Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:02:23 +0200 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/ en-EN contact@hearthis.at contact@hearthis.at https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/ https://img.hearthis.at/4/6/0/_/uploads/dummy/user/w1400_h1400_q70_ptrue_v2_----cropped_user_01064.png no no https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/we-are-what-we-are-a-test-pattern/
I forgot about this one, but in the interest of putting everything out here it is.

Not that many people will care because SoundCloud has turned to shit, but a little while ago I posted a really quick put together 70's glam rock style song called 'We Are What We Are'. I literally did it in a few hours. It had some honky-tonk piano and big hook chorus etc. But it didn't start like that.

Not that this is a good recording, but it is interesting to see how songs start out and what they evolve into. This is the first version that really was done in one shot. Apart from the guitar it is completely different (probably drags a bit).

This track is just me testing out a riff and an idea. I don't even have the melody yet. It has an almost post-punk vibe to it.

Here is the final version:

https://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/we-are-what-we-are

Well, as I said. It is just me getting everything out.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp]]>
I forgot about this one, but in the interest of putting everything out here it is.

Not that many people will care because SoundCloud has turned to shit, but a little while ago I posted a really quick put together 70's glam rock style song called 'We Are What We Are'. I literally did it in a few hours. It had some honky-tonk piano and big hook chorus etc. But it didn't start like that.

Not that this is a good recording, but it is interesting to see how songs start out and what they evolve into. This is the first version that really was done in one shot. Apart from the guitar it is completely different (probably drags a bit).

This track is just me testing out a riff and an idea. I don't even have the melody yet. It has an almost post-punk vibe to it.

Here is the final version:

https://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/we-are-what-we-are

Well, as I said. It is just me getting everything out.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp]]> 1526629 no no Tue, 20 Jun 2017 07:49:36 +0200 2017-06-20T07:49:36+02:00 3:12 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/blues-in-ya-shoes-instrumental/
Just another track to let people know that I am still here.

Recorded in maybe 2000 or 2001 (maybe later), this is one is pretty old. I kind of ignored this track for a long while, but I thought that the sound quality was good enough to put it out. Anyway, here it is. It is what it is.

Nothing to really say about this track. It is basically a 60's/70's style blues jam (not my most inspired guitar effort). The beat was boosted from a live Bowie rendition of 'Five Years' - I use to do that kind of thing a lot.

Hope you enjoy.

The East Village Vampire]]>
Just another track to let people know that I am still here.

Recorded in maybe 2000 or 2001 (maybe later), this is one is pretty old. I kind of ignored this track for a long while, but I thought that the sound quality was good enough to put it out. Anyway, here it is. It is what it is.

Nothing to really say about this track. It is basically a 60's/70's style blues jam (not my most inspired guitar effort). The beat was boosted from a live Bowie rendition of 'Five Years' - I use to do that kind of thing a lot.

Hope you enjoy.

The East Village Vampire]]> 1526630 no no Wed, 29 Mar 2017 01:29:12 +0200 2017-03-29T01:29:12+02:00 4:01 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/soul-power-the-feeling-begins/
This is my first upload in almost 12 months. Hopefully you are still with me.

Thought I'd kick it off with one of my electro workouts as I’m still not ready to start writing songs - they're not too far away. On the bright side I like this one.

Nobody will believe me but the sound and idea for this track came to me in a dream. I guess I wanted to capture the universal nature of “soul” music by combining unrelated pieces of music. Not to get all spiritual on you, but soul music is soul music no matter where it comes from. Anyway, that is the idea.

I used the following samples:

· “Soul Power” by James Brown

· “The Feeling Begins” by Peter Gabriel

· “Stand” by Sly & The Family Stone

· “I Have A Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr

· A 1960’s television interview by James Baldwin

Beyond that it is all East Village Vampire.

In the end, the track comes out as some kind of Arabic, soul techno fusion. To my mind it works and has some pretty cool moments.

Needless to say, I don’t own the rights to the samples. But since I don’t intend to do anything commercial with the track I guess it doesn't matter.

I hope you enjoy.

The East Village Vampire]]>
This is my first upload in almost 12 months. Hopefully you are still with me.

Thought I'd kick it off with one of my electro workouts as I’m still not ready to start writing songs - they're not too far away. On the bright side I like this one.

Nobody will believe me but the sound and idea for this track came to me in a dream. I guess I wanted to capture the universal nature of “soul” music by combining unrelated pieces of music. Not to get all spiritual on you, but soul music is soul music no matter where it comes from. Anyway, that is the idea.

I used the following samples:

· “Soul Power” by James Brown

· “The Feeling Begins” by Peter Gabriel

· “Stand” by Sly & The Family Stone

· “I Have A Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr

· A 1960’s television interview by James Baldwin

Beyond that it is all East Village Vampire.

In the end, the track comes out as some kind of Arabic, soul techno fusion. To my mind it works and has some pretty cool moments.

Needless to say, I don’t own the rights to the samples. But since I don’t intend to do anything commercial with the track I guess it doesn't matter.

I hope you enjoy.

The East Village Vampire]]> 1526631 no no Tue, 24 Jan 2017 07:02:42 +0100 2017-01-24T07:02:42+01:00 5:39 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/malaria/
Better out than in. I have no real memory of putting this together. It was done a long time ago and has been sitting on my old laptop going grey and losing hair along with the outdated software. I gave it a once over during the end of year break.

I have basically uploaded this track to let people know that I am still here. Even I don't like it.

Who knows when I will feel like doing anything close to real music. No time soon.

The East Village Vampire

]]>
Better out than in. I have no real memory of putting this together. It was done a long time ago and has been sitting on my old laptop going grey and losing hair along with the outdated software. I gave it a once over during the end of year break.

I have basically uploaded this track to let people know that I am still here. Even I don't like it.

Who knows when I will feel like doing anything close to real music. No time soon.

The East Village Vampire

]]> 1526632 no no Mon, 22 Feb 2016 12:28:42 +0100 2016-02-22T12:28:42+01:00 4:00 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/i-am-the-nightrider/
This is my fuel drenched love letter to the spirit of the most Australian, most aggressive, most electric bit of dialogue ever uttered in the history of film. Cult actor Vincent Gil nailed the true essence of nihilism in the intro of George Miller's 1979 classic Mad Max (forget that 2015 piece of crap).

Check this bit of dialogue out:

Max:

Much damage?

Nightrider:

[via radio] You should see the damage, bronze. Huh? metal damage, brain damage. Heheheh. You listen bronze. I am the Nightrider. I'm a fuel injected suicide machine. I am the rocker, I am the roller, I am the out-of-controller! I'm the Nightrider, baby,
[unintelligible]

And we ain't never comin' back!

-------

Forget anyhing that you thought was punk or rebellious. No band in history has ever delivered a line as utterly anarchic as "I'm a fuel injected suicide machine". I get excited just typing it.

I put this together years ago and decided to dust it off while I take an extended break from songs. Hopefully my choice of music does some justice to the venom spat out by Vincent Gil. The music is loud and saturated but it works given the subject matter. I like to think this is what the Nightrider would be listening to today had Max not driven him off the road back in 79.

For those of you who follow my music this is obviously not the norm, but I dig it.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire


]]>
This is my fuel drenched love letter to the spirit of the most Australian, most aggressive, most electric bit of dialogue ever uttered in the history of film. Cult actor Vincent Gil nailed the true essence of nihilism in the intro of George Miller's 1979 classic Mad Max (forget that 2015 piece of crap).

Check this bit of dialogue out:

Max:

Much damage?

Nightrider:

[via radio] You should see the damage, bronze. Huh? metal damage, brain damage. Heheheh. You listen bronze. I am the Nightrider. I'm a fuel injected suicide machine. I am the rocker, I am the roller, I am the out-of-controller! I'm the Nightrider, baby,
[unintelligible]

And we ain't never comin' back!

-------

Forget anyhing that you thought was punk or rebellious. No band in history has ever delivered a line as utterly anarchic as "I'm a fuel injected suicide machine". I get excited just typing it.

I put this together years ago and decided to dust it off while I take an extended break from songs. Hopefully my choice of music does some justice to the venom spat out by Vincent Gil. The music is loud and saturated but it works given the subject matter. I like to think this is what the Nightrider would be listening to today had Max not driven him off the road back in 79.

For those of you who follow my music this is obviously not the norm, but I dig it.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire


]]> 1526633 no no Mon, 07 Sep 2015 13:38:52 +0200 2015-09-07T13:38:52+02:00 5:03 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/nightclubbing-a-cover-by-the-east-village-vamp/
Up until now the only cover I have ever recorded was ‘John The Revelator’ and even that is just a take on a standard.

Anyway, ‘The Idiot’ by Iggy Pop (and let’s face it, David Bowie) is in my top 5 favourite albums of all time. Depending on my mood it can even be No.1. It is cold, detached, evocative and completely unrepresentative of anything Iggy ever did before or after. Although my favorite song is easily ‘Mass Production’ this is a cover of one of the most well known tracks off the album, ‘Nightclubbing’.

My version is a mess. It goes out of time, out of tune, it has disinterested singing and some scuzzed up production. It probably suits the boozed out nocturnal nature of the song to some extent.

It came about a few months back when I was zombie watching TV and by chance hit on a cool way of playing the song on my acoustic guitar. I then just hit record and bashed it out. I also added a bit of record crackle to it for a bit of ambience.

I wanted to get a bit of a bluesy funeral procession vibe. You know, that kind of blues where they beat the big bass drum.

So come and join me for a boozed out, blurred blues as we stumble home through neon streets after a night of living dead debauchery.

Shit, where did that come from?

Enjoy!

The East Village Vampire
]]>
Up until now the only cover I have ever recorded was ‘John The Revelator’ and even that is just a take on a standard.

Anyway, ‘The Idiot’ by Iggy Pop (and let’s face it, David Bowie) is in my top 5 favourite albums of all time. Depending on my mood it can even be No.1. It is cold, detached, evocative and completely unrepresentative of anything Iggy ever did before or after. Although my favorite song is easily ‘Mass Production’ this is a cover of one of the most well known tracks off the album, ‘Nightclubbing’.

My version is a mess. It goes out of time, out of tune, it has disinterested singing and some scuzzed up production. It probably suits the boozed out nocturnal nature of the song to some extent.

It came about a few months back when I was zombie watching TV and by chance hit on a cool way of playing the song on my acoustic guitar. I then just hit record and bashed it out. I also added a bit of record crackle to it for a bit of ambience.

I wanted to get a bit of a bluesy funeral procession vibe. You know, that kind of blues where they beat the big bass drum.

So come and join me for a boozed out, blurred blues as we stumble home through neon streets after a night of living dead debauchery.

Shit, where did that come from?

Enjoy!

The East Village Vampire
]]> 1526634 no no Mon, 20 Jul 2015 10:00:12 +0200 2015-07-20T10:00:12+02:00 3:20 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/chaplin-the-vampire-truth/
It can be anything. It is like hearing The Beatles for the first time or seeing the Pyramids of Giza. I’m talking about those moments of wonder that make you think that human beings are capable of anything.

With this in mind, I recently watched Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Great Dictator’ from 1940 (I couldn’t believe that I had not seen it before). When I got to his famous monologue it was like being hit by lightning. Eloquent, passionate and armed to teeth with universal truth. It is as relevant today as back in the 1940’s.

It is also incredible to think that the greatest monologue in the history of cinema was delivered by the very icon of silent film.

Anyway, I decided to sample the monlologue and put some music to it. Originally I was working on a stirring and ornate piece of music, but for some reason I shelved it in place of a sludgy blues jam. Something about Chaplin’s passionate reading that called for something a bit more aggressive in my mind. You may not agree.

To be fair, although the entire monologue is incredible it is from the line “To those who can hear me” that it becomes spellbinding (approx 1 min & 31 secs). At least in my opinion. To round it out I also included the ‘Hannah’ Monologue at the end which concludes it nicely.

Enjoy!

The Vampire
]]>
It can be anything. It is like hearing The Beatles for the first time or seeing the Pyramids of Giza. I’m talking about those moments of wonder that make you think that human beings are capable of anything.

With this in mind, I recently watched Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Great Dictator’ from 1940 (I couldn’t believe that I had not seen it before). When I got to his famous monologue it was like being hit by lightning. Eloquent, passionate and armed to teeth with universal truth. It is as relevant today as back in the 1940’s.

It is also incredible to think that the greatest monologue in the history of cinema was delivered by the very icon of silent film.

Anyway, I decided to sample the monlologue and put some music to it. Originally I was working on a stirring and ornate piece of music, but for some reason I shelved it in place of a sludgy blues jam. Something about Chaplin’s passionate reading that called for something a bit more aggressive in my mind. You may not agree.

To be fair, although the entire monologue is incredible it is from the line “To those who can hear me” that it becomes spellbinding (approx 1 min & 31 secs). At least in my opinion. To round it out I also included the ‘Hannah’ Monologue at the end which concludes it nicely.

Enjoy!

The Vampire
]]> 1526635 no no Mon, 25 May 2015 12:21:29 +0200 2015-05-25T12:21:29+02:00 4:55 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/a-river-runs-through-my-veins/
Here is a complete throw away.

I’ve said it before, sometimes I just need to record even when I don’t have anything planned. I have always felt that if I’m not constantly doing something new then whatever questionable talent, skill or whatever I might have will simply evaporate.

As such, ‘A River Runs Through My Veins’ was written and performed on the fly in mid-Feb 2015. It probably took me two or three sittings (including mixing). Basically I had some rare quiet time and really wanted something to record so I grabbed a few old note books, grabbed a number of spare lines that seemed to be on a common theme and pushed a song out as quickly as it came together.

It isn’t great, but as an example of me working quickly it is OK. I like that you can hear random ideas coming together. For instance that fat throaty rock guitar that kicks in over the acoustics. That was 100% spontaneous and sent the song in a completely different direction.

The quality is a bit hit and miss, or in other words a bit East Village Vampire like. That is OK because I dig the feel.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp

Lyrics...

I was on my way from my feet to the ground
I looked up because up's always been down
Get hit hardest when I’m trying to sing
It’s all a lie you can’t achieve everything.

Man its a joke with your dreams up in smoke
Or opening up to a talk show host
Heading downtown on a Saturday night
It's as good as it gets in this short, short life.

A river runs through my veins
A river runs through...

I use to drink when I was feeling alright
I use to sleep and find peace at night
The world hits hard it hammers your bones
And when it stops only the hammer knows

It will all drag you down if you follow that sound
And leave you stranded in a dark part of town
It will spend all your money on shit you don’t need
Spread like a cancer on your hope it will feed

A river runs through my veins
A river runs through...

Let go of who you are
You're never too old
And you're never too far...



]]>
Here is a complete throw away.

I’ve said it before, sometimes I just need to record even when I don’t have anything planned. I have always felt that if I’m not constantly doing something new then whatever questionable talent, skill or whatever I might have will simply evaporate.

As such, ‘A River Runs Through My Veins’ was written and performed on the fly in mid-Feb 2015. It probably took me two or three sittings (including mixing). Basically I had some rare quiet time and really wanted something to record so I grabbed a few old note books, grabbed a number of spare lines that seemed to be on a common theme and pushed a song out as quickly as it came together.

It isn’t great, but as an example of me working quickly it is OK. I like that you can hear random ideas coming together. For instance that fat throaty rock guitar that kicks in over the acoustics. That was 100% spontaneous and sent the song in a completely different direction.

The quality is a bit hit and miss, or in other words a bit East Village Vampire like. That is OK because I dig the feel.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp

Lyrics...

I was on my way from my feet to the ground
I looked up because up's always been down
Get hit hardest when I’m trying to sing
It’s all a lie you can’t achieve everything.

Man its a joke with your dreams up in smoke
Or opening up to a talk show host
Heading downtown on a Saturday night
It's as good as it gets in this short, short life.

A river runs through my veins
A river runs through...

I use to drink when I was feeling alright
I use to sleep and find peace at night
The world hits hard it hammers your bones
And when it stops only the hammer knows

It will all drag you down if you follow that sound
And leave you stranded in a dark part of town
It will spend all your money on shit you don’t need
Spread like a cancer on your hope it will feed

A river runs through my veins
A river runs through...

Let go of who you are
You're never too old
And you're never too far...



]]> 1526636 no no Mon, 20 Apr 2015 13:38:22 +0200 2015-04-20T13:38:22+02:00 4:08 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/we-are-what-we-are/
In short, it is a bit of fuzzed up glam rock that just hammers on a 4 chord sequence. I shouldn't be so dismissive as it is probably somewhat catchy. You can hear me destroying my voice on the vocal lead. I also dig the kind of Lady Madonna or Bowie TVC-15 style piano.

The song is basically about the fact that most people don't/can't change (yep, We Are What We Are). Take me for instance, I shouldn't waste my time on music but here I go again. The inspiration came when I was recently told that I would never change. They were right because a song came out about an hour later.

Some people claim that you are what you pretend to be. Bullshit! We are what we are. Just ask Norman Bates how well pretending to be something he wasn't turned out for him.

Hope you enjoy!

the East Village Vampire

LYRICS...


We are what we are

I'm changing outside
Because inside is locked away
The more you ask the more things stay the same
Over the years I've learnt a thing or two
People don't change
No matter what they say or do

We are what we are...

You know the night can't pass as a bright new day
You know that anger can't never be stored away
Over the years I've learnt a thing or two
People can't change
No matter what they say or do

We are what we are...

I'm changing outside
But inside is locked away
The more you ask the more things stay the same
Over the years I've learnt a thing or two
People don't change
No matter what they say or do

We are what we are...
]]>
In short, it is a bit of fuzzed up glam rock that just hammers on a 4 chord sequence. I shouldn't be so dismissive as it is probably somewhat catchy. You can hear me destroying my voice on the vocal lead. I also dig the kind of Lady Madonna or Bowie TVC-15 style piano.

The song is basically about the fact that most people don't/can't change (yep, We Are What We Are). Take me for instance, I shouldn't waste my time on music but here I go again. The inspiration came when I was recently told that I would never change. They were right because a song came out about an hour later.

Some people claim that you are what you pretend to be. Bullshit! We are what we are. Just ask Norman Bates how well pretending to be something he wasn't turned out for him.

Hope you enjoy!

the East Village Vampire

LYRICS...


We are what we are

I'm changing outside
Because inside is locked away
The more you ask the more things stay the same
Over the years I've learnt a thing or two
People don't change
No matter what they say or do

We are what we are...

You know the night can't pass as a bright new day
You know that anger can't never be stored away
Over the years I've learnt a thing or two
People can't change
No matter what they say or do

We are what we are...

I'm changing outside
But inside is locked away
The more you ask the more things stay the same
Over the years I've learnt a thing or two
People don't change
No matter what they say or do

We are what we are...
]]> 1526637 no no Tue, 17 Mar 2015 11:17:23 +0100 2015-03-17T11:17:23+01:00 4:16 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/the-god-in-me-just-evaporated/
This is a strange one to kick things off. It falls under the category of what I describe as ‘fever dream’ music.

“The God In Me Just Evaporated” is a strange mix of blues, electro, disco, post punk and maybe a bit of ambient for good measure. It came about pretty organically as bits and pieces started to merge together to form a picture.

The song was inspired by my home country of Australia. I don’t often write about Australia as everywhere else always seems a lot more exciting to me – you know, the grass is always greener. Anyway, what you quickly discover about Australia is that once you leave civilization (i.e. Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane etc) and venture into the outback it can become a pretty terrifying place. If something can bite you, poison you, eat you, break you or generally scare the hell out of you it resides down under. Make no mistake, Australia is unforgiving.

Importantly, there is a real sense of isolation in the Australian outback. I’ve been around and to me it is different to any other desert or landscape anywhere in the world. It is alien. It feels like nothing has ever existed out there. It feels like a land before time. I’ve heard someone describe as being older than God.

With that in mind, I was also inspired by the brilliant 2005 John Hillcoat film ‘The Proposition’ and its idea that God does not exist in the outback – that the land sucks any belief out of you (i.e. the God in me just evaporated). I actually sampled the film. You can hear Guy Pearce and the beyond incredible John Hurt conversing. I tried to write lyrics that reflect the feeling of their conversation. I don’t know... You’ll get the idea. It is more about mood.

I think the music does a good job communicating vastness. I also give my old Guild 12 string a workout which I haven’t used in a while. Think I’ll end up using it a lot more this year.

I like this one.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire



LYRICS...

Mr Lamb:

"Russia, China, The Congo... Oh, I have travelled among unknown people in lands beyond the sea.

But nothing! Nothing could have prepared me for this God forsaken hole."

East Village Vampire:

I am lost in a shroud of stars
I am lost and on my own
Feel it leaving me behind
Soon the land will claim my bones
Because there's nothing out here to find
No there's nothing but sand and stone
And those birds circling the sky
Will never point the way back home
See them turn and turn and turn
See them turn and turn and turn

Charlie Burns:

"Do you pray Mr. Lamb?"

Mr. Lamb:

"Good lord son no I do not!

I was in days gone by a believer, but alas I came to this beleaguered land and the God in me just evaporated..."

The East Village Vampire:

I feel all God leaving my soul
I feel the city lights fading away
And all memory of you will dissolve
but the scars will always remain
And the land is looking for blood
And it knows that's what it will find
And those birds keep circling the sky
See them turn and turn and turn
See them turn and turn and turn

See them turn and turn and turn
See them turn and turn and turn

]]>
This is a strange one to kick things off. It falls under the category of what I describe as ‘fever dream’ music.

“The God In Me Just Evaporated” is a strange mix of blues, electro, disco, post punk and maybe a bit of ambient for good measure. It came about pretty organically as bits and pieces started to merge together to form a picture.

The song was inspired by my home country of Australia. I don’t often write about Australia as everywhere else always seems a lot more exciting to me – you know, the grass is always greener. Anyway, what you quickly discover about Australia is that once you leave civilization (i.e. Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane etc) and venture into the outback it can become a pretty terrifying place. If something can bite you, poison you, eat you, break you or generally scare the hell out of you it resides down under. Make no mistake, Australia is unforgiving.

Importantly, there is a real sense of isolation in the Australian outback. I’ve been around and to me it is different to any other desert or landscape anywhere in the world. It is alien. It feels like nothing has ever existed out there. It feels like a land before time. I’ve heard someone describe as being older than God.

With that in mind, I was also inspired by the brilliant 2005 John Hillcoat film ‘The Proposition’ and its idea that God does not exist in the outback – that the land sucks any belief out of you (i.e. the God in me just evaporated). I actually sampled the film. You can hear Guy Pearce and the beyond incredible John Hurt conversing. I tried to write lyrics that reflect the feeling of their conversation. I don’t know... You’ll get the idea. It is more about mood.

I think the music does a good job communicating vastness. I also give my old Guild 12 string a workout which I haven’t used in a while. Think I’ll end up using it a lot more this year.

I like this one.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire



LYRICS...

Mr Lamb:

"Russia, China, The Congo... Oh, I have travelled among unknown people in lands beyond the sea.

But nothing! Nothing could have prepared me for this God forsaken hole."

East Village Vampire:

I am lost in a shroud of stars
I am lost and on my own
Feel it leaving me behind
Soon the land will claim my bones
Because there's nothing out here to find
No there's nothing but sand and stone
And those birds circling the sky
Will never point the way back home
See them turn and turn and turn
See them turn and turn and turn

Charlie Burns:

"Do you pray Mr. Lamb?"

Mr. Lamb:

"Good lord son no I do not!

I was in days gone by a believer, but alas I came to this beleaguered land and the God in me just evaporated..."

The East Village Vampire:

I feel all God leaving my soul
I feel the city lights fading away
And all memory of you will dissolve
but the scars will always remain
And the land is looking for blood
And it knows that's what it will find
And those birds keep circling the sky
See them turn and turn and turn
See them turn and turn and turn

See them turn and turn and turn
See them turn and turn and turn

]]> 1526638 no no Sun, 15 Feb 2015 13:06:19 +0100 2015-02-15T13:06:19+01:00 5:32 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/she-never-touched-my-soul-like-rock-n-roll/
It is not that it is a bad song. It is OK. It just seemed to be blocking me up creatively so I was in a rush to finish it.

It is actually a very honest song from a lyrical perspective. It is all about wasting time pining for someone that you know isn’t worth it. I tried to sum it up in the chorus by saying I am fully aware that I am obsessing over someone who could never even touch me like music.

Anyway, the music itself is my brand of country - fairly minimalist. It usually consists of just a handful of chords. I refer to this kind of music as ‘country drift’. It seems to float around on a country backdrop and gets a bit trance like or even psychedelic. Once again I picked up the banjo.

I rushed the vocals on this one, you can hear me stumble in the second. I was eager to move on to a more rocking song that is in the works so I decided to just give this the once over.

One thing I do like is the nifty little guitar solo. It was a complete one off and first take. It had a really compact feel to me.

All in all, this is a very traditional sounding song by my standards. I like the melody and probably should have spent a bit more time developing it and adding other parts. For now it is what it is.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp

LYRICS…

14 years just to say goodbye
And I don’t know why I could never let her go
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

Man I tried in a blink of an eye
Wasted time…
How was I to know?
She’d never touch my soul like rock n’ roll

She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

I’m so tired yet night pass slow
It probably shows that I am still alone
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

I ain’t sure of where I’m going,
But where I’ve been...
Honey it was never home
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

I'll never learn / I already know
I have no control
I can never let her go
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

Drifting out or passing through
It's all I can do
Got nothing more to show
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll
]]>
It is not that it is a bad song. It is OK. It just seemed to be blocking me up creatively so I was in a rush to finish it.

It is actually a very honest song from a lyrical perspective. It is all about wasting time pining for someone that you know isn’t worth it. I tried to sum it up in the chorus by saying I am fully aware that I am obsessing over someone who could never even touch me like music.

Anyway, the music itself is my brand of country - fairly minimalist. It usually consists of just a handful of chords. I refer to this kind of music as ‘country drift’. It seems to float around on a country backdrop and gets a bit trance like or even psychedelic. Once again I picked up the banjo.

I rushed the vocals on this one, you can hear me stumble in the second. I was eager to move on to a more rocking song that is in the works so I decided to just give this the once over.

One thing I do like is the nifty little guitar solo. It was a complete one off and first take. It had a really compact feel to me.

All in all, this is a very traditional sounding song by my standards. I like the melody and probably should have spent a bit more time developing it and adding other parts. For now it is what it is.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp

LYRICS…

14 years just to say goodbye
And I don’t know why I could never let her go
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

Man I tried in a blink of an eye
Wasted time…
How was I to know?
She’d never touch my soul like rock n’ roll

She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

I’m so tired yet night pass slow
It probably shows that I am still alone
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

I ain’t sure of where I’m going,
But where I’ve been...
Honey it was never home
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

I'll never learn / I already know
I have no control
I can never let her go
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

Drifting out or passing through
It's all I can do
Got nothing more to show
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll

She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll
She never touched my soul like rock n’ roll
]]> 1526639 no no Thu, 06 Nov 2014 04:09:49 +0100 2014-11-06T04:09:49+01:00 3:33 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/exploding-all-over-you/
Basically a good friend of mine (who I often use as a sounding board) described the track as me 'exploding all over the place'. Expecting some kind of country rock number, he said that it sounded like I was releasing a lot of frustration in the track. He was probably right.

This loose, balls to the wall jam was one of the first tracks I recorded after after my recent 5 month musical hiatus. It was really just intended to get the cobwebs out and get the blood pumping. I never thought of putting it out but I dig it for what it is.

You can hear a lot of my adolescent rock influences in it - The Stooges, The MC5, The Rolling Stones, Little Richard, AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, etc.

I particularly like the free flowing bass and drums. In fact I think the drums remind me a bit of Steven "popcorn" Adler from Guns n' Roses - who is very underrated in my opinion.

Not much more to say other than I had a good time and I hope it comes through. For the record every instrument was one take (apart from one small guitar edit, but I won't tell you where).

I hope you enjoy.

The Vamp
]]>
Basically a good friend of mine (who I often use as a sounding board) described the track as me 'exploding all over the place'. Expecting some kind of country rock number, he said that it sounded like I was releasing a lot of frustration in the track. He was probably right.

This loose, balls to the wall jam was one of the first tracks I recorded after after my recent 5 month musical hiatus. It was really just intended to get the cobwebs out and get the blood pumping. I never thought of putting it out but I dig it for what it is.

You can hear a lot of my adolescent rock influences in it - The Stooges, The MC5, The Rolling Stones, Little Richard, AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, etc.

I particularly like the free flowing bass and drums. In fact I think the drums remind me a bit of Steven "popcorn" Adler from Guns n' Roses - who is very underrated in my opinion.

Not much more to say other than I had a good time and I hope it comes through. For the record every instrument was one take (apart from one small guitar edit, but I won't tell you where).

I hope you enjoy.

The Vamp
]]> 1526640 no no Wed, 08 Oct 2014 02:32:01 +0200 2014-10-08T02:32:01+02:00 3:51 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/spelling-cool-with-a-k/
After 4-5 months of not playing a single note I slowly felt the desire to start writing and recording again. I can’t explain exactly why but I made the conscious decision to completely block out music. It was probably a combination of burn out and wanting to concentrate on some more important stuff for a while.

