at 120 beats per minute (bpm) if you want to use them in a song. These drums were originally recorded for an episode of Inside Home Recording, a podcast I co-cost and which you should listen to. This work is dedicated to the Public Domain.

Happy birthday to Derek from podcasters (spoken word)

Mark Blevis emailed me an audio file (3 min 21 sec), a happy birthday message (I turn 38 tomorrow) from podcasters all over the place. Holy crap. Thanks everybody, I’m stunned. My wife had to get me some tissues after I started listening to it, so it did its job. The backing track is my tune “Fakeout.” The message is © 2007 by Mark Blevis, Bill Deys, Sean McGaughey, and Bob Goyetche, as well as everyone else who contributed. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give everyone involved credit.

Fakeout

What do I do when I get diagnosed with colon cancer? Blog the heck out of it, and record a fiery little instrumental number like “Fakeout” (MP3 file, 3 min 12 sec). I actually recorded it entirely on my MacBook laptop with my Strat and a series of bass, drum, and other sound loops, processed with IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube 2 Live amp emulator. Les Thorn in New York City managed to refine and punch up the mix amazingly well during his mastering job. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Funkly Dougietude (with Doug Elliott)

This tune comprises two bass tracks, laid down over a waltz-time drum loop by Doug Elliott (of Vancouver's Odds) between sets when another band he plays in with me had a show, and three guitar tracks layered on by me a little over a week later, on the morning on December 31, 2006. “Funkly Dougietude” (1 MB MP3 file) is only 47 seconds long. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give Doug and me credit.

Mighty Mullane - full version

This is the full-length three-minute version of Mighty Mullane, a synth-funk number with a hint of Aerosmith in the beat that I wrote at the request of Tris Hussey. The name derives from The Mullanes, one of the original proposed names for Crowded House, a favourite band of mine. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Mighty Mullane - short version

This is the short 44-second version of Mighty Mullane, a synth-funk number with a hint of Aerosmith in the beat that I wrote at the request of Tris Hussey. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

El Campo

My tribute to Santana, "El Campo" is also a semi-official theme song for the informal BarCamp geek meetups that take place all around the world. For once, I recorded it using Apple's Logic Express instead of GarageBand. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Alpaca Cheese

I recorded “Alpaca Cheese” (5.3 MB MP3 file), a guitar instrumental solo piece, in one take, using a modified single-pickup Yamaha Pacifica guitar I bought in the summer of 2006, routed into IK Multimedia's AmpliTube 2 amplifier emulator software. I used no other instruments or external effects, without any overdubs or edits. All the tonal changes come from playing softer and louder and using the volume knob. And the name? My two daughters had been learning about alpacas, and were a bit confused about the goat cheese on my wife’s restaurant salad.. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

All Blues jam (with Dave Dederer and Doug Kaye)

On Canada Day 2006, I found myself drumming in an impromptu jam with Dave Dederer of the famous band The Presidents of the United States of America (on guitar) and podcaster Doug Kaye (on bass), on Miles Davis's 1959 jazz composition "All Blues." It's not podsafe, so you can't share or modify this recording, but I hope you like it as I did. Chris Pirillo recorded it on his video camera at his Gnomedex 6 tech conference party at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. Composition © 1959 Miles Davis, all rights reserved.

Tell Me About Gnomedex

Back in February 2006, Chris Pirillo, the organizer of the legendary Gnomedex tech conference, asked me to record a theme song for the 2006 Gnomedex meeting in Seattle. He asked other attendees to send in audio voice snippets for me to include. This is the full version of "Tell Me About Gnomedex" (2.6 MB MP3 file), with lead and background vocals and speech samples. You can also download a karaoke version (background vocals and instruments) or an instrumental version (no vocals), in which you can most effectively hear the cowbell. Speech samples from very kind Gnomedexer contributors, and from Sarah Pullman, Chris, and Ponzi on Geek Entertainment Television, February 2006. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give the 2006 Gnomedexers credit.

You're the Big Sky - instrumental version

This is the instrumental version (4.5 MB MP3 file) of "You're the Big Sky," which I published earlier as a song with lyrics. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

A Pizza Without Time

I think the title for "A Pizza Without Time" (5 MB MP3 file) came from an off-hand remark by my friend Richard Campbell on the Mondays podcast, but I created the tune for Lucian's Planet TV Show. The screechy intro and burbly synth sounds were inspired by the 1980s theme for Friday Night Videos. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Marina Bay

There are two versions of "Marina Bay" (3 MB MP3 file), both from the same recording, but mastered very differently by Les Thorn in New York City. The first, what I call the "crunchy" version, is interesting but sounded a little harsh to me. Les re-did it as the "mellow" version, which I prefer. You can choose either one. Both came from a simple piano line I wrote, and then several overdubbed, heavily effected guitar tracks that I had planned to mix in and out. But the watery result of leaving all the guitar tracks in sounded even better. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Camp Walk

"Camp Walk" is a 2.5 MP3 file, and a short little tune used by Roland Tanglao as the soundtrack to a brief movie assembled from pictures taken during Moose Camp at Northern Voice 2006. I custom composed and recorded “Camp Walk” for the occasion. It is a hard-rockin', vaguely White Stripes-y instrumental that's a minute and a half long. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

More Red Than Red (Windows Weekly theme)

There are two recordings here, both based on the same source material: "More Red Than Red" (2:45 min) and "Less Red Than Red" (1:30 min). I wrote "Less Red" first, for a short web film that Roland was putting together (I don't know if he ever finished it). I made a longer mix of the same composition with some extra instrumentation (most notably piano), which became "More Red." Some time later Leo Laporte started using it as the theme for his Windows Weekly podcast with Paul Thurrott, which is where most people probably recognize it now. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

We Three Kings

Back in October 2005, I said I would record a Christmas carol, and thought that "We Three Kings" (2.8 MB MP3 file), written by John Hopkins Jr. (1820–1891), would be a good one. So here it is. Unlike any of my other tunes, this has no loops, samples, MIDI instruments, or other fancy stuff. It's just me playing the classical guitar my parents bought for lessons when I was 10 years old. The composition is public domain, and my recording is licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

P and P

"P and P" (2.8 MB MP3 file) is a remix of "Pirilloponzi," a song I put together using sampled voices from Chris and Ponzi on the Chris Pirillo Show earlier in 2005. This version no longer has vocals, but it's the same guitar part I recorded before, with completely different background tracks, and speeded up to 140 beats per minute. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Washing Off Like an Aardvark (Planet TV theme)

"I'm washing off like an aardvark!" said my seven-year-old daughter a few days ago.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I dunno. It just sounded silly."

"I like it," I said. "I should use it as the title for my next song" (3.8 MB MP3 file).

And so I have. It's a stompin', semi-Latin hard rock instrumental. Later on, it became the theme of Lucian's Planet TV Show podcast—so I made short, shorter, and shortest versions for him as well.

Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit.

Meltdown Man (as heard in "Paper or Plastic?")

"Meltdown Man" (3.8 MB MP3 file) is a rockabilly instrumental I created in the summer of 2005, and which was later licensed by the makers of the documentary film Paper or Plastic? I recorded it because I heard a rockabilly tune one day and wanted to see if I could create something similar, with a single electric guitar, bass, and drums. I think it worked out pretty well. Licensed for you to share and reuse, as long as you give me credit. This song is also available for you to buy on my album, Penmachine Sessions.