Working Versions

Wow, it's been a while since I posted. Woops. I've just been busy juggling work, (the attempt at a) social life, and recording the new Little Insects album I mentioned a while back.

Although work is still daunting and stressful and my social life is theoretical at best, I can safely say I've made progress on the new album. It will most likely have 10 tracks and that includes a unreleased songs mixed with re-recordings (and re-producing for that matter) of a few older songs. Don't ask for a track-list though, since I still haven't settled on what the titles will be of some of the new ones.

I'm excited, though.

I have working versions of all the songs. Two songs are streamable via Little Insects myspace or my YouTube channel.

Two songs that will definitely be on the album are these two below. They will have minor changes that maybe very careful listeners will be able to discern once the final versions are released:

1. Little Insects - Oh No!




2. Little Insects - Burn The City

Playing Weezer's "El Scorcho" on Piano

Since I have been getting some questions on YouTube about how to play Weezer's "El Scorcho" on piano after I posted this video:

I am now going to post my rough, notebook scribbles on how to play it. Obviously, I strayed from this during some parts but it is basically the same:

You Know What I Did This Summer

So it's been a fun summer, but, y'know, nothing gold can stay and what-not, and the summer is over today. Tomorrow classes start up again and so I now must reflect on my summer vacation (ala essays on the first day of school.)

To sum it all up succinctly: I spent the summer playing a lot of music. For example, I recorded a bunch of YouTube videos and took some music class and played some shows. And, upon, looking back at all these YouTube videos I recorded, I think I got a little bit better at playing piano and singing. Gotta thank a combination of Charles-Louis Hanon, the piano tips from my piano-virtuoso friend Danny, and Valencia Community College piano and voice teachers, Barbara A. Browning and Alan Gerber, respectively--and respectfully.

Before summer started (and before these classes started) I recorded this video:

1. A Man Walks Into a Bar (Jens Lekman Cover)

The singing is kinda weak, and the piano fingering is kinda messed up. Also, I was using the Kurzweil SP-76 semi-weighted keyboard, instead of the weighted Casio Privia PX-100 that I got mid-way through the summer from Craigslist for less than a used, Made-in-Mexico, Fender Strat.

2. "Casio Drone" & "Stop Taking Advice From Songs" (Original Song)

A few weeks into summer, and I'm still using the Kurzweil, but I would say my singing voice and piano technique are a little bit better than they were on the Jens Lekman cover.

3. "El Scorcho" (Weezer Cover)

About 3/4ths of the way through the summer, and in an attempt to play, left-handed, piano basslines spanning more than one octave, I attempted this cover of "El Scorcho" by Weezer, perhaps best known for it's multi-octave bassline, hook. The singing is kinda sloppy, but I definitely hit those falsetto notes that I probably couldn't hit before this summer.

4. "Shady Lane" (Pavement Cover)

This, one of my favorite songs of all time, I recorded today. It's essentially the day before school starts for students too (and basically when my real job begins.) This recording is basically a form of musical procrastination on all the stuff I have to get done for tomorrow. Okay, the singing is kinda weak but Malkmus is a tough songwriter to sing like, but I had tried to play it on piano a few months ago on a boring afternoon and I failed miserably at it since it's a lot more melodically/rhythmically complex than it sounds. Except today, when I tried playing the chords they just kinda fit together and it all clicked. Maybe the difference is that I shortened each chord's duration during the "Oh my god" part and that made it fit together a bit better. Or maybe I have made a little bit of progress over the summer.