It wasn’t easy. It was like trying to kick smoking. In fact, just like nicotine I have to admit that once music was out of my system I felt better. I felt lighter. In some strange way it was like a weight had been lifted. So it is all the more perplexing now that I have found my way back to music.

I guess for better or worst it is what I do. You can’t run away from yourself. And who knows, maybe part of me enjoys the weight of it all. Or maybe I shouldn’t think too deeply about and just get on with things.

Anyway, the experience seems to have inspired some new tunes such as my latest song, ‘Spelling Cool With A ‘K’. Lyrically, the song picks up on a long running preoccupation of mine in that nothing lasts forever. Things like fashion, speaking in a certain way or being part of a “scene” etc is all just nonsense in the scheme of it all.

Musically, I like this song. It has an almost jazz vibe to it especially in the first section. There are echoes of The Kinks, The Clash, Tom Waits, David Bowie and few other of my favorites in there. By my standards the song was rather complex to put together – don’t know if you will agree. I also like the heavy guitar sections with the Open D tuned guitar. I think it adds a bit of weight and some variation to the song.

I also think it is strange that my vocals have a kind of cockney sound to them. I was actually singing in my native Australian accent, but double tracked it with a kind of T.Rex like vocal. Combined it somehow seemed to change the accent of my voice. Impossible but true! I kind of like it.

Not sure if this song has opened the flood gates in terms of my song writing, but it is a start and there are plenty of other tracks gathering dust that I’ll post soon.

As always, I hope you all enjoy!

The Vamp


LYRICS...

If you can’t find a way
Because those cats around town ain’t nothing but strays
They scram…
Names in the sand
When the tide rolls in its like nothing began

It’s a cruel jibe, hard line to hear
It's a black eye, real shine to fear

You’re spelling cool with a ‘K’
Is it happening now in a permanent way?
It’s a scam!
Your older man
You’ll fear your kids and make other plans

I remember being out all night when the world felt right
and my friends were tight
I remember having nothing but time it was nothing but mine
It was nothing but mine
I use to think that it would all never end
I could always depend / always depend
I use to think that I was cool with ‘k’
But now / yeah now…

And if you’re running away
You know the dogs around town were breed to obey
Cause they can - find those who ran
And dreamt of something more than fucking dogs can

It’s a cruel jibe, hard line to hear
It's a black eye, real shine to fear

I remember being out all night when the world felt right
and my friends were tight
I remember having nothing but time it was nothing but mine
It was nothing but mine
I use to think that it would all never end
I could always depend / always depend
I use to think that I was cool with ‘k’
But now / yeah now…

Looking back it’s harder to see now
Looking back makes it harder to be now
Looking I can hardly believe now
I’m looking back
I’m looking back, back, back….

I remember being out all night when the world felt right
and my friends were tight
I remember having nothing but time it was nothing but mine
It was nothing but mine
I use to think that it would all never end
I could always depend / always depend
I use to think that I was cool with ‘k’
But now / yeah now…

Cool with a ‘K’


]]>
After 4-5 months of not playing a single note I slowly felt the desire to start writing and recording again. I can’t explain exactly why but I made the conscious decision to completely block out music. It was probably a combination of burn out and wanting to concentrate on some more important stuff for a while.

It wasn’t easy. It was like trying to kick smoking. In fact, just like nicotine I have to admit that once music was out of my system I felt better. I felt lighter. In some strange way it was like a weight had been lifted. So it is all the more perplexing now that I have found my way back to music.

I guess for better or worst it is what I do. You can’t run away from yourself. And who knows, maybe part of me enjoys the weight of it all. Or maybe I shouldn’t think too deeply about and just get on with things.

Anyway, the experience seems to have inspired some new tunes such as my latest song, ‘Spelling Cool With A ‘K’. Lyrically, the song picks up on a long running preoccupation of mine in that nothing lasts forever. Things like fashion, speaking in a certain way or being part of a “scene” etc is all just nonsense in the scheme of it all.

Musically, I like this song. It has an almost jazz vibe to it especially in the first section. There are echoes of The Kinks, The Clash, Tom Waits, David Bowie and few other of my favorites in there. By my standards the song was rather complex to put together – don’t know if you will agree. I also like the heavy guitar sections with the Open D tuned guitar. I think it adds a bit of weight and some variation to the song.

I also think it is strange that my vocals have a kind of cockney sound to them. I was actually singing in my native Australian accent, but double tracked it with a kind of T.Rex like vocal. Combined it somehow seemed to change the accent of my voice. Impossible but true! I kind of like it.

Not sure if this song has opened the flood gates in terms of my song writing, but it is a start and there are plenty of other tracks gathering dust that I’ll post soon.

As always, I hope you all enjoy!

The Vamp


LYRICS...

If you can’t find a way
Because those cats around town ain’t nothing but strays
They scram…
Names in the sand
When the tide rolls in its like nothing began

It’s a cruel jibe, hard line to hear
It's a black eye, real shine to fear

You’re spelling cool with a ‘K’
Is it happening now in a permanent way?
It’s a scam!
Your older man
You’ll fear your kids and make other plans

I remember being out all night when the world felt right
and my friends were tight
I remember having nothing but time it was nothing but mine
It was nothing but mine
I use to think that it would all never end
I could always depend / always depend
I use to think that I was cool with ‘k’
But now / yeah now…

And if you’re running away
You know the dogs around town were breed to obey
Cause they can - find those who ran
And dreamt of something more than fucking dogs can

It’s a cruel jibe, hard line to hear
It's a black eye, real shine to fear

I remember being out all night when the world felt right
and my friends were tight
I remember having nothing but time it was nothing but mine
It was nothing but mine
I use to think that it would all never end
I could always depend / always depend
I use to think that I was cool with ‘k’
But now / yeah now…

Looking back it’s harder to see now
Looking back makes it harder to be now
Looking I can hardly believe now
I’m looking back
I’m looking back, back, back….

I remember being out all night when the world felt right
and my friends were tight
I remember having nothing but time it was nothing but mine
It was nothing but mine
I use to think that it would all never end
I could always depend / always depend
I use to think that I was cool with ‘k’
But now / yeah now…

Cool with a ‘K’


]]> 1526641 no no Tue, 19 Aug 2014 01:37:57 +0200 2014-08-19T01:37:57+02:00 4:43 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/il-bastardo/
For those of you who don’t know I am about to have a sustained break from song writing. Long story, but I am basically burnt out. Lately music hasn't been the escape that it use to be. So after the next couple of posts I’ll be sitting on the sidelines for a while.

With that in mind, you get a sense of where ‘Il Bastardo’ came from. It is an angry song. You can pick up a very negative mood in the lyrics. Clearly I wasn’t in the best place when I wrote it. Reading the lyrics now it seems to be anger without a specific target. Thankfully moods come and go.

This is a strange song. In fact, it is pretty much a ramble and a bit of a mess. It has a bit of energy to it, but the lyrics and structure are all over the place. It contains passages that are some of my honest writing (see verse two) and some of my most over the top (verse three). I guess the one aspect that I do dig is the intro guitar riff – pretty nifty in my opinion.

As for the trance like textures I thought why not? I had experimented with trance and blues in the past to mixed results. I think in this song it works OK.

Oh yeah, the title means 'the bastard' in Italian - not that you probably didn't know. I thought it was a bit of humor in an otherwise humorless song.

Anyway, it is all a bit of jumble but still enjoyable to listen to. Well, in my opinion anyway.

Hope you enjoy!

LYRICS...

You know I can’t walk away when I’m already gone
And I can still light a fire with nothing left to burn
Done wrong by people from here to New York
And I’ll never take account of the lies that I’ve turned
Hey, hey...

You know I’ve hated the sick
Man, I’ve short changed the poor
And I’ve never given comfort to a knock on my door
I’ve despised almost everything that’s either walked or crawled.
And I don’t really care if you don’t care at all

Maybe I’ll change my ways or just swing from a tree
Maybe G-d will appear and those trumpets will play
But until that day – if and when judgement comes
Gonna live out my life and I know what you’ll say

Hey, hey...
On judgement day
Hey, hey...
On judgement day





]]>
For those of you who don’t know I am about to have a sustained break from song writing. Long story, but I am basically burnt out. Lately music hasn't been the escape that it use to be. So after the next couple of posts I’ll be sitting on the sidelines for a while.

With that in mind, you get a sense of where ‘Il Bastardo’ came from. It is an angry song. You can pick up a very negative mood in the lyrics. Clearly I wasn’t in the best place when I wrote it. Reading the lyrics now it seems to be anger without a specific target. Thankfully moods come and go.

This is a strange song. In fact, it is pretty much a ramble and a bit of a mess. It has a bit of energy to it, but the lyrics and structure are all over the place. It contains passages that are some of my honest writing (see verse two) and some of my most over the top (verse three). I guess the one aspect that I do dig is the intro guitar riff – pretty nifty in my opinion.

As for the trance like textures I thought why not? I had experimented with trance and blues in the past to mixed results. I think in this song it works OK.

Oh yeah, the title means 'the bastard' in Italian - not that you probably didn't know. I thought it was a bit of humor in an otherwise humorless song.

Anyway, it is all a bit of jumble but still enjoyable to listen to. Well, in my opinion anyway.

Hope you enjoy!

LYRICS...

You know I can’t walk away when I’m already gone
And I can still light a fire with nothing left to burn
Done wrong by people from here to New York
And I’ll never take account of the lies that I’ve turned
Hey, hey...

You know I’ve hated the sick
Man, I’ve short changed the poor
And I’ve never given comfort to a knock on my door
I’ve despised almost everything that’s either walked or crawled.
And I don’t really care if you don’t care at all

Maybe I’ll change my ways or just swing from a tree
Maybe G-d will appear and those trumpets will play
But until that day – if and when judgement comes
Gonna live out my life and I know what you’ll say

Hey, hey...
On judgement day
Hey, hey...
On judgement day





]]> 1526642 no no Tue, 25 Mar 2014 00:24:10 +0100 2014-03-25T00:24:10+01:00 4:02 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/stranger-a-forgotten-demo/
‘Stranger’ is one of the oldest tracks I have posted from my vault. It is another one of my travel songs that dates back to about 2000 or 2001. To be honest I have barely listened to this one since I recorded as it didn't do anything for me at the time. Still doesn't.

The sound quality is OK, not great. Then again it was supposed to be a demo / guide track.

The lyrics are pretty typical of that period of time for me. Actually, the opening line was a play on that old Irish blessing which was a nice touch I think.

Anyway, I think this song is pleasant enough for what it is.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp

LYRICS...

Well the road may rise / the road may fall
When you live life as a stranger
I want to lay down baby at your door
But I feel a sense of danger / I feel a sense of danger

Well I drift on through your country side
But it doesn’t really matter
If I ever make it out of this city alive then I’m one hell of an actor
One hell of an actor

Chasing shadows all my life
See me work the pale moonlight
I’m a stranger / I’m stranger

You’ll never know just who I am
Far away in a foreign land
I’m stranger / I’m stranger

See the kingdoms through the night time - faces by day
But now it is nothing more than a memory
Got a picture to preserve you in my mind
But it don’t keep me company
It don’t keep me company...

I put the blues in my shoes and carry the news
When I live my life as a stranger
I let freedom slip through but now I know what to do
This time I'm going to cage her
I'm going to cage her

Chasing shadows all my life
See me work the pale moonlight
I’m a stranger / I’m stranger


You’ll never know just who I am
Far away in a foreign land
I’m stranger / I’m stranger

Come on...]]>
‘Stranger’ is one of the oldest tracks I have posted from my vault. It is another one of my travel songs that dates back to about 2000 or 2001. To be honest I have barely listened to this one since I recorded as it didn't do anything for me at the time. Still doesn't.

The sound quality is OK, not great. Then again it was supposed to be a demo / guide track.

The lyrics are pretty typical of that period of time for me. Actually, the opening line was a play on that old Irish blessing which was a nice touch I think.

Anyway, I think this song is pleasant enough for what it is.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp

LYRICS...

Well the road may rise / the road may fall
When you live life as a stranger
I want to lay down baby at your door
But I feel a sense of danger / I feel a sense of danger

Well I drift on through your country side
But it doesn’t really matter
If I ever make it out of this city alive then I’m one hell of an actor
One hell of an actor

Chasing shadows all my life
See me work the pale moonlight
I’m a stranger / I’m stranger

You’ll never know just who I am
Far away in a foreign land
I’m stranger / I’m stranger

See the kingdoms through the night time - faces by day
But now it is nothing more than a memory
Got a picture to preserve you in my mind
But it don’t keep me company
It don’t keep me company...

I put the blues in my shoes and carry the news
When I live my life as a stranger
I let freedom slip through but now I know what to do
This time I'm going to cage her
I'm going to cage her

Chasing shadows all my life
See me work the pale moonlight
I’m a stranger / I’m stranger


You’ll never know just who I am
Far away in a foreign land
I’m stranger / I’m stranger

Come on...]]> 1526643 no no Mon, 17 Mar 2014 05:00:40 +0100 2014-03-17T05:00:40+01:00 4:24 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/been-away-a-long-long-time-a-vampire-sketch/
‘Been Away A Long, Long Time’ came about after stumbling across a simple acoustic guitar line in late December 2013. I basically hit record and just went with it. As usual everything was very spontaneous. The lyrics, the piano, just about every element was a product of me just going with the flow.

The track is pretty much live. You can hear a number of little mistakes but given that it is more or less a demo track it doesn’t matter. I think the sound quality isn't too bad as well.

I don’t often post these kinds of tracks (trust me I have lots of them) but this one has a nice vibe. I recorded it late at night and I think it reflects a really introspective and warm nocturnal mood.

I’m unlikely to ever take this one further. For some reason I like that it is just quick snippet of a song. It seems to work well when played in conjunction with other tracks of mine. I guess if I ever release my “White Album” this would be one of the filler tracks – I can dream.

I’ll post something a little more complete next time.

Anyway, it is what it is.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire


LYRICS…

I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?
She never missed me - read her signs
That much is clear

I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?
I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?

I’m a ghost / I’m a ghost I know
I’m a ghost / I’m a ghost I know

I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?
I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?

]]>
‘Been Away A Long, Long Time’ came about after stumbling across a simple acoustic guitar line in late December 2013. I basically hit record and just went with it. As usual everything was very spontaneous. The lyrics, the piano, just about every element was a product of me just going with the flow.

The track is pretty much live. You can hear a number of little mistakes but given that it is more or less a demo track it doesn’t matter. I think the sound quality isn't too bad as well.

I don’t often post these kinds of tracks (trust me I have lots of them) but this one has a nice vibe. I recorded it late at night and I think it reflects a really introspective and warm nocturnal mood.

I’m unlikely to ever take this one further. For some reason I like that it is just quick snippet of a song. It seems to work well when played in conjunction with other tracks of mine. I guess if I ever release my “White Album” this would be one of the filler tracks – I can dream.

I’ll post something a little more complete next time.

Anyway, it is what it is.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire


LYRICS…

I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?
She never missed me - read her signs
That much is clear

I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?
I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?

I’m a ghost / I’m a ghost I know
I’m a ghost / I’m a ghost I know

I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?
I’ve been away a long, long time
Was I ever here?

]]> 1526644 no no Mon, 24 Feb 2014 23:49:41 +0100 2014-02-24T23:49:41+01:00 2:44 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/singapore-steam/
Here is my first new song for 2014. I thought I’d kick it off with something that sounds a little bit different.

I wrote ‘Singapore Steam’ over the holidays whilst spending a few days in Singapore on route to Thailand. It is a bit of a psychedelic rock number that has a touch of The Beatles or maybe even Sunshine Superman era Donovan.

Lyrically it's all about not being able to appreciate what is right in front of your eyes when your mind is preoccupied. Put into the context of travel, I was basically saying that it is never a good idea to travel with a broken heart.

As mentioned it is a slightly different sounding song for me most probably because I wrote it by humming the tune into my iPhone - something I have never done before. Once I returned home I tuned my acoustic guitar to Open D which took me to a slightly bluesy / slightly Indian sound and there it was. By the way, the Indian sounding percussion is supposed to be a nod to Little India in Singapore where I first hummed the tune into my iPhone.

I like this one. I think it is catchy in its own way but maybe needs a couple of listens. I also like the psychedelic section in the middle.

Looking forward I’ve got plenty more songs (new & old) in-store for 2014. So if you like what I do let me know. As always, I am all ears when it comes to your music.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire

LYRICS…

I just drowned my sorrows like a wet plastic bag
Hey man, what’s Chinese for more?
I lost all my tomorrows in some Singapore steam
Don’t it get in your eyes...

It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight

I walk a neighborhood / smell the Indian food
You travel miles in a day
But don’t nothing get through / that’s what dark clouds do
Don’t they get in your way…

I’m lost in Singapore steam / in Singapore Steam
And I can’t wake from the dream
I’m lost in Singapore steam / in Singapore Steam
And I can’t wake from the dream

It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight

I just drowned my sorrows like a wet plastic bag
Hey man, what’s Chinese for more?
I lost all my tomorrows in some Singapore steam
Don’t it get in your eyes…

I’m lost in Singapore steam / in Singapore Steam
And I can’t wake from the dream
I’m lost in Singapore steam / in Singapore Steam
And I can’t wake from the dream

It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
















]]>
Here is my first new song for 2014. I thought I’d kick it off with something that sounds a little bit different.

I wrote ‘Singapore Steam’ over the holidays whilst spending a few days in Singapore on route to Thailand. It is a bit of a psychedelic rock number that has a touch of The Beatles or maybe even Sunshine Superman era Donovan.

Lyrically it's all about not being able to appreciate what is right in front of your eyes when your mind is preoccupied. Put into the context of travel, I was basically saying that it is never a good idea to travel with a broken heart.

As mentioned it is a slightly different sounding song for me most probably because I wrote it by humming the tune into my iPhone - something I have never done before. Once I returned home I tuned my acoustic guitar to Open D which took me to a slightly bluesy / slightly Indian sound and there it was. By the way, the Indian sounding percussion is supposed to be a nod to Little India in Singapore where I first hummed the tune into my iPhone.

I like this one. I think it is catchy in its own way but maybe needs a couple of listens. I also like the psychedelic section in the middle.

Looking forward I’ve got plenty more songs (new & old) in-store for 2014. So if you like what I do let me know. As always, I am all ears when it comes to your music.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire

LYRICS…

I just drowned my sorrows like a wet plastic bag
Hey man, what’s Chinese for more?
I lost all my tomorrows in some Singapore steam
Don’t it get in your eyes...

It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight

I walk a neighborhood / smell the Indian food
You travel miles in a day
But don’t nothing get through / that’s what dark clouds do
Don’t they get in your way…

I’m lost in Singapore steam / in Singapore Steam
And I can’t wake from the dream
I’m lost in Singapore steam / in Singapore Steam
And I can’t wake from the dream

It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight

I just drowned my sorrows like a wet plastic bag
Hey man, what’s Chinese for more?
I lost all my tomorrows in some Singapore steam
Don’t it get in your eyes…

I’m lost in Singapore steam / in Singapore Steam
And I can’t wake from the dream
I’m lost in Singapore steam / in Singapore Steam
And I can’t wake from the dream

It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
It’s like seeing the stars for the very first time then losing your sight
















]]> 1526645 no no Mon, 03 Feb 2014 00:47:33 +0100 2014-02-03T00:47:33+01:00 3:31 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/london-bombing-blues/
It’s no secret that I love London. The history, the people, the architecture, the nightlife, the pubs, the cold climate etc. As a city it just resonates with me.

Having lived there I have so many great memories, but strangely it was the 7/7 Bombings back in 2005 that in retrospect really bound it to me. My friends and I, not to mention countless others, were caught up in the events of that morning.

Without boring you with too much detail we were all on the Tube that morning and evacuated - some had closer shaves than others. We experienced the mobile network going down and not knowing if each other were safe. And most of us walked out of an eerily quiet central London that afternoon amongst a sea of almost million people.

But putting all that to a side, what really left a mark was a few weeks before a good friend invited us and a lovely Vietnamese couple from Melbourne Australia to dinner. Being a small world I had actually meet the Vietnamese guy years before whilst at University and there was instant recognition. We hit it off, exchanged numbers and made a mental point to catch up with each other. As expats you’re always happy to make new friends.

So I was completely floored when I was sitting at work a few weeks after the bombings and read on the BBC that he had succumbed to injuries sustained in the bombing in Tavistock Square. Without a hint of exaggeration my partner and I had just discussed a night or two before that we should catch up with them.

What a tragedy. I mean why did this nice, innocent guy from Melbourne Australia have to die on the other side of the globe just because of a few insanely misguided fucking nitwits? Why did anyone have to die for that matter? It makes my blood boil.

Anyway, I guess the only good thing that came out the bombings was the way Londoners just got on with it. I really got to see that famous British “stiff upper lip”. There was shock, there was anger, but the pubs were full and people got back on the trains and buses almost immediately. It was like a great big “fuck you” to those scumbags.

Almost a decade later I wrote ‘London Bombing Blues’ about my experience that day. The song had been kicking around in my head for years, but it only came out a few weeks back. In truth I think I was a bit hesitant about it because I didn’t want to offend anyone or appear opportunistic.

Regarding the music, I wanted it to sound raggedy and live. I wanted the whole thing to sound like a busker playing in The Underground. I don’t know…. Maybe a bit pretentious. To add an extra bit of realism the background sounds you can hear are actually taken from my old video camera whilst in London in 2005 on The Tube. You are basically listening to one of my journeys through central London around the same time of the bombings.

I think the song is really lyric driven and they paint an interesting picture. In particular, the idea that terrorist don’t care who they maim whether it be rich or poor, black or white or whatever is just very a disturbing thought (i.e. they came for the wolf and the sheep). Also, the opening few lines are kind of a homage to Martin Niemöller’s famous short poem “They came for…” - if you don’t know it you should.

As is often the case I offset fairly grim/pessimistic lyrics with relatively playful music. In retrospect it probably reflects my own inability to deal with the seriousness of the subject matter. Again, I hope I don’t offend anyone with this track because I can assure you that I recorded it with utmost respect and honesty.

Alright, rant over. I hope you guys enjoy the song.

The Vamp


LYRICS…

You know they came for the strong and the weak
You know they came for the wolf and the sheep
Make no mistake they came for you and me

Did you hear it on the BBC?
Did you hear it on the BBC?
Like me…

I heard some drumming down in Tavistock Square
I heard some plumbing in the deep Underground
Then there was silence through the London air

And I’m just sitting waiting on my stairs…
And I’m just sitting waiting on my stairs…
And I’m just sitting waiting on my stairs…
And I’m just sitting waiting on my stairs…

“I’m late for work”
“I’m off to school”
“I’m 5 minutes behind” (right on time!)
I said goodbye when I closed the door
But I didn’t mean “GOODBYE…”

I meet a guy who came from Vietnam
He came to London to enjoy “the calm”
In the end it could have been you and me

Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC




]]>
It’s no secret that I love London. The history, the people, the architecture, the nightlife, the pubs, the cold climate etc. As a city it just resonates with me.

Having lived there I have so many great memories, but strangely it was the 7/7 Bombings back in 2005 that in retrospect really bound it to me. My friends and I, not to mention countless others, were caught up in the events of that morning.

Without boring you with too much detail we were all on the Tube that morning and evacuated - some had closer shaves than others. We experienced the mobile network going down and not knowing if each other were safe. And most of us walked out of an eerily quiet central London that afternoon amongst a sea of almost million people.

But putting all that to a side, what really left a mark was a few weeks before a good friend invited us and a lovely Vietnamese couple from Melbourne Australia to dinner. Being a small world I had actually meet the Vietnamese guy years before whilst at University and there was instant recognition. We hit it off, exchanged numbers and made a mental point to catch up with each other. As expats you’re always happy to make new friends.

So I was completely floored when I was sitting at work a few weeks after the bombings and read on the BBC that he had succumbed to injuries sustained in the bombing in Tavistock Square. Without a hint of exaggeration my partner and I had just discussed a night or two before that we should catch up with them.

What a tragedy. I mean why did this nice, innocent guy from Melbourne Australia have to die on the other side of the globe just because of a few insanely misguided fucking nitwits? Why did anyone have to die for that matter? It makes my blood boil.

Anyway, I guess the only good thing that came out the bombings was the way Londoners just got on with it. I really got to see that famous British “stiff upper lip”. There was shock, there was anger, but the pubs were full and people got back on the trains and buses almost immediately. It was like a great big “fuck you” to those scumbags.

Almost a decade later I wrote ‘London Bombing Blues’ about my experience that day. The song had been kicking around in my head for years, but it only came out a few weeks back. In truth I think I was a bit hesitant about it because I didn’t want to offend anyone or appear opportunistic.

Regarding the music, I wanted it to sound raggedy and live. I wanted the whole thing to sound like a busker playing in The Underground. I don’t know…. Maybe a bit pretentious. To add an extra bit of realism the background sounds you can hear are actually taken from my old video camera whilst in London in 2005 on The Tube. You are basically listening to one of my journeys through central London around the same time of the bombings.

I think the song is really lyric driven and they paint an interesting picture. In particular, the idea that terrorist don’t care who they maim whether it be rich or poor, black or white or whatever is just very a disturbing thought (i.e. they came for the wolf and the sheep). Also, the opening few lines are kind of a homage to Martin Niemöller’s famous short poem “They came for…” - if you don’t know it you should.

As is often the case I offset fairly grim/pessimistic lyrics with relatively playful music. In retrospect it probably reflects my own inability to deal with the seriousness of the subject matter. Again, I hope I don’t offend anyone with this track because I can assure you that I recorded it with utmost respect and honesty.

Alright, rant over. I hope you guys enjoy the song.

The Vamp


LYRICS…

You know they came for the strong and the weak
You know they came for the wolf and the sheep
Make no mistake they came for you and me

Did you hear it on the BBC?
Did you hear it on the BBC?
Like me…

I heard some drumming down in Tavistock Square
I heard some plumbing in the deep Underground
Then there was silence through the London air

And I’m just sitting waiting on my stairs…
And I’m just sitting waiting on my stairs…
And I’m just sitting waiting on my stairs…
And I’m just sitting waiting on my stairs…

“I’m late for work”
“I’m off to school”
“I’m 5 minutes behind” (right on time!)
I said goodbye when I closed the door
But I didn’t mean “GOODBYE…”

I meet a guy who came from Vietnam
He came to London to enjoy “the calm”
In the end it could have been you and me

Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC
Man, I heard it on the BBC




]]> 1526646 no no Tue, 19 Nov 2013 00:10:53 +0100 2013-11-19T00:10:53+01:00 3:39 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/love-is-a-scam/
Take ‘Love Is A Scam’. Years ago I broke up with a girlfriend of mine. She was going to live overseas and our relationship came to an abrupt end. Of course she proved to be nothing more than a footnote in my life (shortly after I found real happiness with someone else), however at the time I felt cheated and disillusioned.

I was angry. Why did I invest so much time and effort into something that ultimately was going nowhere? Any connection we had was torn apart. To sound poetic it was like a castle of sand that was washed away. All for nothing.

A few months later after the dust had settled one of my friends asked me if I still loved her. I responded coldly, “Love? Love is a scam”. For some reason the line stuck with me for years and it popped into my head once again the other week. The result was this anti-love anthem.

The song is bit rough, but I think the raggedy performance captures the desired feeling. Also, I think I was able to inject a fair degree of passion into this one (if I don’t say so myself). It was one of those songs that was busting to get out of me. I like it a lot and it seems to have a strange effect on me each time I listen. I think it is because the music lends itself to a sweeping love song, but the lyrics are anything but.

I decided to sing in my native Australian accent on this one. I don’t do it very often but I thought it might add to a more honest vibe. I’d be really keen to hear if you guys think it is something I should do more often.

I said at the start of the year that I was going to strip my music back. This is no exception with just 2 or three chords. I think the simplicity helps the lyrics get across.

For those of you nursing a broken heart this song might be what you are looking for.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp


LYRICS…

Love, love is a scam
And you all are damned
For following your heart
And abandoning plans

Love, love may be blind
So open your eyes
See where you stand
In no man’s land

Love, it has no direction
Distorts all reflection
It keeps us from truth
And from where we should be

Love, it leads to rejection
No mercy or protection
It bleeds us of hope
And it robs us of time

Love, love is infection
It destroys all connection
It’s a castle of sand
It’s a mirage to the east

Love, love is a collection
Of lies and deception
You’re chasing the horizon
And clinging to a dream

Love, it has no direction
Distorts all reflection
It keeps us from truth
And from where we should be

Love, it leads to rejection
No mercy or protection
It bleeds us of hope
And it robs us of time

]]>
Take ‘Love Is A Scam’. Years ago I broke up with a girlfriend of mine. She was going to live overseas and our relationship came to an abrupt end. Of course she proved to be nothing more than a footnote in my life (shortly after I found real happiness with someone else), however at the time I felt cheated and disillusioned.

