To the Barleycorn and beyond.....!

It gives me GREAT pleasure to announce that, after a month of intense rehearsals, gluhwein, popcorn, and jokes about vertically-challenged individuals, Violet & The Greenes performed their first ever gig at the Barleycorn Music Club to a packed and enthusiastic audience.

What started out as a humble 2-man band in April, ended up as a full-on 6-piece ensemble by the end of May! As you know, we started off with myself (Violet Greene), my keyboard skills (severely lacking), and my songs (definite potential); then there was Clayton (electric guitarist enthusiastic about my songs)....some time later Rudolph (keyboardist with actual skills and a desire to make music)....then Darryl (the planet's most chilled-out bass guitarist and friend-of-a-friend) and Gaby (backing vocalist and buddy), and finally, at the last possible moment - as in 2 days before our gig - there was Jay (drumming maestro).


Even Lewis Carrol in a giddy, opium-laced episode could not have dreamt-up the uniquely-talented, and immensely-musical collection of characters of which Violet & The Greenes is comprised.

And, as if it weren't enough to merely get to jam with these lovely people, I was fortunate to be backed by them in a live performance....and what a good performance it was!! As slick as John Travolta's hair (and moves) in pretty much every movie he's ever made!

So....onwards and upwards we go with the determination of a soccer mom at a 50% clearance sale; and now we are setting our sites on future gigs, recording sessions, demo albums, logos, t-shirts, moshpits, armpits, and digits *ka-ching*.

For you our fans, supporters, family, friends, and stalkers I say THANK YOU! We'll be coming to a stage near you...soon....

Everybody's Going Greene

Dear Readers (wherever you are, whoever you are, and whenever you are)

My recent posts have featured links to two songs that most of you ought to be aware of (Mascara Betty remixed by Stereo Jack) and One-night Standards (a rough mix I whipped up in my home studio).

Last year, in August, I entered The Barleycorn Songwriter's Competition and came third place for Mascara Betty. What a popular song that has become! It was a great opportunity to perform one of my songs for so many people and to get such positive feedback from the audience! It was an out-of-body experience for me; I was so "into" the song that, when I played the last chord and the audience burst into applause, my eyes teared-up from surprise...I had forgotten they were there (very weird).

The songwriting competition was just the motivation I needed to get organised and my next POA (plan of action) was to get a full set together to perform at some more open mic nights. I put together a set for the Alive Music Club in April, which went very well and gave me the confidence to return to the Barleycorn Music Club.

Since I'm not the greatest pianist and I want to be free to connect to my audience, I realised I was going to need some instrumentalists to back me up. And that my blogging buddies is how Violet & The Greenes (the band) came about!

We have Clayton (electric guitar), Rudolph (keyboard), Darryl (bass guitar), and myself (vocals). We're having a great time getting to know each other and we're looking forward to our first gig as a band at the Barleycorn on 30 May (that's the end of this month!!!).

For those of you who are able to attend, there will be the unveiling of a new song, Estate Agent, that is definitely going to make you laugh and give you some insight into the seedy underbelly of the property world ;) For those of you who cannot be there, hold thumbs and send good vibes our way on the 30th.

I'll keep you posted....

One-night Standards

...and (for your listening pleasure) here's a rough recording of One-night Standards....

One-night Standards by violet-greene

I've also been working in the studio with Stereo Jack on this one, so keep an ear open for that remix when it's done!

Check out an awesome remix of Mascara Betty created by the extraordinary Stereo Jack.

Mascara betty by Stereo Jack

The Prince Theme

Well this has been quite the eventful week!
Would you believe I have MORE news?

Well, I do, so there ;)

As I mentioned previously, I've been working away on the next theme for The Happy Prince film, that of The Prince Theme. I had already recorded two tracks which, although quite nice, just didn't feel right for the Prince. I was looking for something regal and grand with a somber undertone.