Atomic Tweed Playlist for 08-05-09

'Atomic Tweed' Wednesday 6:00:00 AM-8:00:00 AM DJ: Omar DeLaRosa

Song Name	Artist	Album	Label
Loser 26	Beck	Mellow Gold	Dgc
Dominos 25(new)	The Big Pink	Dominos	----
Slow Dance 24(new)	Jeremy Jay	Slow Dance	K Records
Psychic City (voodoo City) 23(new)	Yacht	See Mystery Lights	Dfa
Basic Space 22(new)	The Xx	Xx	---
Gbg Belongs To Us (feat. Roos) 21(new)	Air France	A Love Letter In Three Parts	Yours Sincerely
I Am Young 20(new)	Coconut Records	Davy	Tunecore
Just For Today 19(local)	Chicago Bears	Demo	Live At Stardust Aug 7
Waving Hands 18(new)	Sunnybrook	Water Me Glow	---
Rain On 17(new)	Woods	Songs Of Shame	Woodist
The East River 16	Jeffrey Lewis	The Last Time I Took Acid I Went Insane	Self-released
Postcards From Italy 15	Beirut	Gulag Orkester	Bada Bing
Leave The City 14	Magnolia Electric Co.	What Comes After The Blues	Secretly Canadian
Away With Murder 13(new)	Camera Obscura	My Maudlin Career	---
Romantic Chances 12(local)(new)	Little Insects	Alphabet Super	Live At Stardust Aug 7
Evan's Way 11	Pants Yell!	Alison Statton	---
Celebrity Art Party 10	The Embarrassment	Heyday 1979-83	---
I Was Born (a Unicorn) 9	The Unicorns	Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone)	---
In The Morning 8	The Coral	Plasticimpossiblesummermix	---
The Waves 7(new)	Princeton	Plasticimpossiblesummermix	---
The Next Time Around 6(new)	Little Joy	Plasticimpossiblesummermix	----
Warm Heart Of Africa 5(new)	The Very Best	Plasticimpossiblesummermix	---
F Kenya Rip 4(new)	Highlife	Plasticimpossiblesummermix	---
From Africa To Malaga 3(new)	Jj	Yours0113	Yours Sincerely
Hellhole Ratrace 2(new)	Girls	Album	Turnstile Music
The Sun Was High (so Was I) 1(new)	Best Coast	Gorrila Vs. Bear	---

Genre Schmenre: A Plastic Impossible Music Party

This blog is 'having a music party.'

What does that mean? It's kinda like when there is all this music 'you' (in this case, though, 'this blog') thinks is really worth checking out and listening to and 'celebrating' by going to see it live.

That's basically it. Plastic Impossible is 'celebrating' 'music' that is 'good.'

I got no 'fancy analogies' for it, sorry.

Genre Schmenre is:

Michael Parallax
(from Gainesville and member of Oh Fortuna!)
http://www.myspace.com/michaelbringardner

Dark Sea of Awareness

(live electronics from Orlando)
http://www.myspace.com/darkseaofawareness

Little Insects
(Omar DeLaRosa + Casey Schwarz + Brian Phillips)
http://www.myspace.com/littleinsects

The Chicago Bears
(Casey Powers + Dustin Burton + McCarty Johnson)
http://www.myspace.com/thechicagobearsmusic

To Recap:

Friday August 7th, 2009.

Good Music.

at Stardust Video and Coffee.

at around 9pm.

for free.

for all ages.

Ghetto Vibrato Switch

Generally speaking, I have no complaints about my Fender Twin Reverb amp. It's great.

But I have one regret. And it's that I didn't get the foot-switch with it.

No footswitch means no convenient access to its awesome Vibrato/Tremelo effect. And because the connectors are a totally bizarre RCA-style jack, instead of the more common, more modern 1/4-inch switch pedal most amps and stuff use now, buying one for less than $40 ain't easy.

So instead of paying $40 for some footswitch on eBay, I went to a local, Orlando shop that's a RadioShack meets a scrap-yard called Skycraft Surplus. (Yes, it is the kooky-looking place with the giant, highly visible UFO and Rocket by the entrance.)

After spending only like $4 on a switch and a small cable and made my own ghetto switch--also using some electrical tape I had around the house.

Now, I can finally use that awesome Vibrato effect to make some sweet surf-rock sounds using of my amp.

Or at least some guitar that sounds like the guitar in the first few seconds of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth."

Plastic Impossible Summer Mix

Hey. I've made this mix of some "tight" songs that are "summery." I'm not sure what all that means, tho. Maybe it means you can listen to them by the pool or on the beach, but since they're kind of "indie" or "non-hits" (actually, it's very "world-folk" and "afro-pop" meets "psychadelic-rock" themed and not "indie" at all) you'd probably have to listen to them while drinking a micro-brew or like PBR or something like that.

Anyway, enjoy:

A Plastic Impossible Summer Mix:

1. The Coral - "In The Morning"

2. Princeton - "The Waves"

3. Little Joy - "The Next Time Around"

4. The Very Best - "Warm Heart of Africa (Esau Mwamwayu feat. Ezra Koenig)

5. King Sunny Ade - "Dele Davis"

6. Highlife - "F Kenya R.I.P."

7. Girls - "God Damned"

8. Best Coast - "Sun Was High (So Was I)"

9. Dead Gaze - "A Simple Man"

...or get them all by clicking here.

...or stream using the embedded player below.