I was angry. Why did I invest so much time and effort into something that ultimately was going nowhere? Any connection we had was torn apart. To sound poetic it was like a castle of sand that was washed away. All for nothing.

A few months later after the dust had settled one of my friends asked me if I still loved her. I responded coldly, “Love? Love is a scam”. For some reason the line stuck with me for years and it popped into my head once again the other week. The result was this anti-love anthem.

The song is bit rough, but I think the raggedy performance captures the desired feeling. Also, I think I was able to inject a fair degree of passion into this one (if I don’t say so myself). It was one of those songs that was busting to get out of me. I like it a lot and it seems to have a strange effect on me each time I listen. I think it is because the music lends itself to a sweeping love song, but the lyrics are anything but.

I decided to sing in my native Australian accent on this one. I don’t do it very often but I thought it might add to a more honest vibe. I’d be really keen to hear if you guys think it is something I should do more often.

I said at the start of the year that I was going to strip my music back. This is no exception with just 2 or three chords. I think the simplicity helps the lyrics get across.

For those of you nursing a broken heart this song might be what you are looking for.

Hope you enjoy!

The Vamp


LYRICS…

Love, love is a scam
And you all are damned
For following your heart
And abandoning plans

Love, love may be blind
So open your eyes
See where you stand
In no man’s land

Love, it has no direction
Distorts all reflection
It keeps us from truth
And from where we should be

Love, it leads to rejection
No mercy or protection
It bleeds us of hope
And it robs us of time

Love, love is infection
It destroys all connection
It’s a castle of sand
It’s a mirage to the east

Love, love is a collection
Of lies and deception
You’re chasing the horizon
And clinging to a dream

Love, it has no direction
Distorts all reflection
It keeps us from truth
And from where we should be

Love, it leads to rejection
No mercy or protection
It bleeds us of hope
And it robs us of time

]]> 1526647 no no Tue, 29 Oct 2013 01:25:28 +0100 2013-10-29T01:25:28+01:00 3:12 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/black-eyed-broken/
To be fair I pinched the slide riff from another song of mine that is still a work in progress, but the rest of the backing was completely spontaneous - as mentioned I didn’t even bother to tune the guitars or bass. The whole thing is just a bit of fun and I think it captures a really raggedy, drunken and threatening mood. In particular, I like when the bass and harmonica first hit. It has a bit of an apocalyptic feel to it.

In the end it is all just an excuse to play loud. I can hear bits of Led Zep, AC/DC, The Stones, The Stooges and T.Rex in it. I also think there is a pretty strong Australian pub rock feel to this one – i.e. Rose Tattoo or The Angels (if you like classic Bon Scott era AC/DC then you’ll love these two bands. Both legends in Australia).

Anyway, hope you enjoy. Back to some more straight forward song writing on the next post.

The Vamp


LYRCIS….

I’m black eyed and broken
I’m drunk and swollen
I’m black eyed and broken
Now it’s all on me…
Now it’s all on me…

I’m black eyed and broken
After the bottle has spoken
I’m really black eyed and broken
You can put it on me…
You can put it on me…

I’m black eyed and broken
When the bar is open
I’m black eyed and broken
Put your hate on me…
Put your hate on me…
]]>
To be fair I pinched the slide riff from another song of mine that is still a work in progress, but the rest of the backing was completely spontaneous - as mentioned I didn’t even bother to tune the guitars or bass. The whole thing is just a bit of fun and I think it captures a really raggedy, drunken and threatening mood. In particular, I like when the bass and harmonica first hit. It has a bit of an apocalyptic feel to it.

In the end it is all just an excuse to play loud. I can hear bits of Led Zep, AC/DC, The Stones, The Stooges and T.Rex in it. I also think there is a pretty strong Australian pub rock feel to this one – i.e. Rose Tattoo or The Angels (if you like classic Bon Scott era AC/DC then you’ll love these two bands. Both legends in Australia).

Anyway, hope you enjoy. Back to some more straight forward song writing on the next post.

The Vamp


LYRCIS….

I’m black eyed and broken
I’m drunk and swollen
I’m black eyed and broken
Now it’s all on me…
Now it’s all on me…

I’m black eyed and broken
After the bottle has spoken
I’m really black eyed and broken
You can put it on me…
You can put it on me…

I’m black eyed and broken
When the bar is open
I’m black eyed and broken
Put your hate on me…
Put your hate on me…
]]> 1526648 no no Thu, 03 Oct 2013 01:38:59 +0200 2013-10-03T01:38:59+02:00 3:25 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/heading-out-west/
I’m not talking about your family vacation or 2 weeks off a year. I’m talking about raw experience, new places, the unknown and that feeling of unlimited possibility that comes with having time on your side. I get high just thinking about it.

‘Heading Out West’ is my attempt to capture that exact feeling in song. It is all about surrendering yourself completely to the excitement, danger and possibilities of being on the road. That said, in the end it is all about those two great rock n’ roll clichés - freedom and release.

I used my memories of back packing across the USA a few years back as some key inspiration. As such, the idea of “heading out west” like a real frontier man just sort of felt right.

The song is a rambling and slightly bluesy/country number that just poured out of me about a week ago. For those of you familiar with my music you’ll agree it is a very 'me' kind of sound. It starts simple enough but it builds and changes into something very different from where it started.

Like my song ‘I’m Drifting’ I once again used a banjo – it seemed to add that frontier vibe that I was looking for. I played it in a very flat and percussive kind of way which is probably a bit unusual. There is also a bit of lap steel guitar floating around.

I won’t lie. I dig this one a lot. And what it might lack in recording quality it makes up for in spirit and honesty (well, in my opinion anyway). Don’t worry. I’m not made of glass so if you don’t like it I'll survive.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy heading out west with the East Village Vampire.

Enjoy!

The Vamp


LYRICS...

I couldn’t breathe, I had to leave
Had to see what my eyes couldn’t see
God be with me beyond the trees
Into the heart of the dark country

Gonna bribe my way into the garden
Gonna bribe my way into the garden

God be with me...

I’m set in motion,
I’m a truck stop and red eye buses
I’m reading street signs like versus out of the bible
I ain’t too brave but there is comfort in courting the danger
I’m wasting time, but I’m gaining more as I go...

I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open

Watch me leave...

I had a dream
I had a dream I would leave
I had a dream
I had a dream I would leave

I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open

I'm heading out / I'm heading out
I'm heading out / I'm heading out west...

I'm heading out / I'm heading out
I'm heading out / I'm heading out west...

I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open]]>
I’m not talking about your family vacation or 2 weeks off a year. I’m talking about raw experience, new places, the unknown and that feeling of unlimited possibility that comes with having time on your side. I get high just thinking about it.

‘Heading Out West’ is my attempt to capture that exact feeling in song. It is all about surrendering yourself completely to the excitement, danger and possibilities of being on the road. That said, in the end it is all about those two great rock n’ roll clichés - freedom and release.

I used my memories of back packing across the USA a few years back as some key inspiration. As such, the idea of “heading out west” like a real frontier man just sort of felt right.

The song is a rambling and slightly bluesy/country number that just poured out of me about a week ago. For those of you familiar with my music you’ll agree it is a very 'me' kind of sound. It starts simple enough but it builds and changes into something very different from where it started.

Like my song ‘I’m Drifting’ I once again used a banjo – it seemed to add that frontier vibe that I was looking for. I played it in a very flat and percussive kind of way which is probably a bit unusual. There is also a bit of lap steel guitar floating around.

I won’t lie. I dig this one a lot. And what it might lack in recording quality it makes up for in spirit and honesty (well, in my opinion anyway). Don’t worry. I’m not made of glass so if you don’t like it I'll survive.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy heading out west with the East Village Vampire.

Enjoy!

The Vamp


LYRICS...

I couldn’t breathe, I had to leave
Had to see what my eyes couldn’t see
God be with me beyond the trees
Into the heart of the dark country

Gonna bribe my way into the garden
Gonna bribe my way into the garden

God be with me...

I’m set in motion,
I’m a truck stop and red eye buses
I’m reading street signs like versus out of the bible
I ain’t too brave but there is comfort in courting the danger
I’m wasting time, but I’m gaining more as I go...

I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open

Watch me leave...

I had a dream
I had a dream I would leave
I had a dream
I had a dream I would leave

I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open

I'm heading out / I'm heading out
I'm heading out / I'm heading out west...

I'm heading out / I'm heading out
I'm heading out / I'm heading out west...

I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open
I’m heading out west baby with my headlights on – eyes are open]]> 1526649 no no Mon, 02 Sep 2013 13:19:18 +0200 2013-09-02T13:19:18+02:00 4:38 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/i-hate-that-car/
Let me take you back to 1997.

After posting a few songs over the last couple of months I have reached back into my bag of old electro tracks. No real reason other than to hear something different.

The track was inspired by a sample from the John Carpenter film “Christine” – not the great man’s best, but still pretty cool. There is something about loving a car more than another human being that is such a crazy idea.

Not much to say about 'I Hate That Car'. It is what it is. Just a bit of mindless fun.

I do like the industrial backdrop that sits behind the main beat. Also, I think the ride cymbal beat when the main synth riff kicks in is pretty cool. Other than that I don’t have much to say about it. The track has some quintessential 90’s sounds in there that you don’t hear anymore.

I can’t pinpoint exactly when I put it together but it was a long (long) time ago.

Anyway, more songs are on the way. For now just leave your brain at the door.

Enjoy!

The Vamp
]]>
Let me take you back to 1997.

After posting a few songs over the last couple of months I have reached back into my bag of old electro tracks. No real reason other than to hear something different.

The track was inspired by a sample from the John Carpenter film “Christine” – not the great man’s best, but still pretty cool. There is something about loving a car more than another human being that is such a crazy idea.

Not much to say about 'I Hate That Car'. It is what it is. Just a bit of mindless fun.

I do like the industrial backdrop that sits behind the main beat. Also, I think the ride cymbal beat when the main synth riff kicks in is pretty cool. Other than that I don’t have much to say about it. The track has some quintessential 90’s sounds in there that you don’t hear anymore.

I can’t pinpoint exactly when I put it together but it was a long (long) time ago.

Anyway, more songs are on the way. For now just leave your brain at the door.

Enjoy!

The Vamp
]]> 1526650 no no Tue, 06 Aug 2013 04:18:03 +0200 2013-08-06T04:18:03+02:00 5:06 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/im-drifting/
I mean songs where coming out but nothing seemed to push the button for me. Everything just sounded terribly formulaic and boring.

The breakthrough finally came when a fellow Soundclouder who I greatly admire (one that you should all check out who goes under the moniker of evenorodd. Incredible musician with deep ideas and immense talent. Check this out https://soundcloud.com/evenorodd/teacups or https://soundcloud.com/evenorodd/the-dark-deeds-of-the-shaddixs) suggested that I pick up a different instrument. Taking his advice I picked up a banjo and out came Í’m Drifting’.

I have probably written better songs in my time but I like it. It was an important one in that it got my creative juices flowing again. Since then I have written 5 or 6 songs that I’m putting the final touches on.

The song is based around 2 chords. That is literally it. It slowly builds up layers into something that sounds pretty anthemic in the end. It actually started off as a delicate country tinged number but morphed into something a lot bigger. It also features some pretty groovy bass playing if I don’t say so myself.

There are a few mistakes in there, but that is pretty much because everything was recorded in one or two takes. I'd rather have a spontaneous feeling than perfect mundane performances.

Also, the lyrics were inspired by a recent death in the family and somehow are all about regret. Why? I don't know. Personally I dig the lyrics.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

Well I commit her reflection – to memory it’s bound
Though I miss the connection I took the long way around
Now I drift through the city like I drifted through my life
In love with memories that offer comfort like a knife

Alright, I’m drifting…
Alright, I’m drifting…

Well I scratched out a living doing nothing you’d call brave
And I worked for people even Jesus wouldn’t save
You know I traded my good name for some paper you can fold
Now I’m in love with a memory of life before I sold

Alright, I’m drifting…
Alright, I’m drifting…

Drifting away, drifting away, drifting away, drifting away…

Alright, I’m drifting…
Alright, I’m drifting…

You know I’ll live in the city until my final dying days
I never ventured further, you know I never ever strayed
I only went as far as my courage seemed to go
Now I’m in love with a memory of places I’ll never know

Alright, I’m drifting
Alright, I’m drifting

Drifting away, drifting away, drifting away, drifting away…
]]>
I mean songs where coming out but nothing seemed to push the button for me. Everything just sounded terribly formulaic and boring.

The breakthrough finally came when a fellow Soundclouder who I greatly admire (one that you should all check out who goes under the moniker of evenorodd. Incredible musician with deep ideas and immense talent. Check this out https://soundcloud.com/evenorodd/teacups or https://soundcloud.com/evenorodd/the-dark-deeds-of-the-shaddixs) suggested that I pick up a different instrument. Taking his advice I picked up a banjo and out came Í’m Drifting’.

I have probably written better songs in my time but I like it. It was an important one in that it got my creative juices flowing again. Since then I have written 5 or 6 songs that I’m putting the final touches on.

The song is based around 2 chords. That is literally it. It slowly builds up layers into something that sounds pretty anthemic in the end. It actually started off as a delicate country tinged number but morphed into something a lot bigger. It also features some pretty groovy bass playing if I don’t say so myself.

There are a few mistakes in there, but that is pretty much because everything was recorded in one or two takes. I'd rather have a spontaneous feeling than perfect mundane performances.

Also, the lyrics were inspired by a recent death in the family and somehow are all about regret. Why? I don't know. Personally I dig the lyrics.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

Well I commit her reflection – to memory it’s bound
Though I miss the connection I took the long way around
Now I drift through the city like I drifted through my life
In love with memories that offer comfort like a knife

Alright, I’m drifting…
Alright, I’m drifting…

Well I scratched out a living doing nothing you’d call brave
And I worked for people even Jesus wouldn’t save
You know I traded my good name for some paper you can fold
Now I’m in love with a memory of life before I sold

Alright, I’m drifting…
Alright, I’m drifting…

Drifting away, drifting away, drifting away, drifting away…

Alright, I’m drifting…
Alright, I’m drifting…

You know I’ll live in the city until my final dying days
I never ventured further, you know I never ever strayed
I only went as far as my courage seemed to go
Now I’m in love with a memory of places I’ll never know

Alright, I’m drifting
Alright, I’m drifting

Drifting away, drifting away, drifting away, drifting away…
]]> 1526651 no no Thu, 25 Jul 2013 02:29:16 +0200 2013-07-25T02:29:16+02:00 4:19 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/the-valley-of-death/
Here is the background...

In 2000, I was in LA. Having never been there before I was shocked at the distances people have to travel to get anywhere - keep in mind that I am Australian and know all about distance.

So I should have known better when a stranger I met in a bar suggested that I take a bus to Las Vegas rather than fly or drive. I was told it would take 2 hours and I’d save some money. Big mistake. It ended up taking something like 6 or 8 hours - stopping every 30 mins to pick up / drop off passengers. It was unexpected hell.

I remember staring out the window in a trance with my headphones blaring. In particular I remember driving through Death Valley (which was admittedly very cool) whilst listening to the Joy Division song ‘Atrocity Exhibition’. The song's bleak lyric - ‘this is the way’ - was so hypnotic and it perfectly summed up my experience.

A month later back home in Melbourne I had nothing to record so I just started riffing on 'Atrocity Exhibition' as inspiration. After stealing the lyrics I had a track.

It is probably more soundscape than song and it is a bit of a chaotic mess. But as summation of a particular moment in time and being something completely different it is worth a listen.

The music is as close to a somewhat modern sound as I will ever get. It is not very often that I use an overtly distorted guitar. I think you can hear elements of Faith No More, Rage Against The Machine and a few other bands that I haven’t listened to in a very long time. The Intro is a bit early 70’s Pink Floyd (maybe ‘Obscured By Clouds’).

One thing I like is the march-like beat that drives the song. It sounds like it is programmed by I played it live on my keyboard. I was trying to conjure up an image of marching through this fictional Valley of Death – who really knows what I was on about?

I never mixed it because it was just a throw away. What you are hearing is where I left off.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS

Left – Left – Left Right Left
Left – Left – Left Right Left
Left – Left – Left Right Left
Left – Left – Left Right Left

And this is the way / And this is the way
And this is the way / And this is the way
The Valley...
Through The Valley...
Through The Valley Of...
Through The Valley Of Death

And this is the way...
]]>
Here is the background...

In 2000, I was in LA. Having never been there before I was shocked at the distances people have to travel to get anywhere - keep in mind that I am Australian and know all about distance.

So I should have known better when a stranger I met in a bar suggested that I take a bus to Las Vegas rather than fly or drive. I was told it would take 2 hours and I’d save some money. Big mistake. It ended up taking something like 6 or 8 hours - stopping every 30 mins to pick up / drop off passengers. It was unexpected hell.

I remember staring out the window in a trance with my headphones blaring. In particular I remember driving through Death Valley (which was admittedly very cool) whilst listening to the Joy Division song ‘Atrocity Exhibition’. The song's bleak lyric - ‘this is the way’ - was so hypnotic and it perfectly summed up my experience.

A month later back home in Melbourne I had nothing to record so I just started riffing on 'Atrocity Exhibition' as inspiration. After stealing the lyrics I had a track.

It is probably more soundscape than song and it is a bit of a chaotic mess. But as summation of a particular moment in time and being something completely different it is worth a listen.

The music is as close to a somewhat modern sound as I will ever get. It is not very often that I use an overtly distorted guitar. I think you can hear elements of Faith No More, Rage Against The Machine and a few other bands that I haven’t listened to in a very long time. The Intro is a bit early 70’s Pink Floyd (maybe ‘Obscured By Clouds’).

One thing I like is the march-like beat that drives the song. It sounds like it is programmed by I played it live on my keyboard. I was trying to conjure up an image of marching through this fictional Valley of Death – who really knows what I was on about?

I never mixed it because it was just a throw away. What you are hearing is where I left off.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS

Left – Left – Left Right Left
Left – Left – Left Right Left
Left – Left – Left Right Left
Left – Left – Left Right Left

And this is the way / And this is the way
And this is the way / And this is the way
The Valley...
Through The Valley...
Through The Valley Of...
Through The Valley Of Death

And this is the way...
]]> 1526652 no no Wed, 26 Jun 2013 06:17:19 +0200 2013-06-26T06:17:19+02:00 4:12 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/fine-feathered-friend/
It is an unfinished song that I recorded back in 2006. You can tell it is unfinished as I repeat the first verse and never worked out a chorus. For some reason this song seemed to fall between the cracks and has remained neglected. I do that every now and then.

The music is a bit early 70’s Pink Floyd (an era that I don’t love, I’m much more of a Syd Barrett kind of guy). It has some nice guitar playing at times and an interesting vocal harmony. In my opinion it probably lacks a bit of excitement - maybe it is why I could never be bothered to complete it.

What lyrics the song has are basically an ode to school days.

Oh yeah, the main drum line is a sample from Iron Butterfly's 'Soldier In Our Town'. As is often the case I loop a single beat when writing. It is also me just being lazy and not wanting to record live drums or set up a full drum sequence. Obviously I don't own the rights to the sample.

Not much more to say about this track.

Hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

Fine feathered friends I’ll be grateful until the end
We were young and raised the dead with the things we did and said
Now I’m sitting home along just waiting by the telephone
Did I lose my way?
Did I change from day to day?

Remember the times when we dared to cross the line
We were young and raised the dead with the things we did and said
Now show me the way
I want to run back to those days
When we were kings of the round kicking about our piece of ground

Hey, it’s been a while...
Hey, it’s been a while...
]]>
It is an unfinished song that I recorded back in 2006. You can tell it is unfinished as I repeat the first verse and never worked out a chorus. For some reason this song seemed to fall between the cracks and has remained neglected. I do that every now and then.

The music is a bit early 70’s Pink Floyd (an era that I don’t love, I’m much more of a Syd Barrett kind of guy). It has some nice guitar playing at times and an interesting vocal harmony. In my opinion it probably lacks a bit of excitement - maybe it is why I could never be bothered to complete it.

What lyrics the song has are basically an ode to school days.

Oh yeah, the main drum line is a sample from Iron Butterfly's 'Soldier In Our Town'. As is often the case I loop a single beat when writing. It is also me just being lazy and not wanting to record live drums or set up a full drum sequence. Obviously I don't own the rights to the sample.

Not much more to say about this track.

Hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

Fine feathered friends I’ll be grateful until the end
We were young and raised the dead with the things we did and said
Now I’m sitting home along just waiting by the telephone
Did I lose my way?
Did I change from day to day?

Remember the times when we dared to cross the line
We were young and raised the dead with the things we did and said
Now show me the way
I want to run back to those days
When we were kings of the round kicking about our piece of ground

Hey, it’s been a while...
Hey, it’s been a while...
]]> 1526653 no no Tue, 04 Jun 2013 01:52:04 +0200 2013-06-04T01:52:04+02:00 5:07 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/the-witch-within-me-1997-the-very-first-east-village-vampire-track/
With that dime store philosophy in mind here is the very first track I ever recorded at home. Although not the first song I had written, ‘The Witch Within Me’ was the first time I sat down to record something from start to finish with some effort. I was just a baby and had no musical idea, but you can already hear some elements that I’d develop down the track.

About the song, it was 1997 and I was armed with an old Tascam 4-track recorder, a Yamaha keyboard (can’t remember what model), a shit microphone and my guitars (most of which I still own). The sound quality is actually not too bad considering.

The song is basically an attempt at a swampy blues rock – maybe a bit Creedance Clearwater Revival like. The lyrics are atrocious and I squirm in my seat every time I hear them. I guess it does have a bit of a groove to it.

At the time I seriously thought this track was the greatest thing ever recorded. It wasn’t. Not by a long shot. Let me re-iterate, IT WASN'T. As such, I don’t expect anyone to really appreciate it, but to me it has a naive charm. It takes me back to another place and another time.

Anyway, for those of you that have enjoyed my music to date I thought it might be interesting to highlight my evolution whilst I finish off some new tracks. Keep in mind that I was a baby at the time of recording this. Have I come very far? I leave that up to you.

So much to my embarrassment here is my first recording.

Hope you enjoy (if you can)!


LYRICS...

I got the witch within me
I know the devil’s daughter
I got the witch within me
So welcome to the slaughter
Everybody’s thinking
That the card’s on the table
And the seasons are changing
All the kids they are able...

I got the witch within me
I know the devil’s daughter
I got the witch within me
So welcome to the slaughter
Every cop is a killer
At the protest their hunting
Tie the saints to the pillars
As the titans are mounting

I got the witch within me
I know the devil’s daughter
I got the witch within me
So welcome to the slaughter
]]>
With that dime store philosophy in mind here is the very first track I ever recorded at home. Although not the first song I had written, ‘The Witch Within Me’ was the first time I sat down to record something from start to finish with some effort. I was just a baby and had no musical idea, but you can already hear some elements that I’d develop down the track.

About the song, it was 1997 and I was armed with an old Tascam 4-track recorder, a Yamaha keyboard (can’t remember what model), a shit microphone and my guitars (most of which I still own). The sound quality is actually not too bad considering.

The song is basically an attempt at a swampy blues rock – maybe a bit Creedance Clearwater Revival like. The lyrics are atrocious and I squirm in my seat every time I hear them. I guess it does have a bit of a groove to it.

At the time I seriously thought this track was the greatest thing ever recorded. It wasn’t. Not by a long shot. Let me re-iterate, IT WASN'T. As such, I don’t expect anyone to really appreciate it, but to me it has a naive charm. It takes me back to another place and another time.

Anyway, for those of you that have enjoyed my music to date I thought it might be interesting to highlight my evolution whilst I finish off some new tracks. Keep in mind that I was a baby at the time of recording this. Have I come very far? I leave that up to you.

So much to my embarrassment here is my first recording.

Hope you enjoy (if you can)!


LYRICS...

I got the witch within me
I know the devil’s daughter
I got the witch within me
So welcome to the slaughter
Everybody’s thinking
That the card’s on the table
And the seasons are changing
All the kids they are able...

I got the witch within me
I know the devil’s daughter
I got the witch within me
So welcome to the slaughter
Every cop is a killer
At the protest their hunting
Tie the saints to the pillars
As the titans are mounting

I got the witch within me
I know the devil’s daughter
I got the witch within me
So welcome to the slaughter
]]> 1526654 no no Wed, 08 May 2013 06:50:24 +0200 2013-05-08T06:50:24+02:00 4:33 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/antonio-bay-alternate-soundtrack-to-john-carpenters-the-fog/
Every now and then I like to have fun and write alternate soundtracks to films that I like. They are not always finished pieces, often just snippets, but some are pretty interesting. Personally I find it a good challenge to try and capture the musical essence of images. Not always an easy thing to do.

“Antonio Bay” is an alternate soundtrack (ok, snippet of a soundtrack) for John Carpenter’s 1980 film ‘The Fog’ – not the crappy 2005 re-make. I have done other alternate soundtracks based on John Carpenter films like ‘Music For The Escape’ for ‘Escape From New York’. Carpenter was a king in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Proudly I can say that it is completely different to Carpenter’s brilliant piano score for the movie. To create the full effect I sampled part of the famous John Houseman opening monologue from the film. I think it works pretty well. I especially like the atmospheric harmonics on the second guitar, it almost sounds like a vibraphone.

I recorded this track a long, long time ago – maybe even late 1990s. I don’t have any notes on it, but I do remember recording it at night with the lights down low to get into the mood. The sound quality is not fantastic but not too bad for a short snippet.

Anyway, it is just a atmospheric, spooky piece of music that I hope you might find interesting.

I’ll be back to song writing on my next post.

Hope you enjoy!


Antonio Bay (Alternate Soundtrack to John Carpenter's 'The Fog') by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/antonio-bay.]]>
Every now and then I like to have fun and write alternate soundtracks to films that I like. They are not always finished pieces, often just snippets, but some are pretty interesting. Personally I find it a good challenge to try and capture the musical essence of images. Not always an easy thing to do.

“Antonio Bay” is an alternate soundtrack (ok, snippet of a soundtrack) for John Carpenter’s 1980 film ‘The Fog’ – not the crappy 2005 re-make. I have done other alternate soundtracks based on John Carpenter films like ‘Music For The Escape’ for ‘Escape From New York’. Carpenter was a king in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Proudly I can say that it is completely different to Carpenter’s brilliant piano score for the movie. To create the full effect I sampled part of the famous John Houseman opening monologue from the film. I think it works pretty well. I especially like the atmospheric harmonics on the second guitar, it almost sounds like a vibraphone.

I recorded this track a long, long time ago – maybe even late 1990s. I don’t have any notes on it, but I do remember recording it at night with the lights down low to get into the mood. The sound quality is not fantastic but not too bad for a short snippet.

Anyway, it is just a atmospheric, spooky piece of music that I hope you might find interesting.

I’ll be back to song writing on my next post.

Hope you enjoy!


Antonio Bay (Alternate Soundtrack to John Carpenter's 'The Fog') by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/antonio-bay.]]> 1526655 no no Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:44:27 +0200 2013-04-15T07:44:27+02:00 1:34 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/i-got-it-all-figured-out/


I don't say that very often about my music which probably means I am a million miles off the mark.



Anyway, earlier this year I mentioned that I was going to simplify my songwriting. With that in mind, here is another 3 chord number straight off the mixing desk.



I wrote, recorded and mixed ‘I Got It All Figured Out’ literally last week - I would have posted it sooner but I have been under the weather. The song is basically about thinking you have all the answers. It is a kind of ode to pride and ignorance. Thinking that you’ve got it “all figured out” and don’t need take advice is just a huge mistake. Sums me up pretty well.



The music is old fashion, balls to the wall rock n’ roll complete with honky-tonk piano, big chords and big chorus. Maybe it is just me but I don’t hear too much of this kind of music these days (Twitter and Facebook must deem it to be uncool). It is a very rough recording, but I think it has a bit of power at times.



As usual, I don’t mind if you don’t like the song. But don’t say that there isn’t a bit of heart in there. If I don’t mean it then I don’t sing it.



Hope you enjoy!



The Vamp





LYRICS...



I got it all figured out before I open my mouth

It’s like I’ve lived all of this before

A yet I struggle with my dreams - articulate screams

It’s like I’ve lived all of this before



I got it all figured out



They say to “love somebody, can’t just be about money”

It sounds like poor man’s advice to me

Because I learnt from the start to have a diamond hard heart

It tore me apart - CAN’T YOU SEE!



I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out - CAN’T YOU SEE!

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out - CAN’T YOU SEE!



You know this world is a lie with its do or die

It’s like I’ve lived all of this before

And sometimes late at night still something deep inside

Says I’ve lived all of this before



I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

Like before...



I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

Like before...







I Got It All Figured Out by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/i-got-it-all-figured-out.]]>


I don't say that very often about my music which probably means I am a million miles off the mark.



Anyway, earlier this year I mentioned that I was going to simplify my songwriting. With that in mind, here is another 3 chord number straight off the mixing desk.



I wrote, recorded and mixed ‘I Got It All Figured Out’ literally last week - I would have posted it sooner but I have been under the weather. The song is basically about thinking you have all the answers. It is a kind of ode to pride and ignorance. Thinking that you’ve got it “all figured out” and don’t need take advice is just a huge mistake. Sums me up pretty well.



The music is old fashion, balls to the wall rock n’ roll complete with honky-tonk piano, big chords and big chorus. Maybe it is just me but I don’t hear too much of this kind of music these days (Twitter and Facebook must deem it to be uncool). It is a very rough recording, but I think it has a bit of power at times.



As usual, I don’t mind if you don’t like the song. But don’t say that there isn’t a bit of heart in there. If I don’t mean it then I don’t sing it.



Hope you enjoy!



The Vamp





LYRICS...



I got it all figured out before I open my mouth

It’s like I’ve lived all of this before

A yet I struggle with my dreams - articulate screams

It’s like I’ve lived all of this before



I got it all figured out



They say to “love somebody, can’t just be about money”

It sounds like poor man’s advice to me

Because I learnt from the start to have a diamond hard heart

It tore me apart - CAN’T YOU SEE!



I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out - CAN’T YOU SEE!

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out - CAN’T YOU SEE!



You know this world is a lie with its do or die

It’s like I’ve lived all of this before

And sometimes late at night still something deep inside

Says I’ve lived all of this before



I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

Like before...



I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

I got it all figured out

Like before...







I Got It All Figured Out by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/i-got-it-all-figured-out.]]> 1526656 no no Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:51:13 +0200 2013-04-03T03:51:13+02:00 4:32 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/music-for-corporations-no-1-software-company/
I'll explain...

In the past I have contributed music for a number of business projects - i.e. presentations, videos, events etc. I know "purists" will probably be sickened by the notion, but I find something very liberating in writing music to a brief. It allows me to shelve all my preconceptions, likes/dislikes, notions of cool and just deliver what has been asked of me.

I now have a big collection of tracks that I named "Music For Corporations".

This piece was written for a software company about two years ago. It was intended to be background music for instructional videos etc. The idea was to have something modern, clean, IT feeling, but with a bit of warmth to it. Like some Brian Eno's music it was meant to be music that you could either concentrate on or simply let it wash over you.

Anyway, there will be a return to my songwriting on my next post. If nothing else I hope it demonstrates my flexibility as a writer.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire


Music For Corporations No.1 - Software Company by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/music-for-corporations-no-1.]]>
I'll explain...

In the past I have contributed music for a number of business projects - i.e. presentations, videos, events etc. I know "purists" will probably be sickened by the notion, but I find something very liberating in writing music to a brief. It allows me to shelve all my preconceptions, likes/dislikes, notions of cool and just deliver what has been asked of me.

I now have a big collection of tracks that I named "Music For Corporations".

This piece was written for a software company about two years ago. It was intended to be background music for instructional videos etc. The idea was to have something modern, clean, IT feeling, but with a bit of warmth to it. Like some Brian Eno's music it was meant to be music that you could either concentrate on or simply let it wash over you.

Anyway, there will be a return to my songwriting on my next post. If nothing else I hope it demonstrates my flexibility as a writer.

Hope you enjoy!

The East Village Vampire


Music For Corporations No.1 - Software Company by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/music-for-corporations-no-1.]]> 1526657 no no Wed, 20 Mar 2013 01:49:38 +0100 2013-03-20T01:49:38+01:00 3:19 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/a-monster-with-matches/
I was on the guitar one day and started playing the riff out of the blue - hadn't crossed my mind in years. ‘A Monster With Matches’ is a lo-fi, psychedelic, minimalist rock song that I recorded sometime between 2001 and 2006. I don’t have any notes and my memory isn’t too sharp on this one.

The song is entirely based around one repetitive anthemic guitar riff. It owes a lot to 60's proto-punk bands such as The Stooges and MC5. That said, The Beatles' track ‘It’s All Too Much’ was a big influence - something about it always fascinated me.

As for the song, it was all pretty spontaneous. It was basically inspired by people like Phil Spector. Stars that absolutely set fire to their careers, their reputations and their lives in general. I usually find the world’s fascination with stardom tedious, but I must admit that I find it fascinating when a well known star hits the self destruct button. I’m not talking about unfortunate stars like Jimi Hendrix, James Dean or Nick Drake. I am talking about those that implode by crossing a line that most normal people find abhorrent. In my opinion these people are probably fucked up to begin with and fame helps them to go up in flames – Monsters with Matches.

Not a fantastic track, but lively enough. I'll be back to uploading some higher quality in my next post.

Hope you enjoy!


LYRICS...

I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt my dreams to the ground
I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt my dream to the ground.
I could have rock 'n rolled / I could have rock 'n rolled
I’m just a monster with matches
there ain’t no rock 'n roll anymore...

I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt this house to the ground
I’m just a monster with matches / ain't nothing here to be found
you could have rock 'n rolled / you could have rock 'n rolled
I’m just a monster with matches
You can't rock 'n roll anymore...

I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt my dreams to the ground
I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt my dream to the ground.
I could have rock 'n rolled / I could have rock 'n rolled
I’m a monster with matches
I can't rock 'n roll anymore...


A Monster With Matches by the East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.]]>
I was on the guitar one day and started playing the riff out of the blue - hadn't crossed my mind in years. ‘A Monster With Matches’ is a lo-fi, psychedelic, minimalist rock song that I recorded sometime between 2001 and 2006. I don’t have any notes and my memory isn’t too sharp on this one.

The song is entirely based around one repetitive anthemic guitar riff. It owes a lot to 60's proto-punk bands such as The Stooges and MC5. That said, The Beatles' track ‘It’s All Too Much’ was a big influence - something about it always fascinated me.

As for the song, it was all pretty spontaneous. It was basically inspired by people like Phil Spector. Stars that absolutely set fire to their careers, their reputations and their lives in general. I usually find the world’s fascination with stardom tedious, but I must admit that I find it fascinating when a well known star hits the self destruct button. I’m not talking about unfortunate stars like Jimi Hendrix, James Dean or Nick Drake. I am talking about those that implode by crossing a line that most normal people find abhorrent. In my opinion these people are probably fucked up to begin with and fame helps them to go up in flames – Monsters with Matches.

Not a fantastic track, but lively enough. I'll be back to uploading some higher quality in my next post.

Hope you enjoy!


LYRICS...

I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt my dreams to the ground
I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt my dream to the ground.
I could have rock 'n rolled / I could have rock 'n rolled
I’m just a monster with matches
there ain’t no rock 'n roll anymore...

I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt this house to the ground
I’m just a monster with matches / ain't nothing here to be found
you could have rock 'n rolled / you could have rock 'n rolled
I’m just a monster with matches
You can't rock 'n roll anymore...

I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt my dreams to the ground
I’m just a monster with matches / I burnt my dream to the ground.
I could have rock 'n rolled / I could have rock 'n rolled
I’m a monster with matches
I can't rock 'n roll anymore...


A Monster With Matches by the East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526658 no no Sun, 03 Mar 2013 23:38:22 +0100 2013-03-03T23:38:22+01:00 4:10 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/in-the-neighborhood-not-the-tom-waits-track/


It is right on the beach next to the city. Kind of a mix between NYC’s Conney Island and Sydney’s King’s Cross precinct. It has always been the perfect spot for some inspiration. I've written about St Kilda before - see my song 'Dramatic Highs, Dramatic Lows'.



Although St Kilda might have changed over the years it is still one of those funky areas where random parts society seem to intersect. Walking through the streets you’ll see everything from Hasidic Jews, white collar yuppies, prostitutes, students, drug fiends, exercise nuts and more. It is the same streets where famous Aussies like Nick Cave and infamous figures like Chopper Read use to hang out.



Written and recorded in the middle of 2012, ‘In The Neighborhood’ was simply my observations after taking a walk early one Sunday morning. I saw everything from Hasidic Jews discussing religious matters, prostitutes and drunks on the march home, students still out and about and people off to church. Such a crazy mix. All these images just came out in a song.



The music is based around a non-stop bluesy riff. To me there is a bit of Tom Waits in there (maybe Swordfishtrombones era), hell I even used one of his song titles. Although it is a pretty slight song it is a very me kind of sound. Raggedy and bluesy. Interestingly, the percussion you can hear (i.e. bongo sounds) is really just me banging my acoustic guitar. It was all pretty spontaneous.



Anyway, it is just a bit of fun. Hope you enjoy.





LYRICS...



Cha-cha-boom...



They talk of G-d on the night shift

All black hats and beards

Because a book said they should

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood...



Down the street there are ladies - How much baby?

Show you a time in the room

Give the drunks some wood

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood...



Classes end on a Friday

Get a skin full of booze

Wouldn’t stop if they could

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood...



You walk to church on a Sunday

Past the bums in the street

If you only should - could - would...

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood...





In The Neighborhood by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>


It is right on the beach next to the city. Kind of a mix between NYC’s Conney Island and Sydney’s King’s Cross precinct. It has always been the perfect spot for some inspiration. I've written about St Kilda before - see my song 'Dramatic Highs, Dramatic Lows'.



Although St Kilda might have changed over the years it is still one of those funky areas where random parts society seem to intersect. Walking through the streets you’ll see everything from Hasidic Jews, white collar yuppies, prostitutes, students, drug fiends, exercise nuts and more. It is the same streets where famous Aussies like Nick Cave and infamous figures like Chopper Read use to hang out.



Written and recorded in the middle of 2012, ‘In The Neighborhood’ was simply my observations after taking a walk early one Sunday morning. I saw everything from Hasidic Jews discussing religious matters, prostitutes and drunks on the march home, students still out and about and people off to church. Such a crazy mix. All these images just came out in a song.



The music is based around a non-stop bluesy riff. To me there is a bit of Tom Waits in there (maybe Swordfishtrombones era), hell I even used one of his song titles. Although it is a pretty slight song it is a very me kind of sound. Raggedy and bluesy. Interestingly, the percussion you can hear (i.e. bongo sounds) is really just me banging my acoustic guitar. It was all pretty spontaneous.



Anyway, it is just a bit of fun. Hope you enjoy.





LYRICS...



Cha-cha-boom...



They talk of G-d on the night shift

All black hats and beards

Because a book said they should

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood...



Down the street there are ladies - How much baby?

Show you a time in the room

Give the drunks some wood

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood...



Classes end on a Friday

Get a skin full of booze

Wouldn’t stop if they could

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood...



You walk to church on a Sunday

Past the bums in the street

If you only should - could - would...

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood,

In the neighborhood...





In The Neighborhood by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526659 no no Tue, 19 Feb 2013 01:12:15 +0100 2013-02-19T01:12:15+01:00 3:31 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/for-all-i-know/


Sounds simple, but the longer you write music the further you seem to drift away from that ideal.



Being my first post for 2013 this song really sets the tone as I have made the decision to strip my music back to the bare bones. I just felt that I had been hiding behind too much production and too many tricks for too long.



I wrote ‘For All I Know’ while sitting on a near deserted beach in Queensland Australia over the end of year break. It is exactly what you imagine it to be. Paradise. I was just staring into the ocean when a very pensive and meditative feeling came over me - nothing like the ocean to give you a bit of perspective on how insignificant we really are. I basically reached into the ether and pulled the song out.



Is it the greatest song in the world? Not by a long shot. But it is real and that has got to count for something. I meant every word and it is from the heart. And even if you don’t logically understand what I’m singing about I hope you’ll get the emotion of it (I don’t necessarily give a fuck about lyrical truth, emotional truth is far more important in music).



The music is very minimalist being just three basic chords (C, G, D) over and over again. Like many of my songs it builds to a crescendo. I think there is a bit of a gospel flavour in it, but there are echoes of the Velvet Underground, Springsteen and The Rolling Stones. As usual, I kept the mix pretty rough. In fact, almost every instrument was recorded in one take. I must sound like a broken record, but I love rough edges in my music.



Looking forward, I will still plug in and rock out every now and then. I have plenty old and recent tracks up my sleeve. But at least for the next little while I am going back to basics for all my new songs.



Anyway, I’m not ashamed to say that I love ‘For All I Know’. If you don’t that is cool, but just don’t say that I didn’t put my heart into it. I actually recorded another, much more polished version with slightly different lyrics (just me and the guitar). I’ll release it later in the year. It’ll make an interesting comparison.





LYRICS...



For all I know, for all I know

You might be a thief

For all I know, for all I know

You might bring relief

But any day now my heart will be at peace

But any day now my heart will be at peace



For all I know, for all I know

We might be in deep

For all I know, for all I know

We might meet in the street

Cause in this world you got nothing not the shoes on your feet

In this world you got nothing not the shoes on your feet



For all I know

For all I know I know I know

For all I know, for all I know...



For all I know, for all I know

We might be on the beat (I’m still alone now)

For all I know, for all I know

We’re yet to compete (meet you in the street)

But any day now my heart will be at peace

But any day now my heart will be at peace



For all I know

For all I know I know I know

For all I know, for all I know...



Cause in this world you got nothing not the shoes on your feet

Cause in this world you got nothing not the shoes on your feet



For all I know

For all I know I know I know

For all I know, for all I know...





For All I Know by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/for-all-i-know.]]>


Sounds simple, but the longer you write music the further you seem to drift away from that ideal.



Being my first post for 2013 this song really sets the tone as I have made the decision to strip my music back to the bare bones. I just felt that I had been hiding behind too much production and too many tricks for too long.



I wrote ‘For All I Know’ while sitting on a near deserted beach in Queensland Australia over the end of year break. It is exactly what you imagine it to be. Paradise. I was just staring into the ocean when a very pensive and meditative feeling came over me - nothing like the ocean to give you a bit of perspective on how insignificant we really are. I basically reached into the ether and pulled the song out.



Is it the greatest song in the world? Not by a long shot. But it is real and that has got to count for something. I meant every word and it is from the heart. And even if you don’t logically understand what I’m singing about I hope you’ll get the emotion of it (I don’t necessarily give a fuck about lyrical truth, emotional truth is far more important in music).



The music is very minimalist being just three basic chords (C, G, D) over and over again. Like many of my songs it builds to a crescendo. I think there is a bit of a gospel flavour in it, but there are echoes of the Velvet Underground, Springsteen and The Rolling Stones. As usual, I kept the mix pretty rough. In fact, almost every instrument was recorded in one take. I must sound like a broken record, but I love rough edges in my music.



Looking forward, I will still plug in and rock out every now and then. I have plenty old and recent tracks up my sleeve. But at least for the next little while I am going back to basics for all my new songs.



Anyway, I’m not ashamed to say that I love ‘For All I Know’. If you don’t that is cool, but just don’t say that I didn’t put my heart into it. I actually recorded another, much more polished version with slightly different lyrics (just me and the guitar). I’ll release it later in the year. It’ll make an interesting comparison.





LYRICS...



For all I know, for all I know

You might be a thief

For all I know, for all I know

You might bring relief

But any day now my heart will be at peace

But any day now my heart will be at peace



For all I know, for all I know

We might be in deep

For all I know, for all I know

We might meet in the street

Cause in this world you got nothing not the shoes on your feet

In this world you got nothing not the shoes on your feet



For all I know

For all I know I know I know

For all I know, for all I know...



For all I know, for all I know

We might be on the beat (I’m still alone now)

For all I know, for all I know

We’re yet to compete (meet you in the street)

But any day now my heart will be at peace

But any day now my heart will be at peace



For all I know

For all I know I know I know

For all I know, for all I know...



Cause in this world you got nothing not the shoes on your feet

Cause in this world you got nothing not the shoes on your feet



For all I know

For all I know I know I know

For all I know, for all I know...





For All I Know by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/for-all-i-know.]]> 1526660 no no Mon, 04 Feb 2013 01:05:37 +0100 2013-02-04T01:05:37+01:00 4:10 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/way-down-inside/
Led Zeppelin, Elvis, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones... There are just some things that you shouldn’t mess around with. So I’m told.

Before you get all hot under the collar let me explain. This track is nothing more than an experiment. I was recently trying to figure out some new editing software and Zep’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ just happened to be the first random thing I cued up to play around with. Obviously I got a little carried away and made an entire track.

For the record, let me say that the mighty Led Zep got it 100% perfect and certainly don’t need anyone - especially me - messing with their classic. I’m sure you would agree. But surely re-mixing or sampling doesn’t detract from the brilliance of the original. Hell, in this case it might even enhance the original if you don’t like what I have done.

That said, I really don’t know where I stand on remixes. I think to myself why can’t people just create their own music, however when somebody takes a song into new, unchartered territory it can be pretty exciting. Everybody is bound to have their own opinion. To be honest I don’t even know if this qualifies as a remix as I basically created new riffs all over the place. By the way, the interview that kicks in at around 2:00 is an interview with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant from 1970.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great end of year break and I’ll be back posting tracks in early 2013. I’ll still be online should anyone want me to listen to something.

Take care.

The East Village Vampire]]>
Led Zeppelin, Elvis, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones... There are just some things that you shouldn’t mess around with. So I’m told.

Before you get all hot under the collar let me explain. This track is nothing more than an experiment. I was recently trying to figure out some new editing software and Zep’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ just happened to be the first random thing I cued up to play around with. Obviously I got a little carried away and made an entire track.

For the record, let me say that the mighty Led Zep got it 100% perfect and certainly don’t need anyone - especially me - messing with their classic. I’m sure you would agree. But surely re-mixing or sampling doesn’t detract from the brilliance of the original. Hell, in this case it might even enhance the original if you don’t like what I have done.

That said, I really don’t know where I stand on remixes. I think to myself why can’t people just create their own music, however when somebody takes a song into new, unchartered territory it can be pretty exciting. Everybody is bound to have their own opinion. To be honest I don’t even know if this qualifies as a remix as I basically created new riffs all over the place. By the way, the interview that kicks in at around 2:00 is an interview with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant from 1970.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great end of year break and I’ll be back posting tracks in early 2013. I’ll still be online should anyone want me to listen to something.

Take care.

The East Village Vampire]]> 1526661 no no Thu, 06 Dec 2012 01:14:22 +0100 2012-12-06T01:14:22+01:00 4:18 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/hollywood-nightmare/
With that in mind, ‘Hollywood Nightmare’ was a spontaneous, old fashion raggedy twelve bar blues that used old Hollywood as an inspiration. I recorded it one night over a few drinks with a friend. It was obviously completely unplanned.

The lyrics were inspired by my old DVD collection - I keep them all in my home studio. As I was playing I just stared at my collection and began rambling on about the idea of taking a journey through the “Hollywood night”. It is all a bit Sunset Boulevard or something.

The music is the product of a late night and too many drinks. In a way it is a companion piece to my song ‘Dramatic Highs, Dramatic Lows’. By the way, my friend is playing the rhythm guitar.

If nothing else, the track highlights my old fashion telecaster playing. I love that old rusty tone. Also, the vocals sound a bit Tom Waits, or at least something from the same universe. It is a bit similar to my voice in ‘Going Down...’

Anyway, it is nothing to be pondered too deeply. Just a blues jam.

Hope you enjoy


LYRICS...

Through the Hollywood night / it’s like a Hollywood nightmare baby
Through the Hollywood night / it’s like a Hollywood nightmare baby
To have your name up in lights and be forgotten tomorrow baby

On that silver screen you cried crocodile tears for me baby
On that silver screen you cried crocodile tears for me baby
You know late at night I’ll mend your broken dreams now baby

Through the Hollywood night / it’s like a Hollywood nightmare baby
Through the Hollywood night / it’s like a Hollywood nightmare baby
To have your name up in lights and be forgotten tomorrow baby

To have your name up in lights and be forgotten tomorrow baby
To have your name up in lights and be forgotten tomorrow baby



Hollywood Nightmare by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
With that in mind, ‘Hollywood Nightmare’ was a spontaneous, old fashion raggedy twelve bar blues that used old Hollywood as an inspiration. I recorded it one night over a few drinks with a friend. It was obviously completely unplanned.

The lyrics were inspired by my old DVD collection - I keep them all in my home studio. As I was playing I just stared at my collection and began rambling on about the idea of taking a journey through the “Hollywood night”. It is all a bit Sunset Boulevard or something.

The music is the product of a late night and too many drinks. In a way it is a companion piece to my song ‘Dramatic Highs, Dramatic Lows’. By the way, my friend is playing the rhythm guitar.

If nothing else, the track highlights my old fashion telecaster playing. I love that old rusty tone. Also, the vocals sound a bit Tom Waits, or at least something from the same universe. It is a bit similar to my voice in ‘Going Down...’

Anyway, it is nothing to be pondered too deeply. Just a blues jam.

Hope you enjoy


LYRICS...

Through the Hollywood night / it’s like a Hollywood nightmare baby
Through the Hollywood night / it’s like a Hollywood nightmare baby
To have your name up in lights and be forgotten tomorrow baby

On that silver screen you cried crocodile tears for me baby
On that silver screen you cried crocodile tears for me baby
You know late at night I’ll mend your broken dreams now baby

Through the Hollywood night / it’s like a Hollywood nightmare baby
Through the Hollywood night / it’s like a Hollywood nightmare baby
To have your name up in lights and be forgotten tomorrow baby

To have your name up in lights and be forgotten tomorrow baby
To have your name up in lights and be forgotten tomorrow baby



Hollywood Nightmare by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526662 no no Mon, 26 Nov 2012 05:24:42 +0100 2012-11-26T05:24:42+01:00 3:40 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/a-sketch-of-the-new-frontier/
‘A Sketch Of The New Frontier’ was recorded over a few late night sessions (and a few late night drinks) in early November 2012. A close friend of mine described the track as fever dream road music. I must say I agree with that description.

The track is very atmospheric and unrelenting. In this case, traditional song writing took a back seat to creating a mood. It is supposed to conjure up imagery of windswept highways, savagery and lawless lands. I obviously had the Australian Outback in mind, but it could just as easily be America.

The music itself has elements of rockabilly, rock, jazz, blues and country. On a basic level I think people will compare it to bands like The Doors – granted, the influence of The Doors is unmistakable in this number. However, I was equally influenced by Miles Davis’ ‘Bitches Brew’. For those familiar with that landmark album I think you’ll know what I mean (for instance, I love the way that the lap steel and harmonica drift in and out). I know a lot people say that their music should be listened to with headphones, but this one really should be listened to with cans on.

To be fair, the track is more of an extended jam than a song. Even the lyrics are just there to add ambiance. Think of it as an exercise in mood and let your ears go with the flow.

By the way, for someone who isn’t a real keyboard player I must say that I was in fine form on the keys (even with my limited ability). Check out my little solo at approx 2:20 or there about. I was very proud.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

This land turns boys into men
This land grinds men into dust
This land speaks a violent truth
Welcome to the new frontier

Welcome...

This land knows nothing of God
This land has blood in its sand
This land reeks of lust and revenge
Welcome to the new frontier

Welcome...

Welcome to the new frontier
Welcome to the new frontier
Welcome to the new frontier
Welcome to the new frontier




A Sketch Of The New Frontier by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
‘A Sketch Of The New Frontier’ was recorded over a few late night sessions (and a few late night drinks) in early November 2012. A close friend of mine described the track as fever dream road music. I must say I agree with that description.

The track is very atmospheric and unrelenting. In this case, traditional song writing took a back seat to creating a mood. It is supposed to conjure up imagery of windswept highways, savagery and lawless lands. I obviously had the Australian Outback in mind, but it could just as easily be America.

The music itself has elements of rockabilly, rock, jazz, blues and country. On a basic level I think people will compare it to bands like The Doors – granted, the influence of The Doors is unmistakable in this number. However, I was equally influenced by Miles Davis’ ‘Bitches Brew’. For those familiar with that landmark album I think you’ll know what I mean (for instance, I love the way that the lap steel and harmonica drift in and out). I know a lot people say that their music should be listened to with headphones, but this one really should be listened to with cans on.

To be fair, the track is more of an extended jam than a song. Even the lyrics are just there to add ambiance. Think of it as an exercise in mood and let your ears go with the flow.

By the way, for someone who isn’t a real keyboard player I must say that I was in fine form on the keys (even with my limited ability). Check out my little solo at approx 2:20 or there about. I was very proud.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

This land turns boys into men
This land grinds men into dust
This land speaks a violent truth
Welcome to the new frontier

Welcome...

This land knows nothing of God
This land has blood in its sand
This land reeks of lust and revenge
Welcome to the new frontier

Welcome...

Welcome to the new frontier
Welcome to the new frontier
Welcome to the new frontier
Welcome to the new frontier




A Sketch Of The New Frontier by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526663 no no Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:20:16 +0100 2012-11-12T04:20:16+01:00 3:59 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/man-on-fire/
Let me just say from the outset that this track is nothing more than a bit of fun and a good illustration of how quickly I can work. I am not saying that to be negative and I am not trying to use reverse psychology on you. It just isn't a very important track to me. That said, every time I dismiss one of my tracks people tend to respond positively. What do I know?

Anyway, I literally came up with a guitar riff, stole and slowed down the beat from ‘Man Machine (For Someone Else’s Dream)’, scribbled down some crazy lyrics and just enjoyed the recording process. Actually, in retrospect I think the lyrics are OK in a demented kind of way.

The song is basically a psychedelic rocker that at 2:53 dissolves into a pretty authentic sounding Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd space rock jam – think ‘Interstellar Overdrive’. Overall the song comes from a similar place as my other other track ‘Walk And She Wak’. Oh yeah, the 'trouble every day' lyric was a subconscious nod to Frank Zappa's classic blues track, 'Trouble Ever Day'.

My voice sounds like a razor blade in this track. I really don’t know how I got to that sound. I guess it is either cool or terrible depending on your taste. Also, the Vox/Farfisa like keyboard works pretty well. I think it is more Booker T than Ray Manzerek, but it fits OK.

I should say that I do really like the guitar tone. It is very reminiscent of Sly & The Family Stone or The Funk Brothers’ on those psychedelic soul Temptations records.

Hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

I keep an eye on the back of mind checking thoughts as they roll on in
I got trouble every day of the week
Now I’m a weapon but I’m free of sin
My mind is a spear and my heart is a shield so if attacked you can’t see me bleed
Just give me shelter or give the sword
There is an animal that needs to feed

Just a man, just two hands
Just a ring in the sand
Just a ghost, just a host
Just a prize with the most
He’s alive, he’s dead
There’s a man on fire
Singing songs until the end...

There’s trouble everyday

Some keep it sharp but I keep it lean – I keep it buried like some dark dead
So give me shelter or give the sword
There is an animal that needs to feed

Just a man, just two hands
Just a ring in the sand
Just a ghost, just a host
Just a prize with the most
He’s alive, he’s dead
There’s a man on fire
Singing songs until the end...

There’s trouble everyday


Man On Fire by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/man-on-fire.]]>
Let me just say from the outset that this track is nothing more than a bit of fun and a good illustration of how quickly I can work. I am not saying that to be negative and I am not trying to use reverse psychology on you. It just isn't a very important track to me. That said, every time I dismiss one of my tracks people tend to respond positively. What do I know?

Anyway, I literally came up with a guitar riff, stole and slowed down the beat from ‘Man Machine (For Someone Else’s Dream)’, scribbled down some crazy lyrics and just enjoyed the recording process. Actually, in retrospect I think the lyrics are OK in a demented kind of way.

The song is basically a psychedelic rocker that at 2:53 dissolves into a pretty authentic sounding Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd space rock jam – think ‘Interstellar Overdrive’. Overall the song comes from a similar place as my other other track ‘Walk And She Wak’. Oh yeah, the 'trouble every day' lyric was a subconscious nod to Frank Zappa's classic blues track, 'Trouble Ever Day'.

My voice sounds like a razor blade in this track. I really don’t know how I got to that sound. I guess it is either cool or terrible depending on your taste. Also, the Vox/Farfisa like keyboard works pretty well. I think it is more Booker T than Ray Manzerek, but it fits OK.

I should say that I do really like the guitar tone. It is very reminiscent of Sly & The Family Stone or The Funk Brothers’ on those psychedelic soul Temptations records.

Hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

I keep an eye on the back of mind checking thoughts as they roll on in
I got trouble every day of the week
Now I’m a weapon but I’m free of sin
My mind is a spear and my heart is a shield so if attacked you can’t see me bleed
Just give me shelter or give the sword
There is an animal that needs to feed

Just a man, just two hands
Just a ring in the sand
Just a ghost, just a host
Just a prize with the most
He’s alive, he’s dead
There’s a man on fire
Singing songs until the end...

There’s trouble everyday

Some keep it sharp but I keep it lean – I keep it buried like some dark dead
So give me shelter or give the sword
There is an animal that needs to feed

Just a man, just two hands
Just a ring in the sand
Just a ghost, just a host
Just a prize with the most
He’s alive, he’s dead
There’s a man on fire
Singing songs until the end...

There’s trouble everyday


Man On Fire by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/man-on-fire.]]> 1526664 no no Wed, 07 Nov 2012 03:59:10 +0100 2012-11-07T03:59:10+01:00 4:40 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/music-for-the-escape/
No hesitation. No debate.

I have always been slightly obsessed with John Carpenter’s 1981 dystopian classic. Sure, there are “better” films, but after all these years nothing even comes close for me. It was the very first video I ever saw on my family’s beta max video player (the next was Conan The Barbarian) and as a kid Snake Plissken blew my mind. Still does. Without exaggerating I have seen it 40 or 50 times. Let's all just pretend that 1996's 'Escape From LA' never happened.

Also, Let me digress and just say that between 1979 and 1986, Kurt Russell was easily the coolest man on the face of the Earth. The fact that he played Elvis, Snake Plissken, MacReady & Jack Burton should really settle any argument on this point. Still love the man.

In general, Carpenter films (e.g. ‘Halloween’, ‘Assault On Precinct 13’, ‘Big Trouble In Little China’, ‘The Thing’ ‘Escape From New York’ and even 'The Fog') literally shaped my formative years. Whilst other kids were busy role-playing Rambo or The Terminator, I spent countless hours kicking imaginary New York ass as Snake Plissken.

Back to Escape From New York.

Although I always loved the music, it wasn’t until my late teens that it dawned on me just how brilliant John Carpenter’s score was. Minimalist. Dark. Unrelenting. Evocative. The score has a huge presence in the movie. Needless to say, it had a huge influence on me and it was inevitable that I would eventually try to create my own soundtrack to the film, hence ‘Music For The Escape’.

I recorded the track in the early to mid 1990s (not sure exactly when). At the time I had little to no idea about electronic music, but it was the first time I used a sampler. Basically, I stole the main beat from Joy Division’s ‘Disorder’ and boosted key sound bites from the movie itself. I then layered multiple bass parts, plugged in my synths and off I went. I reckon the sound quality isn’t too bad after all this time.

It is a really dark and unrelenting piece of music. If you listen closely some of the additional drum parts are a little out of time, but the feeling is there. Also, you can hear me trying to replicate John Carpenter’s iconic siren synth sound in the second verse.

I listen to this and I can hear a younger, more naive version of myself. As a time capsule I love it. As a piece of music it is flawed but I think I was onto something. If you know the movie I’d love to know what you think.

Only one thing left to say...

“Call me Snake.”


Music For The Escape by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/music-for-the-escape.]]>
No hesitation. No debate.

I have always been slightly obsessed with John Carpenter’s 1981 dystopian classic. Sure, there are “better” films, but after all these years nothing even comes close for me. It was the very first video I ever saw on my family’s beta max video player (the next was Conan The Barbarian) and as a kid Snake Plissken blew my mind. Still does. Without exaggerating I have seen it 40 or 50 times. Let's all just pretend that 1996's 'Escape From LA' never happened.

Also, Let me digress and just say that between 1979 and 1986, Kurt Russell was easily the coolest man on the face of the Earth. The fact that he played Elvis, Snake Plissken, MacReady & Jack Burton should really settle any argument on this point. Still love the man.

In general, Carpenter films (e.g. ‘Halloween’, ‘Assault On Precinct 13’, ‘Big Trouble In Little China’, ‘The Thing’ ‘Escape From New York’ and even 'The Fog') literally shaped my formative years. Whilst other kids were busy role-playing Rambo or The Terminator, I spent countless hours kicking imaginary New York ass as Snake Plissken.

Back to Escape From New York.

Although I always loved the music, it wasn’t until my late teens that it dawned on me just how brilliant John Carpenter’s score was. Minimalist. Dark. Unrelenting. Evocative. The score has a huge presence in the movie. Needless to say, it had a huge influence on me and it was inevitable that I would eventually try to create my own soundtrack to the film, hence ‘Music For The Escape’.

I recorded the track in the early to mid 1990s (not sure exactly when). At the time I had little to no idea about electronic music, but it was the first time I used a sampler. Basically, I stole the main beat from Joy Division’s ‘Disorder’ and boosted key sound bites from the movie itself. I then layered multiple bass parts, plugged in my synths and off I went. I reckon the sound quality isn’t too bad after all this time.

It is a really dark and unrelenting piece of music. If you listen closely some of the additional drum parts are a little out of time, but the feeling is there. Also, you can hear me trying to replicate John Carpenter’s iconic siren synth sound in the second verse.

I listen to this and I can hear a younger, more naive version of myself. As a time capsule I love it. As a piece of music it is flawed but I think I was onto something. If you know the movie I’d love to know what you think.

Only one thing left to say...

“Call me Snake.”


Music For The Escape by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/music-for-the-escape.]]> 1526665 no no Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:34:05 +0100 2012-10-30T01:34:05+01:00 4:02 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/if-all-is-a-lie/
Where the hell did it come from?

After all this time, I’m still not sure where I stand on religion. I guess I find it amazing how some people can retain perfect faith in such a cruel world, whilst others are so unflinchingly sure that God doesn’t exist. In reality both camps are no closer to having the answer.

Want my advice? Just concentrate on being a good person. We will all find out the answer in the end. another dime store philosophy lesson over...

Written and recorded in 2011, I can’t tell you the exact meaning of the song. It is either about faith or the lack of faith depending on your point of view. More than that, I think it is a song about contradictions. In particular I find the lyrics in the chorus interesting - love to hear your interpretations if you got any.

As for the music, it has a bit of The Stones, CSN&Y and The Who (think ‘Magic Bus’) - a bit of a 60's gospel rock thing happening. Interestingly, it is one of the few songs where you can really detect my Australian accent. It wasn’t a conscious decision it just sort of happened. It might be something I do more often in the future. I think it would work better in a slightly different context or stronger song.

To be honest, I am a little embarrassed by this track. I can’t say that I like it, but I made the decision a while ago to put everything out there. I think it is interesting.

Anyway, hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

With each mistake I sacrifice a part of me, a part of you
I can’t pretend, I can just give flight
Homeward bound
I’m homeward bound...

When Abraham drew his knife,
There was trust in hand and trust in heart
It takes more than me
It takes more than you
Were both so small under God’s great sky

If all is a lie / If all is a dream
It’s all the same to me to me
So forgive your heart /forgive life’s seems
Ain’t nothing perfect to me
To me...

Did Jesus Christ have a price?
Was he more like me, or more like you?
We can’t contend we can just give fight
I am – we stand before all knowing eyes.

Well, words might fail and reason be bound
And God’s good grace seems a lifetime away
It takes more than me
It takes more than you
Were both so small under God’s great sky

If all is a lie / If all is a dream
It’s all the same to me to me
So forgive your heart /forgive life’s seems
Ain’t nothing perfect to me
To me...

If all is a lie / If all is a dream
It’s all the same to me to me
So forgive your heart /forgive life’s seems
Ain’t nothing perfect to me
To me...


If All Is A Lie by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
Where the hell did it come from?

After all this time, I’m still not sure where I stand on religion. I guess I find it amazing how some people can retain perfect faith in such a cruel world, whilst others are so unflinchingly sure that God doesn’t exist. In reality both camps are no closer to having the answer.

Want my advice? Just concentrate on being a good person. We will all find out the answer in the end. another dime store philosophy lesson over...

Written and recorded in 2011, I can’t tell you the exact meaning of the song. It is either about faith or the lack of faith depending on your point of view. More than that, I think it is a song about contradictions. In particular I find the lyrics in the chorus interesting - love to hear your interpretations if you got any.

As for the music, it has a bit of The Stones, CSN&Y and The Who (think ‘Magic Bus’) - a bit of a 60's gospel rock thing happening. Interestingly, it is one of the few songs where you can really detect my Australian accent. It wasn’t a conscious decision it just sort of happened. It might be something I do more often in the future. I think it would work better in a slightly different context or stronger song.

To be honest, I am a little embarrassed by this track. I can’t say that I like it, but I made the decision a while ago to put everything out there. I think it is interesting.

Anyway, hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

With each mistake I sacrifice a part of me, a part of you
I can’t pretend, I can just give flight
Homeward bound
I’m homeward bound...

When Abraham drew his knife,
There was trust in hand and trust in heart
It takes more than me
It takes more than you
Were both so small under God’s great sky

If all is a lie / If all is a dream
It’s all the same to me to me
So forgive your heart /forgive life’s seems
Ain’t nothing perfect to me
To me...

Did Jesus Christ have a price?
Was he more like me, or more like you?
We can’t contend we can just give fight
I am – we stand before all knowing eyes.

Well, words might fail and reason be bound
And God’s good grace seems a lifetime away
It takes more than me
It takes more than you
Were both so small under God’s great sky

If all is a lie / If all is a dream
It’s all the same to me to me
So forgive your heart /forgive life’s seems
Ain’t nothing perfect to me
To me...

If all is a lie / If all is a dream
It’s all the same to me to me
So forgive your heart /forgive life’s seems
Ain’t nothing perfect to me
To me...


If All Is A Lie by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526666 no no Mon, 22 Oct 2012 05:43:01 +0200 2012-10-22T05:43:01+02:00 5:08 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/fat-chicks-fall-hard/
‘Fat Chicks Fall Hard’ was inspired by a passing (and admittedly insensitive) remark a friend of mine made one night in 2006. We were walking out of the West Hampstead Tube when some poor heavy set girl lost her footing in front of us and hit the ground in a very unflattering fashion. The remark was made.

But wait, there is more...

Later that night I thought about the comment and it occurred to me that it was unintentionally brilliant. Much like the people you meet, you can either see the superficial or you can look a bit deeper. Sure, it was insensitive but I took as a clever and emblematic description for insecure people who just want to be loved. I took it to mean that when an insecure person lets down their guard and falls in love, they fall hard. On one hand it is harsh, on the other it is pretty deep.

Am I reading into it too much? I always do. That said, the song is more about the passing of time and the inevitability of change.

Anyway, I told my friend that I’d eventually write a song based on his remark and in 2010 I did. I finally recorded it in August 2012. I’m sure he thought I was joking.

In terms of the music, this is one of the few fully piano driven songs I have ever written. Admittedly I am not a great piano player. I usually use keyboards to add textures or embellish themes, but I think this song sounds OK. There is a real 70’s glam rock / sing-songwriter influence in this one (hell, I even reference Bowie and The Spider’s From Mars). At the time I was listening to a lot of early Roxy Music, David Bowie, glam-era Lou Reed and the like.

Let me just say that this is a demo and as such the quality is certainly a bit dodgy. That said, I really like the melody in this one. And although the production and performance may not be great I still think it has some really cool moments. Oh yeah, at approx. 2:14 you can hear me talking out aloud about my plans for the song. Hilarious!

In terms of pure song writing I am pretty proud of this one. I guess I’ll see if you agree.

Hope you enjoy


LYRICS...

Men will lie / kids will cheat
Fat chicks fall hard for the guys they meet
Friends will come / money goes
In the end you ain’t got nothing to show
But where are The Spiders?
Yeah, where are those Spiders From Mars?
Their all grown up / cut their hair
To get through this, man you ain’t got a prayer

Sometimes time will push you around – it’s a high school bully
Sometimes time will leave you gagged and bound
Just hold tight because who can you fight but me – and I’m here for you sugar!
Just hold tight it’ll be alright you’ll see

She had it coming / but she could sing
She had some talent – just that special something
He let it ride / he let it roll
He talked some shit but he drank it away
I use to worry how I use to always hurry, thinking every single second was worth its weight in gold
I use to worry thinking how I use to always hurry, thinking every single second was worth its weight in gold

Sometimes time will push you around – it’s a high school bully
Sometimes time will leave you gagged and bound
Just hold tight because who can you fight but me - I’m here for you honey!
Just hold tight it’ll be alright you’ll see

Get you down?
Get you down?
Get you down for everything?
Gather around!
Gather around!
Gather around for everything!
Where are The Spiders?
Where are The Spiders?
Where are The Spiders From Mars?
Get you down?
Get you down?
Get you down for everything?

Sometimes time will push you around – it’s just a high school bully
Sometimes time will leave you gagged and bound
Just hold tight because who can you fight but me –I’m here for you honey!
Just hold tight it’ll be alright you’ll see - you’ll see

Just hold tight because who can you fight but me
Just hold tight it’ll be alright you’ll see


Fat Chick Fall Hard (The Heavy Demo) by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/fat-chicks-fall-hard.]]>
‘Fat Chicks Fall Hard’ was inspired by a passing (and admittedly insensitive) remark a friend of mine made one night in 2006. We were walking out of the West Hampstead Tube when some poor heavy set girl lost her footing in front of us and hit the ground in a very unflattering fashion. The remark was made.

But wait, there is more...

Later that night I thought about the comment and it occurred to me that it was unintentionally brilliant. Much like the people you meet, you can either see the superficial or you can look a bit deeper. Sure, it was insensitive but I took as a clever and emblematic description for insecure people who just want to be loved. I took it to mean that when an insecure person lets down their guard and falls in love, they fall hard. On one hand it is harsh, on the other it is pretty deep.

Am I reading into it too much? I always do. That said, the song is more about the passing of time and the inevitability of change.

Anyway, I told my friend that I’d eventually write a song based on his remark and in 2010 I did. I finally recorded it in August 2012. I’m sure he thought I was joking.

In terms of the music, this is one of the few fully piano driven songs I have ever written. Admittedly I am not a great piano player. I usually use keyboards to add textures or embellish themes, but I think this song sounds OK. There is a real 70’s glam rock / sing-songwriter influence in this one (hell, I even reference Bowie and The Spider’s From Mars). At the time I was listening to a lot of early Roxy Music, David Bowie, glam-era Lou Reed and the like.

Let me just say that this is a demo and as such the quality is certainly a bit dodgy. That said, I really like the melody in this one. And although the production and performance may not be great I still think it has some really cool moments. Oh yeah, at approx. 2:14 you can hear me talking out aloud about my plans for the song. Hilarious!

In terms of pure song writing I am pretty proud of this one. I guess I’ll see if you agree.

Hope you enjoy


LYRICS...

Men will lie / kids will cheat
Fat chicks fall hard for the guys they meet
Friends will come / money goes
In the end you ain’t got nothing to show
But where are The Spiders?
Yeah, where are those Spiders From Mars?
Their all grown up / cut their hair
To get through this, man you ain’t got a prayer

Sometimes time will push you around – it’s a high school bully
Sometimes time will leave you gagged and bound
Just hold tight because who can you fight but me – and I’m here for you sugar!
Just hold tight it’ll be alright you’ll see

She had it coming / but she could sing
She had some talent – just that special something
He let it ride / he let it roll
He talked some shit but he drank it away
I use to worry how I use to always hurry, thinking every single second was worth its weight in gold
I use to worry thinking how I use to always hurry, thinking every single second was worth its weight in gold

Sometimes time will push you around – it’s a high school bully
Sometimes time will leave you gagged and bound
Just hold tight because who can you fight but me - I’m here for you honey!
Just hold tight it’ll be alright you’ll see

Get you down?
Get you down?
Get you down for everything?
Gather around!
Gather around!
Gather around for everything!
Where are The Spiders?
Where are The Spiders?
Where are The Spiders From Mars?
Get you down?
Get you down?
Get you down for everything?

Sometimes time will push you around – it’s just a high school bully
Sometimes time will leave you gagged and bound
Just hold tight because who can you fight but me –I’m here for you honey!
Just hold tight it’ll be alright you’ll see - you’ll see

Just hold tight because who can you fight but me
Just hold tight it’ll be alright you’ll see


Fat Chick Fall Hard (The Heavy Demo) by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/fat-chicks-fall-hard.]]> 1526667 no no Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:33:35 +0200 2012-10-15T04:33:35+02:00 4:43 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/go-back-to-where-you-came-from/
The idea of hating someone just because of their skin color, religion or whatever is completely ridiculous to me. You may as well hate someone for being tall or having curly hair. With that in mind, you probably get a pretty good idea of what inspired ‘Go Back To Where You Came From!'.

Over the last few years there has been a detectable increase in the number of Australians who use the flag as a veil for racist attitudes (since when does loving your country also mean being xenophobic?). The expression of ‘go back to where you came from’ is becoming an all too common chant amongst these knit wits. Needless to say, the funny thing about Australia is that - with the exception of Aborigines - we all came from somewhere else.

Written in September 2012, the music incorporates some rusty, apocalyptic sounding blues that eventually morphs into a bit of a Rolling Stones style jam. I also thought it would be both cool and appropriate in this context to bring in a didgeridoo sound. The music is pretty shambolic, OK very shambolic, but I think it adds to the live feeling of the track and enhances the subject matter. I recorded the entire thing in a little less than 2 hours. Interesting note, the bass drum sound at the beginning is actually me tapping my foot on the floor boards at home.

It is strange that up until recently I hadn't written too many political songs, but in the last month I have written three. I must be getting old and cranky. As such the lyrics are pretty in your face and slightly tongue in cheek (have a read below). I guess I was riffing on a particular mood and got a bit carried away. I think you’ll agree I didn’t take a backward step.

Any racists listening to this track might get offended – TOO BAD.

I hope the rest of you enjoy!


LYRICS...

If we go back to where we came from
Leave you and your mates
Go back to where we came from
Man, who would you hate?
You know the jobs you claim were stolen still wouldn't be yours
They ain't no jobs for sons of inbreed whores!

If we go back to where we came from
Your team would be shit,
Your business would be fucked man,
Your wallet would be hit
And the crime you say we brought here would still stay the same
And you'd got back to eating slop like before we all came

If we go back to where we came from
If we go back...

If we go back to where we came from
Take a boat or a plane
Go back to where we came from
You'd find someone else to blame
Because man you'll never get ahead while we all carry your ass
For all things you say there ain't no substitute for class

If we go back to where we came from
Will you finally be free?
Go back to where we came from
Would you'd end up missing me?
Because you know this land ain't yours just like the moon ain’t mine
You’ve convinced yourself of so much shit the truth should go down fine



Go Back To Where You Came From! by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
The idea of hating someone just because of their skin color, religion or whatever is completely ridiculous to me. You may as well hate someone for being tall or having curly hair. With that in mind, you probably get a pretty good idea of what inspired ‘Go Back To Where You Came From!'.

Over the last few years there has been a detectable increase in the number of Australians who use the flag as a veil for racist attitudes (since when does loving your country also mean being xenophobic?). The expression of ‘go back to where you came from’ is becoming an all too common chant amongst these knit wits. Needless to say, the funny thing about Australia is that - with the exception of Aborigines - we all came from somewhere else.

Written in September 2012, the music incorporates some rusty, apocalyptic sounding blues that eventually morphs into a bit of a Rolling Stones style jam. I also thought it would be both cool and appropriate in this context to bring in a didgeridoo sound. The music is pretty shambolic, OK very shambolic, but I think it adds to the live feeling of the track and enhances the subject matter. I recorded the entire thing in a little less than 2 hours. Interesting note, the bass drum sound at the beginning is actually me tapping my foot on the floor boards at home.

It is strange that up until recently I hadn't written too many political songs, but in the last month I have written three. I must be getting old and cranky. As such the lyrics are pretty in your face and slightly tongue in cheek (have a read below). I guess I was riffing on a particular mood and got a bit carried away. I think you’ll agree I didn’t take a backward step.

Any racists listening to this track might get offended – TOO BAD.

I hope the rest of you enjoy!


LYRICS...

If we go back to where we came from
Leave you and your mates
Go back to where we came from
Man, who would you hate?
You know the jobs you claim were stolen still wouldn't be yours
They ain't no jobs for sons of inbreed whores!

If we go back to where we came from
Your team would be shit,
Your business would be fucked man,
Your wallet would be hit
And the crime you say we brought here would still stay the same
And you'd got back to eating slop like before we all came

If we go back to where we came from
If we go back...

If we go back to where we came from
Take a boat or a plane
Go back to where we came from
You'd find someone else to blame
Because man you'll never get ahead while we all carry your ass
For all things you say there ain't no substitute for class

If we go back to where we came from
Will you finally be free?
Go back to where we came from
Would you'd end up missing me?
Because you know this land ain't yours just like the moon ain’t mine
You’ve convinced yourself of so much shit the truth should go down fine



Go Back To Where You Came From! by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526668 no no Mon, 08 Oct 2012 04:29:31 +0200 2012-10-08T04:29:31+02:00 3:08 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/conquistadors/ - Albert Einstein


Taking Einstein's quote to heart, 'Conquistadors' was an attempt to expand my horizons. Regardless of whether the track is any good, it is absolutely unique in my catalog and that alone makes me like it. It is just so unrepresentative of anything that I have ever done before or since (including 'The Deep Juice Electro'). As a curiosity I think it is worth having a listen to.

In short, 'Conquistador' is an electro track that I did in the early 2000’s. It probably sounds a bit dated now (a huge problem for dance music in my opinion). And although it might sound just like any other dance/electro track I really tried to tell a story through various musical movements. As such, nothing in this track was random. For better or worst I mapped it out before recording a single note. I remember asking myself can dance music actually be intelligent? Can it tell a story? This was my attempt to answer those questions.

Be warned, I’m about to get SERIOUSLY PRETENTIOUS. Here is how the so-called "story" in this track can be read:

- Movement 1 (0:00 – 0:28): Indigenous people living life freely.

- Movement 2(0:28 – 1:40): Conquistadors traveling across the ocean to a new land.

- Movement 3(1:40 – 4:32): Conquistadors arrive bringing their religion and "progress".

- Movement 4 (4:32 – 5:01 ): Indigenous & Conquistador cultures forever mixed together.

- Movement 5 (5:01 – 5:44): A new beginning or new Conquistadors on the way?

I did warn you (I'm embarrassed even as am I writing this description)

What also makes this track different for me is the use of samples. Granted, I have sampled before but never in such an upfront manner. I delved into my CD collection and heavily sampled both ‘Canto Gregorinao - Coro de monjes del Monasterioi’ and Public Image Ltd’s track ‘Religion’ – as always Johnny Lydon provides the perfect lyrics and the perfect delivery. I can't remember where I got all the chants from. I do think the samples have been used tastefully.

Musically, there is a bit of Leftfield, Chemical Brothers and Future Sounds Of London. However, if you listen a bit more closely there are also touches of Dead Can Dance, Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel floating around.

By the way, the theme of Conquistadors was inspired by Werner Herzog's classic film 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God'. If you haven't seen it you really should. Long live Klaus Kinski.

For those who prefer my traditional song writing I'll be returning to my trusty guitars and pianos in my next release. For now here is something different.

Hope you enjoy!



Conquistadors by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/conquistadors.]]> - Albert Einstein


Taking Einstein's quote to heart, 'Conquistadors' was an attempt to expand my horizons. Regardless of whether the track is any good, it is absolutely unique in my catalog and that alone makes me like it. It is just so unrepresentative of anything that I have ever done before or since (including 'The Deep Juice Electro'). As a curiosity I think it is worth having a listen to.

In short, 'Conquistador' is an electro track that I did in the early 2000’s. It probably sounds a bit dated now (a huge problem for dance music in my opinion). And although it might sound just like any other dance/electro track I really tried to tell a story through various musical movements. As such, nothing in this track was random. For better or worst I mapped it out before recording a single note. I remember asking myself can dance music actually be intelligent? Can it tell a story? This was my attempt to answer those questions.

Be warned, I’m about to get SERIOUSLY PRETENTIOUS. Here is how the so-called "story" in this track can be read:

- Movement 1 (0:00 – 0:28): Indigenous people living life freely.

- Movement 2(0:28 – 1:40): Conquistadors traveling across the ocean to a new land.

- Movement 3(1:40 – 4:32): Conquistadors arrive bringing their religion and "progress".

- Movement 4 (4:32 – 5:01 ): Indigenous & Conquistador cultures forever mixed together.

- Movement 5 (5:01 – 5:44): A new beginning or new Conquistadors on the way?

I did warn you (I'm embarrassed even as am I writing this description)

What also makes this track different for me is the use of samples. Granted, I have sampled before but never in such an upfront manner. I delved into my CD collection and heavily sampled both ‘Canto Gregorinao - Coro de monjes del Monasterioi’ and Public Image Ltd’s track ‘Religion’ – as always Johnny Lydon provides the perfect lyrics and the perfect delivery. I can't remember where I got all the chants from. I do think the samples have been used tastefully.

Musically, there is a bit of Leftfield, Chemical Brothers and Future Sounds Of London. However, if you listen a bit more closely there are also touches of Dead Can Dance, Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel floating around.

By the way, the theme of Conquistadors was inspired by Werner Herzog's classic film 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God'. If you haven't seen it you really should. Long live Klaus Kinski.

For those who prefer my traditional song writing I'll be returning to my trusty guitars and pianos in my next release. For now here is something different.

Hope you enjoy!



Conquistadors by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.Based on a work at http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/conquistadors.]]> 1526669 no no Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:39:45 +0200 2012-10-02T06:39:45+02:00 5:45 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/a-sketch-of-the-sea/
Ask any of my friends and they will all tell you that I am terrified of the sea. I'm not talking I don't like to get my hair wet. I'm talking scared out of my mind shark phobia.

Maybe I watched ‘Jaws’ when I was way too young, or maybe it’s the overwhelming sense of vulnerability I feel when in the water. Who knows? All I know is that to this day I will still not venture in beyond a certain depth. That said I have got better. Until a few years ago I wouldn't venture into the water at all. I'm probably the only Australian who doesn't like the ocean.

A song was always on the cards.

I can't exactly pinpoint when or where I recorded this song. Think it was 2007. What I do remember is that it was meant to be a sketch that I wanted to use as the basis for something much grander. Don’t know why I didn’t do more with it - it probably got lost. I have heaps of these “sketches” from over the years (my track ‘Going Down...’ is another example).

Given my fear, I don’t know how I ended up writing something so calm and tranquil. The music is very minimalist and is based around a simple repetitive riff. Various ambient effects can be heard as a backdrop. If you listen to my track ‘This Means Something...’ there are similarities. I guess I just wanted it to sound very meditative and tranquil even though the lyrics are fairly dark. There is probably a bit of Brian Eno in it like his classic 'Deep Blue Day' - I am huge fan.

Forgive the production as it was not intended to be a finished song. For instance there is obviously too much delay and treble on the vocals (I think I was trying to create a wave effect - cool idea in theory). That said, all in all I think it has something nice going for it.

Not really a song, not really a demo. Just a sketch of something that never was.

Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS:

Because you can’t take a chance with the sea
Drag you down to your death in the deep
Because you can’t take a chance with the sea
Drag you down to your death in the deep

It’s a shame that we had to part
It’s a shame that we had to part

Because you can’t take a chance with the sea
Drag you down to your death in the deep
Because you can’t take a chance with the sea
Drag you down to your death in the deep

It’s as deep as your deep heart
It’s as deep as your deep heart


A Sketch Of The Sea by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
Ask any of my friends and they will all tell you that I am terrified of the sea. I'm not talking I don't like to get my hair wet. I'm talking scared out of my mind shark phobia.

Maybe I watched ‘Jaws’ when I was way too young, or maybe it’s the overwhelming sense of vulnerability I feel when in the water. Who knows? All I know is that to this day I will still not venture in beyond a certain depth. That said I have got better. Until a few years ago I wouldn't venture into the water at all. I'm probably the only Australian who doesn't like the ocean.

A song was always on the cards.

I can't exactly pinpoint when or where I recorded this song. Think it was 2007. What I do remember is that it was meant to be a sketch that I wanted to use as the basis for something much grander. Don’t know why I didn’t do more with it - it probably got lost. I have heaps of these “sketches” from over the years (my track ‘Going Down...’ is another example).

Given my fear, I don’t know how I ended up writing something so calm and tranquil. The music is very minimalist and is based around a simple repetitive riff. Various ambient effects can be heard as a backdrop. If you listen to my track ‘This Means Something...’ there are similarities. I guess I just wanted it to sound very meditative and tranquil even though the lyrics are fairly dark. There is probably a bit of Brian Eno in it like his classic 'Deep Blue Day' - I am huge fan.

Forgive the production as it was not intended to be a finished song. For instance there is obviously too much delay and treble on the vocals (I think I was trying to create a wave effect - cool idea in theory). That said, all in all I think it has something nice going for it.

Not really a song, not really a demo. Just a sketch of something that never was.

Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS:

Because you can’t take a chance with the sea
Drag you down to your death in the deep
Because you can’t take a chance with the sea
Drag you down to your death in the deep

It’s a shame that we had to part
It’s a shame that we had to part

Because you can’t take a chance with the sea
Drag you down to your death in the deep
Because you can’t take a chance with the sea
Drag you down to your death in the deep

It’s as deep as your deep heart
It’s as deep as your deep heart


A Sketch Of The Sea by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526670 no no Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:09:50 +0200 2012-09-24T04:09:50+02:00 2:50 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/bringing-out-the-dead/
The song was inspired by the impending elections in Australia and USA. It just seems ridiculous to me that every few years we go through the same grueling campaigns, candidates and promises. What’s the old saying? The more thing changes, the more they stay the same.

However, rather than bash candidates and their parties for being ineffectual, the song places the blame squarely on us (the voters). At the end of the day, politicians don’t just turn up and govern. We vote them in. For all our talk, for all our dissatisfaction every few years we essentially elect the same interchangeable cast of characters, or as I put it we just keep “bringing out the dead, after all we said”.

Rant over...

Written in August 2012, the music is essentially some stomping, psychedelic glam rock n’ roll. Complete with hand claps, honky tonk piano and my attempt at backing singers (there are 5 vocal tracks in total), there is a pretty strong David Bowie, T. Rex and Roxy Music influence in this one. There is also a bit of The Stooges and New York Dolls in there as well – I tried to model the lo-fi production on those bands.

Also, it may not be very obvious but Jimi Hendrix’s ‘The Star’s That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice’ was a big influence on the song - If not in sound, then in structure. I have always loved how Hendrix kicked the song off with a structured intro that quickly gives way to a free form jam. It sounds like Hendrix was having a party whilst recording. I was trying to do a similar thing here.

Oh yeah, for the intro I sampled Richard Nixon’s infamous ‘I am not a crook’ television address from 1973. I reckon it sets the mood nicely.

I think that once this track gets cooking it really moves. Personally, I like this one.

Hope you enjoy!


LYRICS...

There’s a long way to go
In this year of election - oh my!
And it’s taking a toll
Cause we voted them in one by one

We’re bringing out the dead
After all we said

There’s a long road to hoe
In this mood of reflection – oh my!
And if the cracks will show
Then promises burn ONE BY ONE!

We’re bringing out the dead
After all we said...

This message is paid for by all the:
Faceless,
Nameless,
Feed up,
Unrepresented
People who keep voting them in

What’s it all about?

We’re bringing out the dead
After all we said...

We’re bringing out the dead
After all we’ve said and done.


Bringing Out The Dead by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
The song was inspired by the impending elections in Australia and USA. It just seems ridiculous to me that every few years we go through the same grueling campaigns, candidates and promises. What’s the old saying? The more thing changes, the more they stay the same.

However, rather than bash candidates and their parties for being ineffectual, the song places the blame squarely on us (the voters). At the end of the day, politicians don’t just turn up and govern. We vote them in. For all our talk, for all our dissatisfaction every few years we essentially elect the same interchangeable cast of characters, or as I put it we just keep “bringing out the dead, after all we said”.

Rant over...

Written in August 2012, the music is essentially some stomping, psychedelic glam rock n’ roll. Complete with hand claps, honky tonk piano and my attempt at backing singers (there are 5 vocal tracks in total), there is a pretty strong David Bowie, T. Rex and Roxy Music influence in this one. There is also a bit of The Stooges and New York Dolls in there as well – I tried to model the lo-fi production on those bands.

Also, it may not be very obvious but Jimi Hendrix’s ‘The Star’s That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice’ was a big influence on the song - If not in sound, then in structure. I have always loved how Hendrix kicked the song off with a structured intro that quickly gives way to a free form jam. It sounds like Hendrix was having a party whilst recording. I was trying to do a similar thing here.

Oh yeah, for the intro I sampled Richard Nixon’s infamous ‘I am not a crook’ television address from 1973. I reckon it sets the mood nicely.

I think that once this track gets cooking it really moves. Personally, I like this one.

Hope you enjoy!


LYRICS...

There’s a long way to go
In this year of election - oh my!
And it’s taking a toll
Cause we voted them in one by one

We’re bringing out the dead
After all we said

There’s a long road to hoe
In this mood of reflection – oh my!
And if the cracks will show
Then promises burn ONE BY ONE!

We’re bringing out the dead
After all we said...

This message is paid for by all the:
Faceless,
Nameless,
Feed up,
Unrepresented
People who keep voting them in

What’s it all about?

We’re bringing out the dead
After all we said...

We’re bringing out the dead
After all we’ve said and done.


Bringing Out The Dead by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526671 no no Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:33:23 +0200 2012-09-18T12:33:23+02:00 4:18 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/my-dog-is-electric/
To be honest, I wasn't going to release this song. But I recently listened to it for the first time in about 3 years and thought what the hell. I am currently finishing off some new tracks so I thought it might be an enjoyable filler if nothing else.

There isn’t too much to say about this one. It is just some driving, psychedelic Rolling Stones meets T. Rex rock n’ roll. I remember recording it pretty much as an excuse to have some fun. It certainly wasn’t meant to be anything too deep. In retrospect it was one of those tracks that I had to record just to get it out of my head in order to move on.

Although catchy, for me the only real interesting part of this song is the bass solo that kick in around 1:41. Basically I was out of ideas and very spontaneously started scrapping my pick against the strings with some delay (I think it sounds pretty cool). Also, I added some chaotic psychedelic effects to the background that do a good job of adding some space.

As mentioned, there isn’t too much more to really say about this track.

Hope you enjoy!


LYRICS...

My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes
My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes

I’m a million miles, a million dreams
A million smiles away.
I’m a million miles, a million dreams
A million smiles away.

My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes
My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes

I’m a million miles, a million dreams
A million smiles away.
I’m a million miles, a million dreams
A million smiles away.

My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes
My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes


My Dog Is Electric by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
To be honest, I wasn't going to release this song. But I recently listened to it for the first time in about 3 years and thought what the hell. I am currently finishing off some new tracks so I thought it might be an enjoyable filler if nothing else.

There isn’t too much to say about this one. It is just some driving, psychedelic Rolling Stones meets T. Rex rock n’ roll. I remember recording it pretty much as an excuse to have some fun. It certainly wasn’t meant to be anything too deep. In retrospect it was one of those tracks that I had to record just to get it out of my head in order to move on.

Although catchy, for me the only real interesting part of this song is the bass solo that kick in around 1:41. Basically I was out of ideas and very spontaneously started scrapping my pick against the strings with some delay (I think it sounds pretty cool). Also, I added some chaotic psychedelic effects to the background that do a good job of adding some space.

As mentioned, there isn’t too much more to really say about this track.

Hope you enjoy!


LYRICS...

My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes
My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes

I’m a million miles, a million dreams
A million smiles away.
I’m a million miles, a million dreams
A million smiles away.

My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes
My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes

I’m a million miles, a million dreams
A million smiles away.
I’m a million miles, a million dreams
A million smiles away.

My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes
My dog is electric – electric
My dog has electric eyes


My Dog Is Electric by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526672 no no Tue, 11 Sep 2012 06:20:15 +0200 2012-09-11T06:20:15+02:00 3:40 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/halfway-home/
The version here is a demo and you can hear that I used the same song writing technique as on ‘Combat Boots’ – i.e. using the same continuous beat for the entirety of the song. It is not perfect but I think it drives the song along nicely. From memory I also have a simple acoustic version kicking around somewhere but I'd probably need CSI to track it down.

The music is fairly pop. It is based around an upbeat acoustic riff with a slight country flavor to it. I actually think it has a bit of a hippie vibe to it. It reminds me of a sound that I can't put my finger on.

At 2:21, the guitar solo kicks in with a slightly trance like background. Like ‘Living Under The Same Skies’ or ‘In The Year Of Our Lord’, I went through a period of trying combine country/blues with trance textures and backdrops. In my mind it works, don’t know if you will agree.

The lyrics seem a little bit cryptic but they are all about uncertainty. Moreover, they are about perspective and how everything can be interpreted differently depending on your point of view and where you stand. There are some indirect nods to Dylan, religion and few other bits and pieces.

As mentioned, this is a throwaway song. It is pleasant enough but not really representative of what I do. I doubt I’ll ever record a final version of the song as it is a bit too happy sounding for me. Anyway, here it is.

Hope you enjoy!


LYRICS...

Halfway home or stuck in the middle?
Felt nailed to a cross – you got me, oh-woh!
I fell through the cracks, still know where it’s at
Just a rock n’ roll Jew is the best I can do boy...

If you follow religion don’t poison your children
Just keep one foot through heaven’s open door
Mistakes that you make won’t soon be forgotten
You made one now and you made it before

I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
Every time you go flashing by sing...

Well I ain’t too bad just looking for a fight now
My cheap suit smile is my disguise - my sword
I fall to my knees, I just don’t have the time
Life moves so fast and fast move I

Just breath it in, breath it out
Breath it in, breath it out
This is what I feel it’s what it’s all about
Just breath it in, breath it out
Breath it in, breath it out
This is what I feel it’s what it’s all about

I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
Every time you go flashing by sing...

Breath it in, breath it out
This is what I feel it’s what it’s all about
Just breath it in, breath it out
Breath it in, breath it out
This is what I feel it’s what it’s all about

I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
Every time you go flashing by sing...


Halfway Home by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
The version here is a demo and you can hear that I used the same song writing technique as on ‘Combat Boots’ – i.e. using the same continuous beat for the entirety of the song. It is not perfect but I think it drives the song along nicely. From memory I also have a simple acoustic version kicking around somewhere but I'd probably need CSI to track it down.

The music is fairly pop. It is based around an upbeat acoustic riff with a slight country flavor to it. I actually think it has a bit of a hippie vibe to it. It reminds me of a sound that I can't put my finger on.

At 2:21, the guitar solo kicks in with a slightly trance like background. Like ‘Living Under The Same Skies’ or ‘In The Year Of Our Lord’, I went through a period of trying combine country/blues with trance textures and backdrops. In my mind it works, don’t know if you will agree.

The lyrics seem a little bit cryptic but they are all about uncertainty. Moreover, they are about perspective and how everything can be interpreted differently depending on your point of view and where you stand. There are some indirect nods to Dylan, religion and few other bits and pieces.

As mentioned, this is a throwaway song. It is pleasant enough but not really representative of what I do. I doubt I’ll ever record a final version of the song as it is a bit too happy sounding for me. Anyway, here it is.

Hope you enjoy!


LYRICS...

Halfway home or stuck in the middle?
Felt nailed to a cross – you got me, oh-woh!
I fell through the cracks, still know where it’s at
Just a rock n’ roll Jew is the best I can do boy...

If you follow religion don’t poison your children
Just keep one foot through heaven’s open door
Mistakes that you make won’t soon be forgotten
You made one now and you made it before

I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
Every time you go flashing by sing...

Well I ain’t too bad just looking for a fight now
My cheap suit smile is my disguise - my sword
I fall to my knees, I just don’t have the time
Life moves so fast and fast move I

Just breath it in, breath it out
Breath it in, breath it out
This is what I feel it’s what it’s all about
Just breath it in, breath it out
Breath it in, breath it out
This is what I feel it’s what it’s all about

I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
Every time you go flashing by sing...

Breath it in, breath it out
This is what I feel it’s what it’s all about
Just breath it in, breath it out
Breath it in, breath it out
This is what I feel it’s what it’s all about

I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
I’ve been waiting for some guidance to come and lead me to where I’m going
Every time you go flashing by sing...


Halfway Home by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526673 no no Wed, 05 Sep 2012 02:52:01 +0200 2012-09-05T02:52:01+02:00 4:27 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/combat-boots/
I basically record a live beat, or find a sample that I like, and loop it endlessly. No fills. No breaks. I then slowly write and shape a song over the top until I have the final product. I can spend hours doing this. For some reason it helps me focus. Once finished I often go back and re-record the percussion, but every now and then I just leave it in.

‘Combat Boots’ is an example of me leaving it in. The song was spontaneously inspired by the drum intro to Bill Withers' 'Kissing My Love'. Like my other song 'Man Machine ‘(For Someone Else’s Dream)’, I literally had a guitar in my hands and started playing the main riff over a cool drum sample. Obviously I don’t own the rights to the sample.

Recorded in 2007, the song is cryptically about a soldier returning home from war. To the soldier everything is the same, yet somehow everything is different. Nothing seems to fit anymore. He is suffering from a sense of isolation and an inability to communicate/articulate his experiences (i.e. gotta get a message to you). The only thing that feels real to him are the combat boots on his feet that carried him through the war and brought him back home. The idea was to make it all sound like an internal monologue (a bit pretentious I know)

Once again I sampled the film Paris, Texas (The first time being in ‘Corroded Heart’). In my mind, the samples seem to add a ghostly quality and in this context seem to allude to the soldier’s life prior to joining the army – like a memory. I like the idea of there being some kind of mystery buried in the past that is only hinted at.

Although it is very groove oriented, the music has a lot going on and probably requires headphones to pick it all up. There are a lot of interesting overdubs and sounds throughout. I really tried to create a chilled out, yet subtly psychedelic feel. Also, I think it is strange how the intro just fades in to song that is already in progress.

I think the track is much more of a soundscape or mood piece than a song. To be honest I never really intended to put it out there, but what the hell. It is pretty interesting.

Hope you enjoy!

LYRICS...

These combat boots go miles and miles
These combat boots go up and down the aisle
Of every town, of every street
These combat boots on my two feet

Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you

Don’t make a difference if you can’t seem to understand
Through wide open spaces these boots just carry your man

These combat boots walk foreign fields
These combat boots remind me what’s real
See familiar faces and raging storms
These combat boots keep moving until dawn

Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you

Don’t make a difference if you can’t seem to understand
Through wide open spaces these boots just carry your man

These combat boots to the ends of the Earth
These combat boots have proven their worth
When you can’t trust a stranger and you can’t trust a friend
These combat boots will be true to the end

Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you

Don’t make a difference if you can’t seem to understand
Through wide open spaces these boots just carry your man


Combat Boots by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
I basically record a live beat, or find a sample that I like, and loop it endlessly. No fills. No breaks. I then slowly write and shape a song over the top until I have the final product. I can spend hours doing this. For some reason it helps me focus. Once finished I often go back and re-record the percussion, but every now and then I just leave it in.

‘Combat Boots’ is an example of me leaving it in. The song was spontaneously inspired by the drum intro to Bill Withers' 'Kissing My Love'. Like my other song 'Man Machine ‘(For Someone Else’s Dream)’, I literally had a guitar in my hands and started playing the main riff over a cool drum sample. Obviously I don’t own the rights to the sample.

Recorded in 2007, the song is cryptically about a soldier returning home from war. To the soldier everything is the same, yet somehow everything is different. Nothing seems to fit anymore. He is suffering from a sense of isolation and an inability to communicate/articulate his experiences (i.e. gotta get a message to you). The only thing that feels real to him are the combat boots on his feet that carried him through the war and brought him back home. The idea was to make it all sound like an internal monologue (a bit pretentious I know)

Once again I sampled the film Paris, Texas (The first time being in ‘Corroded Heart’). In my mind, the samples seem to add a ghostly quality and in this context seem to allude to the soldier’s life prior to joining the army – like a memory. I like the idea of there being some kind of mystery buried in the past that is only hinted at.

Although it is very groove oriented, the music has a lot going on and probably requires headphones to pick it all up. There are a lot of interesting overdubs and sounds throughout. I really tried to create a chilled out, yet subtly psychedelic feel. Also, I think it is strange how the intro just fades in to song that is already in progress.

I think the track is much more of a soundscape or mood piece than a song. To be honest I never really intended to put it out there, but what the hell. It is pretty interesting.

Hope you enjoy!

LYRICS...

These combat boots go miles and miles
These combat boots go up and down the aisle
Of every town, of every street
These combat boots on my two feet

Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you

Don’t make a difference if you can’t seem to understand
Through wide open spaces these boots just carry your man

These combat boots walk foreign fields
These combat boots remind me what’s real
See familiar faces and raging storms
These combat boots keep moving until dawn

Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you

Don’t make a difference if you can’t seem to understand
Through wide open spaces these boots just carry your man

These combat boots to the ends of the Earth
These combat boots have proven their worth
When you can’t trust a stranger and you can’t trust a friend
These combat boots will be true to the end

Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you
Got to get a message to you

Don’t make a difference if you can’t seem to understand
Through wide open spaces these boots just carry your man


Combat Boots by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526674 no no Mon, 27 Aug 2012 06:28:08 +0200 2012-08-27T06:28:08+02:00 6:07 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/i-was-there-the-frankenstein-disco-demo/
“I Was There...” was inspired by a T-shirt I remember seeing an American tourist wearing in Italy back in 2006 that read ‘I Survived Hurricane Katrina’. Whether that was in poor taste or not I don’t know, but I thought there was something in bearing witness to events beyond your control. I took that idea, added a 1984 vibe and out came the song (well, a demo anyway). I actually think the lyrics are pretty cool.

The music came out of bass line that I couldn’t get out of my head for most of 2010. I think I played it all year and tried maybe 10 different styles of music to wrap around it. Ultimately I settled on some kind of Frankenstein, lo-fi trashy disco sound. Why? I have no idea. All I know is that you can't take music so seriously.

As is so often the case, I originally intended this track to be a demo but found that I liked the end result too much. I love lo-fi scratchy recordings. Sure, you can hear sounds saturate, levels change and so on, but in the end I always go for feel not polish. In this case it felt right. I think you will agree that it is a really strange mix. You really have to concentrate to pick up all the sounds.

As usual I tried to layer the guitars. I think there are 4 or possibly 5 guitars dueling at various points which probably adds to the lo-fi murky sound. Also, not being a keyboard player I tried to do my best Stevie Wonder / Ray Charles electric piano workout (approx 2:09). It works as long as you are not really paying close attention. There are also some keyboard horns to add some synthetic cheese to the proceedings.

Oh yeah! I accidentally deleted the count-in for the track. So, you can hear me stumble a little with the funky guitar intro (I had to estimate when the track is going to begin).

Noisy, shambolic and rough sounding. Call me crazy but I like it.

I hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

I was there when they cut my hair - I was there
I was there when they stripped me bare - I was there
I was there when the cities flared - I was there
I was there when the darkness dared - I was there

I was there, I was there...
I was there
I was there, I was there...
I was there

I was there when the children were scared - I was there
I was there when the world didn't care - I was there
I was there when they broke my bones - I was there
I was there and didn't fare - I was there

I was there, I was there...
I was there
I was there, I was there...
I was there



I Was There... by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
“I Was There...” was inspired by a T-shirt I remember seeing an American tourist wearing in Italy back in 2006 that read ‘I Survived Hurricane Katrina’. Whether that was in poor taste or not I don’t know, but I thought there was something in bearing witness to events beyond your control. I took that idea, added a 1984 vibe and out came the song (well, a demo anyway). I actually think the lyrics are pretty cool.

The music came out of bass line that I couldn’t get out of my head for most of 2010. I think I played it all year and tried maybe 10 different styles of music to wrap around it. Ultimately I settled on some kind of Frankenstein, lo-fi trashy disco sound. Why? I have no idea. All I know is that you can't take music so seriously.

As is so often the case, I originally intended this track to be a demo but found that I liked the end result too much. I love lo-fi scratchy recordings. Sure, you can hear sounds saturate, levels change and so on, but in the end I always go for feel not polish. In this case it felt right. I think you will agree that it is a really strange mix. You really have to concentrate to pick up all the sounds.

As usual I tried to layer the guitars. I think there are 4 or possibly 5 guitars dueling at various points which probably adds to the lo-fi murky sound. Also, not being a keyboard player I tried to do my best Stevie Wonder / Ray Charles electric piano workout (approx 2:09). It works as long as you are not really paying close attention. There are also some keyboard horns to add some synthetic cheese to the proceedings.

Oh yeah! I accidentally deleted the count-in for the track. So, you can hear me stumble a little with the funky guitar intro (I had to estimate when the track is going to begin).

Noisy, shambolic and rough sounding. Call me crazy but I like it.

I hope you enjoy.


LYRICS...

I was there when they cut my hair - I was there
I was there when they stripped me bare - I was there
I was there when the cities flared - I was there
I was there when the darkness dared - I was there

I was there, I was there...
I was there
I was there, I was there...
I was there

I was there when the children were scared - I was there
I was there when the world didn't care - I was there
I was there when they broke my bones - I was there
I was there and didn't fare - I was there

I was there, I was there...
I was there
I was there, I was there...
I was there



I Was There... by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526675 no no Mon, 20 Aug 2012 06:59:06 +0200 2012-08-20T06:59:06+02:00 4:48 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/we-are-the-end-of-everything-the-never-to-be-completed-mix/
I wrote and attempted to record ‘We Are The End Of Everything’ in 2009 but could never make it work. Although the writing came quickly, after 3 months I abandoned the recording. I could never get it right (levels were constantly out, the piano got lost in the mix, timing problems, the 4 part harmony was a bit too wild to control etc). Perhaps I'm lazy, but I generally try to record songs quickly otherwise I get lost in the detail. So what you hear is exactly where I left off. There has been no additional mixing.

It isn’t a train wreck, but it isn’t what I wanted it to be. Hopefully you can at least detect the DNA of a somewhat decent song. I think that maybe I was being a little too ambitious with the production. If anyone ever wants to take a stab at turning this into something I’d love to hear it.

As for the song itself, it is one of the few times where lyrics came before the music. I know a lot of people write that way but I need something to write to (I’m a musician, not a poet).

Basically, I was in a pretty bleak mood. It was meant to be summer in Melbourne but there was no summer to be found. It was cold and grey and the thought of going through another year without some sun was pretty depressing. Then one day I was sitting in a cafe reading a newspaper (remember those) and I realized that I had read it cover-to-cover without reading a single good news story. War in the Middle East, Global Financial Crisis, politics, flu in Mexico and worst of all my football team were looking to be hopeless in 2010 - hence the bleak song title.

As mentioned before, I love the combination of bleak lyrics and sweet music. When done well I love that casual listeners will only hear the tune, but those who delve deeper will find something a bit more rewarding. That was my goal with ‘We Are The End Of Everything’. I didn’t pull it off but my intentions were honorable.

I hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

And in the end who will know?
If we lived / If we died
All our tears / all our joy
Will soon fade away with the deep summer sky

And in the end who will care
About what you thought and all you dreamed?
The lives that you touch - the life you had
You’ll find in the end no one gives a damn
No one gives a damn

Because...

We are the sand across the beach / we are a coin dropped in the street
We are the picture on the wall that students pass through empty halls
We are your beauty growing old / we are the years turning her cold
We are the closing of the bar / we never stopped and took in the stars
We are pain without relief / we are the animals that we eat
We will hate and we will love - but we will spend more time with hate
We can believe but can’t be sure / why talk of peace when we can talk of war
We are the end of everything...
We are the end of everything...

And in the end who will know?
Achievements high / adventures low
Matters of fact / inventions of fiction
Will soon turn their back like a young girl’s smile

Because...

We are the spaces between friends / we are the rift that never mends
We are the contact when you hit the floor / we are the sound from empty stalls
We are working without fair gain / we are civilians marched out in the rain
We are the blisters on your feet / we are your neighbor BLOCKING THE STREET!
We are the shotgun in his hands / don’t ‘Come As You Are’ – WE MAKE NO DEMANDS!
We are elections without real choice / now we’re online WE GIVE IDIOTS A VOICE!
We are the struggle of the poor / and although we ain’t certain OF THIS BE SURE!
We are the end of everything...
We are the end of everything...

Even when we come to nothing I will still love you.



We Are The End Of Everything by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
I wrote and attempted to record ‘We Are The End Of Everything’ in 2009 but could never make it work. Although the writing came quickly, after 3 months I abandoned the recording. I could never get it right (levels were constantly out, the piano got lost in the mix, timing problems, the 4 part harmony was a bit too wild to control etc). Perhaps I'm lazy, but I generally try to record songs quickly otherwise I get lost in the detail. So what you hear is exactly where I left off. There has been no additional mixing.

It isn’t a train wreck, but it isn’t what I wanted it to be. Hopefully you can at least detect the DNA of a somewhat decent song. I think that maybe I was being a little too ambitious with the production. If anyone ever wants to take a stab at turning this into something I’d love to hear it.

As for the song itself, it is one of the few times where lyrics came before the music. I know a lot of people write that way but I need something to write to (I’m a musician, not a poet).

Basically, I was in a pretty bleak mood. It was meant to be summer in Melbourne but there was no summer to be found. It was cold and grey and the thought of going through another year without some sun was pretty depressing. Then one day I was sitting in a cafe reading a newspaper (remember those) and I realized that I had read it cover-to-cover without reading a single good news story. War in the Middle East, Global Financial Crisis, politics, flu in Mexico and worst of all my football team were looking to be hopeless in 2010 - hence the bleak song title.

As mentioned before, I love the combination of bleak lyrics and sweet music. When done well I love that casual listeners will only hear the tune, but those who delve deeper will find something a bit more rewarding. That was my goal with ‘We Are The End Of Everything’. I didn’t pull it off but my intentions were honorable.

I hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

And in the end who will know?
If we lived / If we died
All our tears / all our joy
Will soon fade away with the deep summer sky

And in the end who will care
About what you thought and all you dreamed?
The lives that you touch - the life you had
You’ll find in the end no one gives a damn
No one gives a damn

Because...

We are the sand across the beach / we are a coin dropped in the street
We are the picture on the wall that students pass through empty halls
We are your beauty growing old / we are the years turning her cold
We are the closing of the bar / we never stopped and took in the stars
We are pain without relief / we are the animals that we eat
We will hate and we will love - but we will spend more time with hate
We can believe but can’t be sure / why talk of peace when we can talk of war
We are the end of everything...
We are the end of everything...

And in the end who will know?
Achievements high / adventures low
Matters of fact / inventions of fiction
Will soon turn their back like a young girl’s smile

Because...

We are the spaces between friends / we are the rift that never mends
We are the contact when you hit the floor / we are the sound from empty stalls
We are working without fair gain / we are civilians marched out in the rain
We are the blisters on your feet / we are your neighbor BLOCKING THE STREET!
We are the shotgun in his hands / don’t ‘Come As You Are’ – WE MAKE NO DEMANDS!
We are elections without real choice / now we’re online WE GIVE IDIOTS A VOICE!
We are the struggle of the poor / and although we ain’t certain OF THIS BE SURE!
We are the end of everything...
We are the end of everything...

Even when we come to nothing I will still love you.



We Are The End Of Everything by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526676 no no Mon, 13 Aug 2012 06:07:32 +0200 2012-08-13T06:07:32+02:00 5:06 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/moon-after-moon-after-moon/


I recorded ‘Moon After Moon After Moon’ at the end 2011, but I had it kicking around in my brain since 2006 (maybe earlier). For some reason I could never finish it. Then after years of toying around I quickly finished writing, recording and mixing it in one short day.



The song is about the realization that for most of us life doesn’t turn out the way we hoped or planned. Most of us end up feeling removed from where we think our lives should be (as the lyrics go, "we watch the garden from the gates"). More than that, the song is about realizing that in the end it doesn’t matter. We live. We grow old. We die. It sounds clichéd and corny, but ultimately all that is important are the people you love. Yes, I’m also a dime-store, fortune cookie philosopher.



As for the music, I tried to offset fairly pessimistic lyrics with an upbeat country folk sound (I tend to go for that kind of clash a lot). I also tried to strip the production right back. No effects. No frills. Just an acoustic guitar, slide guitar, vocal harmony, Telecaster and hi-hat towards the end. I wanted to create a really honest, intimate and sparse atmosphere. And on that basis I think I succeeded.



Although it is not a live recording it probably gives you a good sense of what I sound like in acoustic mode when not shouting or hiding behind a band.



Of course I don't know what you will think, but 'Moon After Moon After Moon' is actually one of my songs that I like. I think it is just a nicely written little piece of work (if I don’t say so myself). Oh yeah, I really like the country tinged harmonies in this one.



Hope you enjoy!





LYRICS...



Hey, it’s alright my friends

We can’t go back - can’t pretend

We watch the garden from the gates

Even if the sky shall fall

Love runs dry and good men stall

It’s alright you won’t feel a thing



I’ll see you when I do

Baby I’ll be holding you soon

Moon after moon, after moon...

After moon



“Hey, I’m alive!” I cried

“Just swallowed up by the crowd outside”

I watch the garden from the gates

And I don’t know who I am

Or where I stand on God’s grand plan

It’s alright it don’t mean a thing to me



I’ll see you when I do

Baby I’ll be holding you soon

Moon after moon, after moon...

After moon



Don’t walk away / don’t walk alone

You might find you miss me

Don’t say you will / don’t say you won’t

Just shut your mouth and come back home

Come back home...

Come back home...



It’s alright when you dead

Dust and bones in your dying bed

You watch the garden from the gates

Even if the dead shall rise

Time stands still and you outlive lies

It’s alright, it don’t mean a thing to me



I’ll see you when I do

Baby I’ll be holding you soon

Moon after moon, after moon...

After moon



Moon after moon, after moon...

After moon





Moon After Moon After Moon by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>


I recorded ‘Moon After Moon After Moon’ at the end 2011, but I had it kicking around in my brain since 2006 (maybe earlier). For some reason I could never finish it. Then after years of toying around I quickly finished writing, recording and mixing it in one short day.



The song is about the realization that for most of us life doesn’t turn out the way we hoped or planned. Most of us end up feeling removed from where we think our lives should be (as the lyrics go, "we watch the garden from the gates"). More than that, the song is about realizing that in the end it doesn’t matter. We live. We grow old. We die. It sounds clichéd and corny, but ultimately all that is important are the people you love. Yes, I’m also a dime-store, fortune cookie philosopher.



As for the music, I tried to offset fairly pessimistic lyrics with an upbeat country folk sound (I tend to go for that kind of clash a lot). I also tried to strip the production right back. No effects. No frills. Just an acoustic guitar, slide guitar, vocal harmony, Telecaster and hi-hat towards the end. I wanted to create a really honest, intimate and sparse atmosphere. And on that basis I think I succeeded.



Although it is not a live recording it probably gives you a good sense of what I sound like in acoustic mode when not shouting or hiding behind a band.



Of course I don't know what you will think, but 'Moon After Moon After Moon' is actually one of my songs that I like. I think it is just a nicely written little piece of work (if I don’t say so myself). Oh yeah, I really like the country tinged harmonies in this one.



Hope you enjoy!





LYRICS...



Hey, it’s alright my friends

We can’t go back - can’t pretend

We watch the garden from the gates

Even if the sky shall fall

Love runs dry and good men stall

It’s alright you won’t feel a thing



I’ll see you when I do

Baby I’ll be holding you soon

Moon after moon, after moon...

After moon



“Hey, I’m alive!” I cried

“Just swallowed up by the crowd outside”

I watch the garden from the gates

And I don’t know who I am

Or where I stand on God’s grand plan

It’s alright it don’t mean a thing to me



I’ll see you when I do

Baby I’ll be holding you soon

Moon after moon, after moon...

After moon



Don’t walk away / don’t walk alone

You might find you miss me

Don’t say you will / don’t say you won’t

Just shut your mouth and come back home

Come back home...

Come back home...



It’s alright when you dead

Dust and bones in your dying bed

You watch the garden from the gates

Even if the dead shall rise

Time stands still and you outlive lies

It’s alright, it don’t mean a thing to me



I’ll see you when I do

Baby I’ll be holding you soon

Moon after moon, after moon...

After moon



Moon after moon, after moon...

After moon





Moon After Moon After Moon by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526677 no no Mon, 06 Aug 2012 07:03:40 +0200 2012-08-06T07:03:40+02:00 3:25 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/walk-and-she-walk/
As many of you know, I have my vault and then I really have my vault. This one is from the absolute darkest, deepest depths of my back catalogue. In fact, I have never played it for anyone up until now.

The most obvious aspect of the song is the drum sample taken from The Door’s ‘Break On Through’. I really didn’t write 'Walk And She Walk' with the sample in mind, but I realized that the original rhythm track was basically identical to The Doors’ classic. My thinking? Surely John Densmore could do a better job than me. Needless to say, I don’t own the rights to use this sample but since I am not doing anything commercial with the track I imagine it doesn’t matter.

The music is inspired by the many great mid-60’s garage bands – The Animals, Them, The Easybeats, The Small Faces etc. I think I have maybe 5 guitars playing at various points throughout the track (let me count: rhythm, slide, double time guitar in 2nd verse, fuzz lead, clean lead – possibly more in there). It is just me having a good time over some fuzzed up, lo-fi garage rock. I don’t know about the song, but I think I did a pretty good job making it sound like it was from the era. There is even a Vox like organ and some hand claps in there.

I actually think the most interesting part of the song is the extended jam at the end. In particular, at about 4:10 I like how it goes from loud to pretty chilled with an electric piano right at the end. Maybe I should have spent a bit more time exploring that theme. Too late now.

Anyway, it is just a bit of nostalgic fun.

Hope you enjoy

LYRICS

Baby has always been on mind
Even when I was being unkind
Should I live or should I die
Can never say girl I didn't try...

Well she walks where she walks and no one understands
How she move (how she move) and still stay in command
If I leave - I bleed and never find a hand
Well she walks how she walks and they can't understand

Baby was almost all mine
Just a matter of not enough time
Should I live or should I die
Can never say girl I didn't try...

Well she walks where she walks and no one understands
How she move (how she move) and still stay in command
If I leave - I bleed and never find a hand
Well she walks how she walks and they can't understand


Walk And She Walk by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
As many of you know, I have my vault and then I really have my vault. This one is from the absolute darkest, deepest depths of my back catalogue. In fact, I have never played it for anyone up until now.

The most obvious aspect of the song is the drum sample taken from The Door’s ‘Break On Through’. I really didn’t write 'Walk And She Walk' with the sample in mind, but I realized that the original rhythm track was basically identical to The Doors’ classic. My thinking? Surely John Densmore could do a better job than me. Needless to say, I don’t own the rights to use this sample but since I am not doing anything commercial with the track I imagine it doesn’t matter.

The music is inspired by the many great mid-60’s garage bands – The Animals, Them, The Easybeats, The Small Faces etc. I think I have maybe 5 guitars playing at various points throughout the track (let me count: rhythm, slide, double time guitar in 2nd verse, fuzz lead, clean lead – possibly more in there). It is just me having a good time over some fuzzed up, lo-fi garage rock. I don’t know about the song, but I think I did a pretty good job making it sound like it was from the era. There is even a Vox like organ and some hand claps in there.

I actually think the most interesting part of the song is the extended jam at the end. In particular, at about 4:10 I like how it goes from loud to pretty chilled with an electric piano right at the end. Maybe I should have spent a bit more time exploring that theme. Too late now.

Anyway, it is just a bit of nostalgic fun.

Hope you enjoy

LYRICS

Baby has always been on mind
Even when I was being unkind
Should I live or should I die
Can never say girl I didn't try...

Well she walks where she walks and no one understands
How she move (how she move) and still stay in command
If I leave - I bleed and never find a hand
Well she walks how she walks and they can't understand

Baby was almost all mine
Just a matter of not enough time
Should I live or should I die
Can never say girl I didn't try...

Well she walks where she walks and no one understands
How she move (how she move) and still stay in command
If I leave - I bleed and never find a hand
Well she walks how she walks and they can't understand


Walk And She Walk by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526678 no no Mon, 30 Jul 2012 06:03:13 +0200 2012-07-30T06:03:13+02:00 4:35 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/going-down/
I guess I would describe it as Tom Waits meets the singers from the film Rocky (you know, the guys singing ‘Take It Back’ around the trash can). I can't actually recall exactly when I recorded it, but it would have to be more than 5 years ago.

Over time I have gathered heaps of tracks like this. Just little sketches that gather dust and never find there way to becoming full songs. Some are experiments, some are bad, but just every now and then some are pretty good. In this case, I was basically wondering if I could use my body as an instrument. How pretentious is that? You can hear me clapping, beating my chest, singing in falsetto, stomping feet, creating sound effects, etc. For some reason my voice started to sound like Tom Waits in the verses. So strange.

If nothing else, I really like the line ‘staying out after dark – this what you get’. To me there is something really threatening in that.

Obviously ‘Going Down’ is nothing more than a short experiment. I hope you will find it interesting.

Enjoy!


Going Down... by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
I guess I would describe it as Tom Waits meets the singers from the film Rocky (you know, the guys singing ‘Take It Back’ around the trash can). I can't actually recall exactly when I recorded it, but it would have to be more than 5 years ago.

Over time I have gathered heaps of tracks like this. Just little sketches that gather dust and never find there way to becoming full songs. Some are experiments, some are bad, but just every now and then some are pretty good. In this case, I was basically wondering if I could use my body as an instrument. How pretentious is that? You can hear me clapping, beating my chest, singing in falsetto, stomping feet, creating sound effects, etc. For some reason my voice started to sound like Tom Waits in the verses. So strange.

If nothing else, I really like the line ‘staying out after dark – this what you get’. To me there is something really threatening in that.

Obviously ‘Going Down’ is nothing more than a short experiment. I hope you will find it interesting.

Enjoy!


Going Down... by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526679 no no Mon, 23 Jul 2012 08:54:06 +0200 2012-07-23T08:54:06+02:00 1:15 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/living-under-the-same-skies/
Like ‘Six Feet Down’, the song begins by focusing on the struggles of establishing a new life in a new city - only it's more hopeful. Strangely, there is a bit of a play on the old nursery rhyme ‘It’s Raining, It’s Pouring’ (if that doesn’t capture London nothing does). The second verse then shifts to America. Later that year, my wife and I meet some friends in NYC and decided to catch a train to Washington. Along the way I was shocked to see some really run down areas and people generally struggling in the richest country in the world. Springsteen’s Nebraska provided the perfect soundtrack to the happenings outside my window.

In the end I just merged both experiences together.

The music has an undeniable country rock feel to it, maybe a bit Rolling Stones, CSN&Y or Allman Brothers. You can even hear me trying to make one of my guitars sound like a mandolin. For some strange reason I decided to add some keyboard trance like layers. To me it adds a bit of weight to the sound and in certain sections, like the intro, I think it feels pretty towering. Overall it is probably the most upbeat, anthemic song I have ever written. Also, I think the guitar solo is kind of cool. Just when you think it is going to take off I pull it right back, only to take off again. You guys might not think it is much but for me that was pretty inventive at the time.

If nothing else I think ‘Living Under The Same Skies’ is pretty catchy.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

In the morning I'm free falling
Falling in love with you every dawning
I do what I should but time ain't good to me
Now it's pouring - London's yawning
God I go to work just for you my darling
If I make it through it's the best I can do from here

Mama It's alright / It's alright
We're always close living under the same skies

New York's calling...
I'm free falling
Interstate train through the deadbeat morning
A trailer park zoo
I wonder if they think their free?
People crawling / music is warning
Nebraska in my ears while the wheels keep turning
The sound makes me blues - it's the best I can do from here

Mama It's alright / It's alright
We're always close living under the same skies

In the morning I'm free falling
Falling in love with you every dawning
I do what I should but time ain't good to me
Now it's pouring - London's yawning
God I go to work just for you my darling
If I make it through it's the best I can do from here

Mama It's alright / It's alright
We're always close living under the same skies


Living Under The Same Skies by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
Like ‘Six Feet Down’, the song begins by focusing on the struggles of establishing a new life in a new city - only it's more hopeful. Strangely, there is a bit of a play on the old nursery rhyme ‘It’s Raining, It’s Pouring’ (if that doesn’t capture London nothing does). The second verse then shifts to America. Later that year, my wife and I meet some friends in NYC and decided to catch a train to Washington. Along the way I was shocked to see some really run down areas and people generally struggling in the richest country in the world. Springsteen’s Nebraska provided the perfect soundtrack to the happenings outside my window.

In the end I just merged both experiences together.

The music has an undeniable country rock feel to it, maybe a bit Rolling Stones, CSN&Y or Allman Brothers. You can even hear me trying to make one of my guitars sound like a mandolin. For some strange reason I decided to add some keyboard trance like layers. To me it adds a bit of weight to the sound and in certain sections, like the intro, I think it feels pretty towering. Overall it is probably the most upbeat, anthemic song I have ever written. Also, I think the guitar solo is kind of cool. Just when you think it is going to take off I pull it right back, only to take off again. You guys might not think it is much but for me that was pretty inventive at the time.

If nothing else I think ‘Living Under The Same Skies’ is pretty catchy.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

In the morning I'm free falling
Falling in love with you every dawning
I do what I should but time ain't good to me
Now it's pouring - London's yawning
God I go to work just for you my darling
If I make it through it's the best I can do from here

Mama It's alright / It's alright
We're always close living under the same skies

New York's calling...
I'm free falling
Interstate train through the deadbeat morning
A trailer park zoo
I wonder if they think their free?
People crawling / music is warning
Nebraska in my ears while the wheels keep turning
The sound makes me blues - it's the best I can do from here

Mama It's alright / It's alright
We're always close living under the same skies

In the morning I'm free falling
Falling in love with you every dawning
I do what I should but time ain't good to me
Now it's pouring - London's yawning
God I go to work just for you my darling
If I make it through it's the best I can do from here

Mama It's alright / It's alright
We're always close living under the same skies


Living Under The Same Skies by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526680 no no Tue, 17 Jul 2012 06:38:20 +0200 2012-07-17T06:38:20+02:00 3:56 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/dramatic-highs-dramatic-lows-3am-drunk-mix/
Earlier this year (2012) I got home from a big night out with some friends in St Kilda. For those of you unfamiliar with St Kilda, it is seaside suburb in Melbourne that has traditionally had a sleazy element - nightclubs, prostitutes, down & outs mixed with white collar 20-30 year olds out on the town. Anyway, we had some drinks. We had a lot of drinks...

Unable to sleep and feeling restless I decided to record some music. Ordinarily this would be a bad idea but I was feeling inspired - alcohol. I literally had nothing planned, but after 10 mins of fiddling around on the guitar I hit upon a chord sequence (stole a chorus from an tune I never used), made up some St Kilda inspired lyrics on the fly and added some overdubs. All up, including mixing, it took maybe an hour and a half.

Clearly it is not the most polished and perfectly performed song, but that is exactly why I like it. I think you can feel the booze in it - to me it just sounds like 3am. It is also the most spontaneous thing I have ever done. You can hear me trying to make up lyrics, hitting bum notes and being generally all over the place. I mean what the hell does the line, “I take a minute and adjust my eyes to the sounds of the skies. I don’t know what it means, but it’s cool and it came out here.” Cookoo!

That said some of the lyrics do work. I reckon the opening lines are pretty cool – “I walk the street like some real cool cat, and I know that I’m aware - everything, everyone - is phony take on all I’ve seen”. Not bad for 3am. Also, the idea of ‘Dramatic Highs, Dramatic Lows’ was the perfect description of my night. Maybe one day I’ll record a polished version.

You might think that I am crazy for posting this, but it really is my kind of music.

Hope you enjoy!

Dramatic Highs, Dramatic Lows by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
Earlier this year (2012) I got home from a big night out with some friends in St Kilda. For those of you unfamiliar with St Kilda, it is seaside suburb in Melbourne that has traditionally had a sleazy element - nightclubs, prostitutes, down & outs mixed with white collar 20-30 year olds out on the town. Anyway, we had some drinks. We had a lot of drinks...

Unable to sleep and feeling restless I decided to record some music. Ordinarily this would be a bad idea but I was feeling inspired - alcohol. I literally had nothing planned, but after 10 mins of fiddling around on the guitar I hit upon a chord sequence (stole a chorus from an tune I never used), made up some St Kilda inspired lyrics on the fly and added some overdubs. All up, including mixing, it took maybe an hour and a half.

Clearly it is not the most polished and perfectly performed song, but that is exactly why I like it. I think you can feel the booze in it - to me it just sounds like 3am. It is also the most spontaneous thing I have ever done. You can hear me trying to make up lyrics, hitting bum notes and being generally all over the place. I mean what the hell does the line, “I take a minute and adjust my eyes to the sounds of the skies. I don’t know what it means, but it’s cool and it came out here.” Cookoo!

That said some of the lyrics do work. I reckon the opening lines are pretty cool – “I walk the street like some real cool cat, and I know that I’m aware - everything, everyone - is phony take on all I’ve seen”. Not bad for 3am. Also, the idea of ‘Dramatic Highs, Dramatic Lows’ was the perfect description of my night. Maybe one day I’ll record a polished version.

You might think that I am crazy for posting this, but it really is my kind of music.

Hope you enjoy!

Dramatic Highs, Dramatic Lows by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526681 no no Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:48:26 +0200 2012-07-09T04:48:26+02:00 3:59 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/the-east-village-vampire/


In 2001, I was in NYC. Late one night I had to get from the East Village to the Upper West Side to meet a friend. Deciding to catch the subway I found myself sitting on a deserted platform all alone.



After a while I spotted this terribly emaciated looking guy down the other end of the platform just staring at me. Black jeans, black boots, black jacket and baseball cap. He felt seriously wrong. I tried to block him out of my mind but I could feel him staring. Then, after about 5 minutes, this misift of a guy started walking slowly towards me. Still staring (creep), enjoying the intimidation, he was heading my way.



Granted, I am not the bravest person but I started to get pretty anxious (keep in mind that I have seen every late 70's / early 80's grindhouse film ever made). Then about 5 meters away he suddenly and deliberately reached into his jacket and grabbed something metallic. Surely I was f%&@#!. Expecting to see a knife, gun, chainsaw, Freddy Kruger glove, bazooka, or some other instrument of death the guy whipped out his CD player. A friggin Sony Discman! He gestured to make me flinch and then simply walked past me all curled up in a fetal position with a big smile on his face. I am sure he is still laughing about it.



Pretty lame story...



Anyway, the event left an impression on me. First, I realized that I am a huge chicken. Second, this creepy guy inspired a fictional character, The East Village Vampire. I basically used him as inspiration and mixed elements from the real Son Of Sam serial killings and a song was born (obviously not my usual subject matter at all).



The music is straight forward rock. Big chords. Big chorus. I think you can hear elements of T.Rex, late 70’s Pink Floyd and maybe some post-punk bands like Joy Division. I actually really like the lyrics in this one. I think they really create a cool atmosphere. I recorded it in 2002 or 2003 and as such you can probably hear that the quality is a bit murky. It is still OK.



One important note about this song. As a rule I hate rock songs that resort to “Nah-Nah-Nah” choruses (with exception of the Beatles ‘Hey Jude’ and maybe a few others). In my mind, “Nah-Nah-Nah” is only one step away from a Bon Jovi’s ‘Wow-Wow-Wow’. So I apologize. In this case I am being a huge hypocrite.



Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS...



A cold heart / A warm city

Two lovers embrace in the park

With such meaning and believing that nobody could tear them apart

But in The Village you can feel it

Something terrible is out in the dark

Now young lovers in The Village will meet their ends with a bullet's spark



Nah-nah-nah-nah - The East Village Vampire

Nah-nah-nah-nah - He's coming / He's coming



Fresh meat bludgeoned of its feet without a scream or fight

Below 14th there will be blood in the streets in the city tonight

So if you come be sure you bring the one you love

I'll make a promise you'll be together

forever and ever and ever and ever



Nah-nah-nah-nah - The East Village Vampire

Nah-nah-nah-nah - He's coming / He's coming



Here he come!

Here he come!

The East Village Vampire

Here he come!



Nah-nah-nah-nah - The East Village Vampire

Nah-nah-nah-nah - He's coming / He's coming







The East Village Vampire by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>


In 2001, I was in NYC. Late one night I had to get from the East Village to the Upper West Side to meet a friend. Deciding to catch the subway I found myself sitting on a deserted platform all alone.



After a while I spotted this terribly emaciated looking guy down the other end of the platform just staring at me. Black jeans, black boots, black jacket and baseball cap. He felt seriously wrong. I tried to block him out of my mind but I could feel him staring. Then, after about 5 minutes, this misift of a guy started walking slowly towards me. Still staring (creep), enjoying the intimidation, he was heading my way.



Granted, I am not the bravest person but I started to get pretty anxious (keep in mind that I have seen every late 70's / early 80's grindhouse film ever made). Then about 5 meters away he suddenly and deliberately reached into his jacket and grabbed something metallic. Surely I was f%&@#!. Expecting to see a knife, gun, chainsaw, Freddy Kruger glove, bazooka, or some other instrument of death the guy whipped out his CD player. A friggin Sony Discman! He gestured to make me flinch and then simply walked past me all curled up in a fetal position with a big smile on his face. I am sure he is still laughing about it.



Pretty lame story...



Anyway, the event left an impression on me. First, I realized that I am a huge chicken. Second, this creepy guy inspired a fictional character, The East Village Vampire. I basically used him as inspiration and mixed elements from the real Son Of Sam serial killings and a song was born (obviously not my usual subject matter at all).



The music is straight forward rock. Big chords. Big chorus. I think you can hear elements of T.Rex, late 70’s Pink Floyd and maybe some post-punk bands like Joy Division. I actually really like the lyrics in this one. I think they really create a cool atmosphere. I recorded it in 2002 or 2003 and as such you can probably hear that the quality is a bit murky. It is still OK.



One important note about this song. As a rule I hate rock songs that resort to “Nah-Nah-Nah” choruses (with exception of the Beatles ‘Hey Jude’ and maybe a few others). In my mind, “Nah-Nah-Nah” is only one step away from a Bon Jovi’s ‘Wow-Wow-Wow’. So I apologize. In this case I am being a huge hypocrite.



Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS...



A cold heart / A warm city

Two lovers embrace in the park

With such meaning and believing that nobody could tear them apart

But in The Village you can feel it

Something terrible is out in the dark

Now young lovers in The Village will meet their ends with a bullet's spark



Nah-nah-nah-nah - The East Village Vampire

Nah-nah-nah-nah - He's coming / He's coming



Fresh meat bludgeoned of its feet without a scream or fight

Below 14th there will be blood in the streets in the city tonight

So if you come be sure you bring the one you love

I'll make a promise you'll be together

forever and ever and ever and ever



Nah-nah-nah-nah - The East Village Vampire

Nah-nah-nah-nah - He's coming / He's coming



Here he come!

Here he come!

The East Village Vampire

Here he come!



Nah-nah-nah-nah - The East Village Vampire

Nah-nah-nah-nah - He's coming / He's coming







The East Village Vampire by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526682 no no Tue, 03 Jul 2012 03:44:38 +0200 2012-07-03T03:44:38+02:00 4:51 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/the-deep-juice-electro/
With that in mind, ‘The Deep Juice Electro’ may come as a surprise to those of you who are familiar with my previous work. There is not a guitar, piano, harmonica, drum or live vocal to be found. It is just me and my laptop.

Having just been on holiday without any instruments I found that I still needed a creative output (I would have played the spoons if I had a pair handy). So as a challenge I thought I’d step outside myself and attempt to write some old-school electro. The track is simply me trying to capture the excitement I experienced when I first started going to clubs back in the day. Hard, fast and completely disposable – everything I needed at that point in my life.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not abandoning traditional song writing. But like many of my friends on SoundCloud sometimes I just feel the need to do something completely different.

Hope you enjoy.


The Deep Juice Electro by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
With that in mind, ‘The Deep Juice Electro’ may come as a surprise to those of you who are familiar with my previous work. There is not a guitar, piano, harmonica, drum or live vocal to be found. It is just me and my laptop.

Having just been on holiday without any instruments I found that I still needed a creative output (I would have played the spoons if I had a pair handy). So as a challenge I thought I’d step outside myself and attempt to write some old-school electro. The track is simply me trying to capture the excitement I experienced when I first started going to clubs back in the day. Hard, fast and completely disposable – everything I needed at that point in my life.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not abandoning traditional song writing. But like many of my friends on SoundCloud sometimes I just feel the need to do something completely different.

Hope you enjoy.


The Deep Juice Electro by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526683 no no Mon, 25 Jun 2012 04:54:47 +0200 2012-06-25T04:54:47+02:00 5:15 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/the-hard-road/
Never has this been more the case for me than with ‘The Hard Road’.

‘The Hard Road’ was written in London in 2005 and recorded back in Australia in 2007. Yes, I am reaching into the vault once again. Interestingly this version was recorded as a demo, but I liked it so much that I decided after a long while that it would be the final version. I could never make it sound better – I did try. I guess you could say it is purposely unfinished.

The song is an acoustic folk/country track in which a dual vocal harmony melody takes centre stage (that is me singing both parts). It is a very simple song, maybe 3 or 4 chords, with some sparse sounding percussion that gradually builds. I also really like the instrumentation, especially the Celeste in the second verse and the mandolin style harmony guitar in the solo. For the record, the pinched strings were recorded with a Yamaha CS1x and I think they stand up pretty well.

The lyrics also seem to stand up after all this time. Read into them what you will, but they were all about deciding what is really important in life. Like many of my songs imagery of travel and memory are evident throughout. I was probably picking up on the vibe of being in London and traveling a lot.

Why I love it so much I can’t say. If nothing else it is a very honest recording.

I really (really) hope that you enjoy.

LYRICS...

Maybe I ain't got too much to show
But if that's how it goes then that's how it goes
I made some plans but then hit a storm
You never really know it comes and goes

I've been around it's a hard road to hoe
I've wished I was home - man, it cuts to the bone
But in the end all I've got is my soul
No matter what I own / No matter what I owe

But hey, it's alright when life brings me to my knees
Just let it all ride
Tonight the nights on me

Baby you know all that I know
If that's how it goes then that's how it goes
These hands were strong but had to let go
So tell me does it show - was so long ago

Sometime, somewhere, somebody I know said
"Boy don't grow old. Can't say you weren't told.
Because in the end all you've got is your soul
No matter what you own/ No matter what you owe"

But hey, it's alright when life brings me to my knees
Just let it all ride
Tonight the nights on me

Baby I ain't got too much to show
I've got love / I've got love


The Hard Road by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
Never has this been more the case for me than with ‘The Hard Road’.

‘The Hard Road’ was written in London in 2005 and recorded back in Australia in 2007. Yes, I am reaching into the vault once again. Interestingly this version was recorded as a demo, but I liked it so much that I decided after a long while that it would be the final version. I could never make it sound better – I did try. I guess you could say it is purposely unfinished.

The song is an acoustic folk/country track in which a dual vocal harmony melody takes centre stage (that is me singing both parts). It is a very simple song, maybe 3 or 4 chords, with some sparse sounding percussion that gradually builds. I also really like the instrumentation, especially the Celeste in the second verse and the mandolin style harmony guitar in the solo. For the record, the pinched strings were recorded with a Yamaha CS1x and I think they stand up pretty well.

The lyrics also seem to stand up after all this time. Read into them what you will, but they were all about deciding what is really important in life. Like many of my songs imagery of travel and memory are evident throughout. I was probably picking up on the vibe of being in London and traveling a lot.

Why I love it so much I can’t say. If nothing else it is a very honest recording.

I really (really) hope that you enjoy.

LYRICS...

Maybe I ain't got too much to show
But if that's how it goes then that's how it goes
I made some plans but then hit a storm
You never really know it comes and goes

I've been around it's a hard road to hoe
I've wished I was home - man, it cuts to the bone
But in the end all I've got is my soul
No matter what I own / No matter what I owe

But hey, it's alright when life brings me to my knees
Just let it all ride
Tonight the nights on me

Baby you know all that I know
If that's how it goes then that's how it goes
These hands were strong but had to let go
So tell me does it show - was so long ago

Sometime, somewhere, somebody I know said
"Boy don't grow old. Can't say you weren't told.
Because in the end all you've got is your soul
No matter what you own/ No matter what you owe"

But hey, it's alright when life brings me to my knees
Just let it all ride
Tonight the nights on me

Baby I ain't got too much to show
I've got love / I've got love


The Hard Road by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526684 no no Wed, 20 Jun 2012 06:05:56 +0200 2012-06-20T06:05:56+02:00 4:09 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/some-favors-have-a-heavy-toll-rough-mix/
1. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/it-aint-coming-back

2. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/cinders-ashes

3. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/bringing-out-the-dead

4. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/i-was-there


- - - About 'Some Favors Have A Heavy Toll' - - -

I have always loved songs about desperate people - people with nothing to lose, people in impossible situations and people on the edge.

With that in mind, Bruce Springsteen's classic album 'Nebraska' has had a huge influence on my songwriting (if not musically then definitely lyrically). There is no doubt that you can hear traces in the lyrics of 'Some Favors Have A Heavy Toll'. It is all about some guy doing a favor that comes with a heavy price. Such Springsteen territory!

Another one from the vault. I wrote this song in 2008 and it sounded very different in it's original form. It was half the speed, acoustic and much more bluesy. I actually never 100% finished it or mixed down a proper version. I was originally wanting to write something in the Nebraska vein, but it dawned on me that I didn't have many uptempo rockers so I thought I'd turbo charge the song.

The song is based around a bluesy 'open G' guitar riff. I think I have about 5 or 6 guitars playing different parts (including the chugga-chugga percussion guitar during the verses). I was trying to make it all sound very unrelenting and driving. I also give the slide a good workout, which is a bit sloppy but it fits. Also, In the last verse you can hear a Celeste, a bit like The Stooges track 'Penetration'.

The mix is pretty loud and unbalanced, and as it progresses the various sounds saturate each other. That said, I like the rawness of this kind of lo-fi recording.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

Two eyes like copperhead wiring staring deep through a highway's soul
Scattered traffic gonna keep on hiding
Some favors have a heavy toll - and I don't want to go

Two cars in a hellfire burning / flashing lights shine on down the road
I'm slowing down but can feel the world turning
Some favors have a heavy toll

Two times I made a deal with the devil but this time he's got me by the balls
I'll change my ways just as soon as I'm able
I'll change my ways before night falls - before night falls

Two hands on the wheel slowly turning running fast down a rain soaked road
And I'm as hot as saint that's slowly burning
Some favors have a heavy toll

Two eyes like copperhead wiring staring deep through a highway's soul
Scattered traffic gonna keep on hiding
Some favors have a heavy toll - and I don't want to go



Some Favors Have A Heavy Toll by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
1. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/it-aint-coming-back

2. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/cinders-ashes

3. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/bringing-out-the-dead

4. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/i-was-there


- - - About 'Some Favors Have A Heavy Toll' - - -

I have always loved songs about desperate people - people with nothing to lose, people in impossible situations and people on the edge.

With that in mind, Bruce Springsteen's classic album 'Nebraska' has had a huge influence on my songwriting (if not musically then definitely lyrically). There is no doubt that you can hear traces in the lyrics of 'Some Favors Have A Heavy Toll'. It is all about some guy doing a favor that comes with a heavy price. Such Springsteen territory!

Another one from the vault. I wrote this song in 2008 and it sounded very different in it's original form. It was half the speed, acoustic and much more bluesy. I actually never 100% finished it or mixed down a proper version. I was originally wanting to write something in the Nebraska vein, but it dawned on me that I didn't have many uptempo rockers so I thought I'd turbo charge the song.

The song is based around a bluesy 'open G' guitar riff. I think I have about 5 or 6 guitars playing different parts (including the chugga-chugga percussion guitar during the verses). I was trying to make it all sound very unrelenting and driving. I also give the slide a good workout, which is a bit sloppy but it fits. Also, In the last verse you can hear a Celeste, a bit like The Stooges track 'Penetration'.

The mix is pretty loud and unbalanced, and as it progresses the various sounds saturate each other. That said, I like the rawness of this kind of lo-fi recording.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

Two eyes like copperhead wiring staring deep through a highway's soul
Scattered traffic gonna keep on hiding
Some favors have a heavy toll - and I don't want to go

Two cars in a hellfire burning / flashing lights shine on down the road
I'm slowing down but can feel the world turning
Some favors have a heavy toll

Two times I made a deal with the devil but this time he's got me by the balls
I'll change my ways just as soon as I'm able
I'll change my ways before night falls - before night falls

Two hands on the wheel slowly turning running fast down a rain soaked road
And I'm as hot as saint that's slowly burning
Some favors have a heavy toll

Two eyes like copperhead wiring staring deep through a highway's soul
Scattered traffic gonna keep on hiding
Some favors have a heavy toll - and I don't want to go



Some Favors Have A Heavy Toll by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526685 no no Thu, 07 Jun 2012 03:16:15 +0200 2012-06-07T03:16:15+02:00 4:03 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/empty-halls/
"One chord is fine. Two chords is pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz".

I like to think that he wasn’t being literal (at least I hope not), but the point is that you don't need to have too much knowledge or ability to write/play great music. It gives me some hope.

With this in mind, ‘Empty Halls’ is another song that I have recently resurrected from my deep dark vault. From memory I recorded it at home in either 2003 or 2004 and I have only played it a few times since for friends. I think you can hear a pretty strong influence of late 70's & early 80's post-punk bands (i.e. Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Church, etc).

The song is basically built around two chords from start to finish with different layers being added as it progresses. It also revolves around a repetitious & minimalist drum pattern that is trying to sound like Stephen Morris from Joy Division & New Order (one of my favorite drummers of all time). I don't think it is one of my best songs, but it does have something that I still like after all this time. Also, I think it was one of the first songs where my vocals didn’t sound completely terrible.

Certainly not one of my best, but I hope that you will find it interesting listening.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

I ran through the streets
I crawled through empty halls
Of all these words I called for you
I desperately pushed through the raging storm
Braving lands and braving time

You slipped right through when I should have held you near
I distantly saw you wave goodbye
Now if I called out to you would you stop and call me out
I can't be that bad... I ain't that guy

With all the times we shared I can feel time passing by
No memory keeps me warm at night
And if I think of the past
If I go back to the start
I can't promise I (or luck) will change

With all that I am and with all I should be
I can't let you go even when your gone
With all that I am and with all I should be
I can't let you go even when your gone



Empty Halls by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
"One chord is fine. Two chords is pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz".

I like to think that he wasn’t being literal (at least I hope not), but the point is that you don't need to have too much knowledge or ability to write/play great music. It gives me some hope.

With this in mind, ‘Empty Halls’ is another song that I have recently resurrected from my deep dark vault. From memory I recorded it at home in either 2003 or 2004 and I have only played it a few times since for friends. I think you can hear a pretty strong influence of late 70's & early 80's post-punk bands (i.e. Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Church, etc).

The song is basically built around two chords from start to finish with different layers being added as it progresses. It also revolves around a repetitious & minimalist drum pattern that is trying to sound like Stephen Morris from Joy Division & New Order (one of my favorite drummers of all time). I don't think it is one of my best songs, but it does have something that I still like after all this time. Also, I think it was one of the first songs where my vocals didn’t sound completely terrible.

Certainly not one of my best, but I hope that you will find it interesting listening.

Hope you enjoy.

LYRICS...

I ran through the streets
I crawled through empty halls
Of all these words I called for you
I desperately pushed through the raging storm
Braving lands and braving time

You slipped right through when I should have held you near
I distantly saw you wave goodbye
Now if I called out to you would you stop and call me out
I can't be that bad... I ain't that guy

With all the times we shared I can feel time passing by
No memory keeps me warm at night
And if I think of the past
If I go back to the start
I can't promise I (or luck) will change

With all that I am and with all I should be
I can't let you go even when your gone
With all that I am and with all I should be
I can't let you go even when your gone



Empty Halls by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526686 no no Tue, 29 May 2012 01:36:28 +0200 2012-05-29T01:36:28+02:00 3:46 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/the-siren-song/


I wrote and recorded this song in 2006 and it has been gathering dust ever since. In fact, I pretty much forgot that it existed until I recently stumbled across a lost CD at home. I consider it a glorified throw away that has enough little bits and pieces to be interesting.



The music is a mix of 60’s blues & gospel with some touches of psychedelia. From memory it started out sounding a lot more traditional, but I enjoyed filling in space with some atmospheric keyboards, sound FX and samples. I remember really liking the second verse at the time. Also, the guitar solo has a small nod to The Who’s ‘I Can See For Miles’ ( i.e. the repetitive single note lick).



By the way, the radio chatter you can hear is a cut up sample from World War 2. It is from a British Bomber that was flying a mission over Germany that was shortly attacked. Not that you can hear it clearly, but a lot of what they were saying seemed to fit the music. I do not own the rights to this recording (then again, it is so old that I probably don’t need to acknowledge that anyway).



Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS...



My sister when I leave I'll be walking - I'll be walking

through the gates you best believe I'll be walking - I'll be walking

I hear the sound of the siren

It got me through the sea

In 20 hours gonna be at your door there is something calling out to me



Oh baby, it's alright when the words are stuck in your head

You know the world might tear us apart but it might bring us together again

Oh baby, it's alright I can still hear the things you said

In my head / In my head / In my head



Was a man - I had no plan - I was falling / I was falling

I meet you so what could I do?

I was falling / I was falling

I sing a song to the siren

To guide me through the sea

In 20 hours gonna be at your door there is something calling out to me



Oh baby, it's alright when the words are stuck in your head

You know the world might tear us apart but it might bring us together again

Oh baby, it's alright I can still hear the things you said

In my head / In my head / In my head



Oh baby, it's alright when the words are stuck in your head

You know the world might tear us apart but it might bring us together again

Oh baby, it's alright I can still hear the things you said

In my head / In my head / In my head



Hey I'm gonna try

Gonna try, try try

Hey I'm gonna try

Gonna try, try try









The Siren Song by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>


I wrote and recorded this song in 2006 and it has been gathering dust ever since. In fact, I pretty much forgot that it existed until I recently stumbled across a lost CD at home. I consider it a glorified throw away that has enough little bits and pieces to be interesting.



The music is a mix of 60’s blues & gospel with some touches of psychedelia. From memory it started out sounding a lot more traditional, but I enjoyed filling in space with some atmospheric keyboards, sound FX and samples. I remember really liking the second verse at the time. Also, the guitar solo has a small nod to The Who’s ‘I Can See For Miles’ ( i.e. the repetitive single note lick).



By the way, the radio chatter you can hear is a cut up sample from World War 2. It is from a British Bomber that was flying a mission over Germany that was shortly attacked. Not that you can hear it clearly, but a lot of what they were saying seemed to fit the music. I do not own the rights to this recording (then again, it is so old that I probably don’t need to acknowledge that anyway).



Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS...



My sister when I leave I'll be walking - I'll be walking

through the gates you best believe I'll be walking - I'll be walking

I hear the sound of the siren

It got me through the sea

In 20 hours gonna be at your door there is something calling out to me



Oh baby, it's alright when the words are stuck in your head

You know the world might tear us apart but it might bring us together again

Oh baby, it's alright I can still hear the things you said

In my head / In my head / In my head



Was a man - I had no plan - I was falling / I was falling

I meet you so what could I do?

I was falling / I was falling

I sing a song to the siren

To guide me through the sea

In 20 hours gonna be at your door there is something calling out to me



Oh baby, it's alright when the words are stuck in your head

You know the world might tear us apart but it might bring us together again

Oh baby, it's alright I can still hear the things you said

In my head / In my head / In my head



Oh baby, it's alright when the words are stuck in your head

You know the world might tear us apart but it might bring us together again

Oh baby, it's alright I can still hear the things you said

In my head / In my head / In my head



Hey I'm gonna try

Gonna try, try try

Hey I'm gonna try

Gonna try, try try









The Siren Song by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526687 no no Tue, 22 May 2012 06:01:43 +0200 2012-05-22T06:01:43+02:00 4:29 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/six-feet-down/


Strangely, as I was writing the song it become somewhat of break-up song. I guess I was just picking up on the vibe of the music.



As for the music it is an acoustic ballad with a country tone running through it. I think you can hear a bit of late 60’s / early 70’s Rolling Stones coming through – think ‘Angie’. I tried to slowly build the song from a solitary acoustic guitar to a fully fledged band. By the way, I am really proud of my lap steel playing in this song. I reckon it adds a bit of emotion and ambiance.



An interesting note, while I was recording this track I destroyed my headphone – literally split them in half. As I had no monitors I basically ended up recording the drum track looking at the flashing red light beat counter on my hardware recorder. I think I did a pretty good job.



As always, I leave in all the rough edges in my music. In my mind it adds to the music.



Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS...



Mama, am I six feet down?

Because in this town you're either lost or leaving

Mama, am I six feet down?

It took time to know I was bleeding

But mama when I hit the ground

I surely knew it was time to go...



I should of left you in this town

I should felt a darkness nearing

I should kept an ear to the ground

I should had a mind for leaving

But mama when the word got around

I surely knew it was time to go...



I should've left you!

I should've left you in this town alone again

I should've left you!

I should've left you in this town alone again



Mama, am I six feet down?

Because in this town you're lost or leaving

Mama, am I six feet down?

It took time to know I was bleeding

But mama when I hit the ground

I surely knew it was time to go...



It was time to go







Six Feet Down by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>


Strangely, as I was writing the song it become somewhat of break-up song. I guess I was just picking up on the vibe of the music.



As for the music it is an acoustic ballad with a country tone running through it. I think you can hear a bit of late 60’s / early 70’s Rolling Stones coming through – think ‘Angie’. I tried to slowly build the song from a solitary acoustic guitar to a fully fledged band. By the way, I am really proud of my lap steel playing in this song. I reckon it adds a bit of emotion and ambiance.



An interesting note, while I was recording this track I destroyed my headphone – literally split them in half. As I had no monitors I basically ended up recording the drum track looking at the flashing red light beat counter on my hardware recorder. I think I did a pretty good job.



As always, I leave in all the rough edges in my music. In my mind it adds to the music.



Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS...



Mama, am I six feet down?

Because in this town you're either lost or leaving

Mama, am I six feet down?

It took time to know I was bleeding

But mama when I hit the ground

I surely knew it was time to go...



I should of left you in this town

I should felt a darkness nearing

I should kept an ear to the ground

I should had a mind for leaving

But mama when the word got around

I surely knew it was time to go...



I should've left you!

I should've left you in this town alone again

I should've left you!

I should've left you in this town alone again



Mama, am I six feet down?

Because in this town you're lost or leaving

Mama, am I six feet down?

It took time to know I was bleeding

But mama when I hit the ground

I surely knew it was time to go...



It was time to go







Six Feet Down by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526688 no no Wed, 16 May 2012 01:47:32 +0200 2012-05-16T01:47:32+02:00 3:34 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/it-aint-coming-back/
What a brilliant idea. My interpretation? Always look forward because "yesterday is dead and it ain’t coming back".

As for the music, it is borderline lo-fi rock. I tried to keep the chord progressions and the beat really driving and minimalist. I think you can hear a bit of New York Dolls, The Stooges and maybe a touch of Television & The Rolling Stones. Oh yeah, the middle break was kind of inspired by Led Zep’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ (may not be very obvious) and the guitar solo is me trying to channel early Angus Young. I also thought it was cool to add a bit of Little Richard style piano.

For those of you with a good ear, the main drum line is actually a sample from The Moody Blues song ‘Ride My See Saw’. Although it is a basic drum sequence that most drummers could play in their sleep, I just love the primitive sound of the recording - as always playing is one thing, feel is another. Importantly, I do not own the rights to this sample.

Hope you enjoy this track.

LYRICS...

She walk the street like some real cool (she walk the streets)
she walk the street and she don't look back (she walk the streets)
And If she ever did doubt it (and if she ever did doubt it)
At least she like the sound

Ain't no escaping the fact
That yesterday is dead and not coming back

I cruise the street I'm fresh piece of meat (I cruise the streets)
I cruise the street on my own two feet (I cruise the streets)
And if I can't get around (and if I can't get around it)
I just like the sound of it, maybe...

Ain't no escaping the fact
That yesterday is dead and not coming back

It ain't coming back (It aint coming back)
It ain't coming back (It ain't coming back)
It ain't coming back (It aint coming back)
It ain't coming back (It ain't coming back)

Ain't no escaping the fact
That yesterday is dead and not coming back

I am a mantra / I am mandala
I am a mantra / I am mandala

She walk the street like some real cool (she walk the streets)
she walk the street and she don't look back (she walk the streets)
And If she ever did doubt it (and if she ever did doubt it)
At least she like the sound

Ain't no escaping the fact
That yesterday is dead and not coming back



It Ain't Coming Back by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
What a brilliant idea. My interpretation? Always look forward because "yesterday is dead and it ain’t coming back".

As for the music, it is borderline lo-fi rock. I tried to keep the chord progressions and the beat really driving and minimalist. I think you can hear a bit of New York Dolls, The Stooges and maybe a touch of Television & The Rolling Stones. Oh yeah, the middle break was kind of inspired by Led Zep’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ (may not be very obvious) and the guitar solo is me trying to channel early Angus Young. I also thought it was cool to add a bit of Little Richard style piano.

For those of you with a good ear, the main drum line is actually a sample from The Moody Blues song ‘Ride My See Saw’. Although it is a basic drum sequence that most drummers could play in their sleep, I just love the primitive sound of the recording - as always playing is one thing, feel is another. Importantly, I do not own the rights to this sample.

Hope you enjoy this track.

LYRICS...

She walk the street like some real cool (she walk the streets)
she walk the street and she don't look back (she walk the streets)
And If she ever did doubt it (and if she ever did doubt it)
At least she like the sound

Ain't no escaping the fact
That yesterday is dead and not coming back

I cruise the street I'm fresh piece of meat (I cruise the streets)
I cruise the street on my own two feet (I cruise the streets)
And if I can't get around (and if I can't get around it)
I just like the sound of it, maybe...

Ain't no escaping the fact
That yesterday is dead and not coming back

It ain't coming back (It aint coming back)
It ain't coming back (It ain't coming back)
It ain't coming back (It aint coming back)
It ain't coming back (It ain't coming back)

Ain't no escaping the fact
That yesterday is dead and not coming back

I am a mantra / I am mandala
I am a mantra / I am mandala

She walk the street like some real cool (she walk the streets)
she walk the street and she don't look back (she walk the streets)
And If she ever did doubt it (and if she ever did doubt it)
At least she like the sound

Ain't no escaping the fact
That yesterday is dead and not coming back



It Ain't Coming Back by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526689 no no Thu, 10 May 2012 02:33:42 +0200 2012-05-10T02:33:42+02:00 3:45 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/john-the-revelator-traditional/
If only I had written John The Revelator.

Covered by everyone from Nick Cave, Beck, REM and the list goes on. There is just something about this song that lends itself to so many different interpretations. It is full of imagery and it fires the imagination. At the end of the day, a great song stands the test of time and this passes with full honors.

Obviously I don’t put myself in the class of the artists above, but I think I at least captured the religious fervor, ramshackle feeling that I was going for. And yes, that is me doing my best Axl Rose.

For the guitar sound, I ditched my usual Gibson or Guild acoustics and used a cheap Ibanez Masa acoustic. I then distorted the sound through a tiny Peavy Rage practice amp (remember those!), added some reverb and feed it into the mix. I really like the sound.

Hope you enjoy!



IF YOU LIKED THIS SONG....

If you liked my version of 'John The Revelator (Traditional)' you might also like some of my other psychedelic blues tracks below:

1. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/cinders-ashes

2. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/in-the-year-of-our-lord

3. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/man-macine-for-someone-elses-dream

4. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/trading-punches


John The Revelator by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
If only I had written John The Revelator.

Covered by everyone from Nick Cave, Beck, REM and the list goes on. There is just something about this song that lends itself to so many different interpretations. It is full of imagery and it fires the imagination. At the end of the day, a great song stands the test of time and this passes with full honors.

Obviously I don’t put myself in the class of the artists above, but I think I at least captured the religious fervor, ramshackle feeling that I was going for. And yes, that is me doing my best Axl Rose.

For the guitar sound, I ditched my usual Gibson or Guild acoustics and used a cheap Ibanez Masa acoustic. I then distorted the sound through a tiny Peavy Rage practice amp (remember those!), added some reverb and feed it into the mix. I really like the sound.

Hope you enjoy!



IF YOU LIKED THIS SONG....

If you liked my version of 'John The Revelator (Traditional)' you might also like some of my other psychedelic blues tracks below:

1. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/cinders-ashes

2. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/in-the-year-of-our-lord

3. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/man-macine-for-someone-elses-dream

4. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/trading-punches


John The Revelator by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526690 no no Mon, 07 May 2012 06:52:10 +0200 2012-05-07T06:52:10+02:00 3:19 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/in-the-year-of-our-lord-were-going-to-war/


If you listen closely to the slide guitar, towards the end of the song there is a little nod to Led Zeppelin's 'In My Time Of Dying'.



As for the lyrics, I tried to be a little bit old world (i.e. the title). I think in this case looking backward actually took the song forward.



Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS...



He went to war in the year of our lord

He went to war

Met death on a shore to which he swore

He'd fight no more...
He lied



Her heart was bound to her man and the crown

Her heart was bound

In the year of our lord her man left town

In the year of our lord

She cried / She'd sing

she cried / She'd sing



With your ear to the ground your hearing the sound

With your ear to the ground

In the year of our lord we're going to war

In the year of our lord

With your ear to the ground your hearing the sound

With your ear to the ground

In the year of our lord we're going to war

In the year of our lord



He went to war in the year of our lord

He went to war

He went to war in the year of our lord

He went to war







In The Year Of Our Lord (We're Going To War) by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>


If you listen closely to the slide guitar, towards the end of the song there is a little nod to Led Zeppelin's 'In My Time Of Dying'.



As for the lyrics, I tried to be a little bit old world (i.e. the title). I think in this case looking backward actually took the song forward.



Hope you enjoy.



LYRICS...



He went to war in the year of our lord

He went to war

Met death on a shore to which he swore

He'd fight no more...
He lied



Her heart was bound to her man and the crown

Her heart was bound

In the year of our lord her man left town

In the year of our lord

She cried / She'd sing

she cried / She'd sing



With your ear to the ground your hearing the sound

With your ear to the ground

In the year of our lord we're going to war

In the year of our lord

With your ear to the ground your hearing the sound

With your ear to the ground

In the year of our lord we're going to war

In the year of our lord



He went to war in the year of our lord

He went to war

He went to war in the year of our lord

He went to war







In The Year Of Our Lord (We're Going To War) by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526691 no no Sat, 05 May 2012 07:21:38 +0200 2012-05-05T07:21:38+02:00 3:33 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/cinders-ashes/


Part of the problem with these particular bushfires was the slow response from emergency services. Of particular note was that the then Victorian Police Chief - Christina Nixon - was heavily criticized for going our for dinner that terrible night whilst the state was burning. 100% accurate or not, what amazing imagery for a song.



LYRICS...



They gave us thorns to make a crown

She had dinner as the state burnt down

That tin roof over our heads

Pretty soon gonna house the dead



I got flesh charred to the bone

And I lost everything and my home

Now all the kids in my street

they got nothing to eat, just...



Cinders and ashes

Cinders and ashes

Cinders & ashes on a demon wind



So you give your cash to the poor

Because we've been through this before

All the shit that you believe

Don't mean a thing / Don't mean a thing

It's just...



Cinders and ashes

Cinders and ashes

Cinders & ashes on a demon wind







Cinders & Ashes by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>


Part of the problem with these particular bushfires was the slow response from emergency services. Of particular note was that the then Victorian Police Chief - Christina Nixon - was heavily criticized for going our for dinner that terrible night whilst the state was burning. 100% accurate or not, what amazing imagery for a song.



LYRICS...



They gave us thorns to make a crown

She had dinner as the state burnt down

That tin roof over our heads

Pretty soon gonna house the dead



I got flesh charred to the bone

And I lost everything and my home

Now all the kids in my street

they got nothing to eat, just...



Cinders and ashes

Cinders and ashes

Cinders & ashes on a demon wind



So you give your cash to the poor

Because we've been through this before

All the shit that you believe

Don't mean a thing / Don't mean a thing

It's just...



Cinders and ashes

Cinders and ashes

Cinders & ashes on a demon wind







Cinders & Ashes by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526692 no no Thu, 03 May 2012 07:33:38 +0200 2012-05-03T07:33:38+02:00 3:40 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/corroded-heart-instrumental/
Also, on a personal note I really like the way I used my vocals in the tail end of the song to create an atmospheric texture - I learnt that from Peter Gabriel's 'Last Temptation Of Christ' soundtrack. I think is adds a sense of space to the track. I hope you enjoy.





IF YOU LIKED THIS SONG....

If you liked 'Corroded Heart (Instrumental)' you might also like some of my other acoustic songs and instrumentals:

1. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/six-feet-down

2. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/in-the-year-of-our-lord

3. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/this-means-something

4. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/in-the-key-of-stars


Corroded Heart (Instrumental) by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
Also, on a personal note I really like the way I used my vocals in the tail end of the song to create an atmospheric texture - I learnt that from Peter Gabriel's 'Last Temptation Of Christ' soundtrack. I think is adds a sense of space to the track. I hope you enjoy.





IF YOU LIKED THIS SONG....

If you liked 'Corroded Heart (Instrumental)' you might also like some of my other acoustic songs and instrumentals:

1. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/six-feet-down

2. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/in-the-year-of-our-lord

3. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/this-means-something

4. http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/in-the-key-of-stars


Corroded Heart (Instrumental) by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526693 no no Thu, 03 May 2012 03:44:10 +0200 2012-05-03T03:44:10+02:00 2:48 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/my-kamikaze-heart/


The lyrics are fairly open in terms of their meaning. To be honest, I take a new meaning out of the song every time I listen to it. That said, I do love the chorus (and title of the track). The idea of having a Kamikaze heart, a heart that rushes in regardless of the consequences, is in my opinion pretty evocative.



As usual I keep all the imperfections in the track. I am a big believer that 'mistakes make the music more human and therefore more accessible.



I had a good time recording the song. Hopefully that comes through.



LYRICS...



I got a long way to go if home is where the heart is

I got along way to go - a long way alone

Because night falls hard and the days scatter ashes

Through depths of my soul I got a long way to go



I got a long way to go - she's on the tip of my tongue

I got a long way to go but I ain't ever going home

She's seared through my mind with diamond like precision

And it takes its toll...

I got a long way to go



Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart again...



I got a long way to go just to get to the start

I got a long way to go because what you reap is what you sow

Because I could swing from a tree or I can play the fool

but it's doubtful that she'll know I got a long way to go



Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart again...



I got a long way to go with my kamikaze heart

I got a long way to go with my kamikaze heart





My Kamikaze Heart by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>


The lyrics are fairly open in terms of their meaning. To be honest, I take a new meaning out of the song every time I listen to it. That said, I do love the chorus (and title of the track). The idea of having a Kamikaze heart, a heart that rushes in regardless of the consequences, is in my opinion pretty evocative.



As usual I keep all the imperfections in the track. I am a big believer that 'mistakes make the music more human and therefore more accessible.



I had a good time recording the song. Hopefully that comes through.



LYRICS...



I got a long way to go if home is where the heart is

I got along way to go - a long way alone

Because night falls hard and the days scatter ashes

Through depths of my soul I got a long way to go



I got a long way to go - she's on the tip of my tongue

I got a long way to go but I ain't ever going home

She's seared through my mind with diamond like precision

And it takes its toll...

I got a long way to go



Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart again...



I got a long way to go just to get to the start

I got a long way to go because what you reap is what you sow

Because I could swing from a tree or I can play the fool

but it's doubtful that she'll know I got a long way to go



Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart

Oh, my kamikaze heart again...



I got a long way to go with my kamikaze heart

I got a long way to go with my kamikaze heart





My Kamikaze Heart by The East Village Vampire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526694 no no Wed, 02 May 2012 08:15:08 +0200 2012-05-02T08:15:08+02:00 4:26 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/trading-punches-stratocaster-vs-les-paul/
Sometimes you just need to play the blues. In this case, I am playing two very different styles. I have purposely left all the imperfections, buzzing and noise in. I really think it adds to the semi-live feel of the track.

Hope you enjoy.



Trading Punches (Stratocaster vs Les Paul) by http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/trading-punches is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
Sometimes you just need to play the blues. In this case, I am playing two very different styles. I have purposely left all the imperfections, buzzing and noise in. I really think it adds to the semi-live feel of the track.

Hope you enjoy.



Trading Punches (Stratocaster vs Les Paul) by http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/trading-punches is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526696 no no Wed, 02 May 2012 07:46:16 +0200 2012-05-02T07:46:16+02:00 4:08 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/this-means-something/


As for the track itself, I created a droning backdrop using a number of cheesy 1990's synths – you gotta use what you got. Importantly, all the little nuances that you hear throughout are me tweaking the dials - nothing is programmed (well, the constant synth arpeggio is, but that is it).



I then used my beloved Fender Telecaster and trusty EBow and improvised in the dark just losing myself in the music. At the time I remember being really engaged and connected to the playing – hence the title of the track. Does it come through? Does it work? Does it mean something? I don’t know, but it does for me.



I hope you enjoy the track.







This Means Something... by http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/this-means-something is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>


As for the track itself, I created a droning backdrop using a number of cheesy 1990's synths – you gotta use what you got. Importantly, all the little nuances that you hear throughout are me tweaking the dials - nothing is programmed (well, the constant synth arpeggio is, but that is it).



I then used my beloved Fender Telecaster and trusty EBow and improvised in the dark just losing myself in the music. At the time I remember being really engaged and connected to the playing – hence the title of the track. Does it come through? Does it work? Does it mean something? I don’t know, but it does for me.



I hope you enjoy the track.







This Means Something... by http://soundcloud.com/the-east-village-vampire/this-means-something is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526697 no no Wed, 02 May 2012 07:17:19 +0200 2012-05-02T07:17:19+02:00 3:40 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/man-machine-for-someone-elses-dream/
Like the music, the lyrics also came quickly and were inspired by the unrelenting, robotic feel. I'm not saying I'm Bob Dylan, but again they seemed to write themselves and I think they suit the tone of the music.

The song is basically a blues. Granted, it doesn't sound much like a traditional blues due to its fast tempo, whirlwind EBow guitars and double tracked vocals. But if you listen to the rhythm guitar I'm basically playing a standard blues boogie on my Telecaster - John Lee Hooker on speed. To me, the turbocharged boogie rhythm creates a real sense of motion that propels the song.

]]>
Like the music, the lyrics also came quickly and were inspired by the unrelenting, robotic feel. I'm not saying I'm Bob Dylan, but again they seemed to write themselves and I think they suit the tone of the music.

The song is basically a blues. Granted, it doesn't sound much like a traditional blues due to its fast tempo, whirlwind EBow guitars and double tracked vocals. But if you listen to the rhythm guitar I'm basically playing a standard blues boogie on my Telecaster - John Lee Hooker on speed. To me, the turbocharged boogie rhythm creates a real sense of motion that propels the song.

]]> 1526698 no no Wed, 02 May 2012 05:56:09 +0200 2012-05-02T05:56:09+02:00 4:32 https://hearthis.at/the-east-village-vampire-kx/in-the-key-of-stars/
I also very purposely tried to base the music around a driving, uncompromising riff to create a trance like feel. To me it suits the Sci-Fi nature of the music.

In terms of the guitar playing, I am very influenced by Syd Barrett & Robby Krieger. I basically tried to weave those two distinct styles together, both the angular and serpentine styles of playing. Oh yeah, the backwards guitar parts were achieved by playing my Les Paul Custom directly into a mid-90s Yamaha SU-10 sampler, reversing the licks, adding some old fashioned FX and playing it back live into the mix - I think it works well. I also used an old Yamaha CS1x keyboard for the vibraphone and FX.

Hope you enjoy.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]>
I also very purposely tried to base the music around a driving, uncompromising riff to create a trance like feel. To me it suits the Sci-Fi nature of the music.

In terms of the guitar playing, I am very influenced by Syd Barrett & Robby Krieger. I basically tried to weave those two distinct styles together, both the angular and serpentine styles of playing. Oh yeah, the backwards guitar parts were achieved by playing my Les Paul Custom directly into a mid-90s Yamaha SU-10 sampler, reversing the licks, adding some old fashioned FX and playing it back live into the mix - I think it works well. I also used an old Yamaha CS1x keyboard for the vibraphone and FX.

Hope you enjoy.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.]]> 1526699 no no Wed, 02 May 2012 05:36:12 +0200 2012-05-02T05:36:12+02:00 3:55