Back when I first started thinking about the various themes, I had decided that I wanted to use Rachmaninov's Prelude in C minor as inspiration for The Prince Theme. If you don't know the piece take a listen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSO6dfTgVOY and if you can't do You Tube then check it out here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prelude_in_C_sharp_minor_(Rachmaninoff) (scroll down and click on the play button bottom right). Apparently, the opening chords, which lay the foundation for the entire piece, are reminiscent of church bells and it was this bell-like quality that I really wanted to capture in The Prince Theme.

I already had the Rach Prelude under my skin since I've listened to it countless times and it's one of my favourite Romantic Period piano works. I procrastinated for about 3 weeks, whilst submerging myself in recording software issues, which is something I like to call "the artistic process" which validates it somehow ;) but in seriousness, sometimes an idea needs time to stew and ripen. I find if I try to force the issue before it's time then often the resulting compositions sounds forced.

I had two failed attempts - those melodies sounded just fine but weren't right for The Prince Theme. Then, on the way home from the shops last night, a melody just popped into my head. I instantly knew it was THE one! The perfect mixture of bells, grandeur, old European refinement and subtle sadness.

I couldn't get into the house fast enough - I even made a hasty recording of it using the voice recorder on my cell phone! Its funny how there is this paranoid madness that takes hold of me and I feel like if I don't save the idea quickly it might just pop straight out of my head the way it popped in! As soon as I got home I laid down a rough recording of it and could breathe easy again.

After dinner I recorded it more thoroughly and sent off the mp3 to the director (my friend) - always so nerve-wrecking waiting to hear back, but I was confident he would love it like I do! And I was right - heard back from him this morning and he's ecstatic!

So, another theme down! The next theme I'll be focusing on is a lullaby which will be sung near the end of the film, but I'll go into more detail about that in a future post. For the moment I'm thinking of seeking out some champagne to have a little celebration!

PS: I won't be posting any of the themes / tracks from the movie on this blog until the film is released, sadly you will have to wait until then, but that gives you something to look forward to!

PPS: If you've never read Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince, you can read it and some other stories by him here http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/oscar-wilde/HappyPrince&othertales6x9.pdf - enjoy!

For the Art of it

We musicians aren't just about practicing, performing, writing songs; sometimes you just need a creative outlet that isn't music-related.

I try, as often as I can, to embark on projects that breed creativity because being creative is a bit like getting fit; sometimes you need to cross-train.

This particular project involved a pair of shoes.
I began with a pair of white canvas takkies (or sneakers / trainers as the rest of the world might know them). I found it very symbolic that they were made from white canvas and set to work on a design. I don't mind admitting that these babies were SUPER cheap, no-name brands - that was the point! (please note the mystery shoe pocket!?)



I thought of imprinting Betty Page's face onto them, or maybe some of my poetry scribbled across the sides, and I even considered embellishing them in a psychedelic houndstooth print, but finally I settled on this....


A puzzle pattern!! Simple yet effective.
I bought a black fabric pen and drew out the grid for the block sizes in pencil on the shoes. Oh, but first I removed the pockets which were just too gimmicky.

Here's another pic showing both shoes:



The best thing about this project is that I now get a cool pair of shoes that I know I created - no designer labels could ever compete with the feeling of wearing your own creation :)

Pop! goes the Weasel

Finally! After over a month of waiting and calling up the store repeatedly (to the point that I'm now on first name basis with the attendant and know all sorts of irrelevant information about him) - the much anticipated pop filter has arrived.

What is a pop filter? Well, firstly http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_filter
You can always trust Wikipedia to reveal life's little mysteries ;)

The big deal about waiting for the pop filter (since they were out of stock) is that I didn't want to use my condenser mic without the protection of a pop filter.

The funny, and unexpected part, was, when I'd unwrapped it I suddenly realised I had no clue as to how you attach a pop filter to a microphone stand. I really didn't foresee that problem, but, once again, I turned to the internet to guide me - all I needed was a picture of a set-up pop filter and a little brain power and I had it attached to my mic stand looking oh so professional in no time at all.

Here are some pics of my set-up:




















Once I got to this point I could test out my new condenser mic and WOW was it worth the wait! It's not top of the range by any means, but it's very clear and has a nice tone.

So the studio is almost complete, just a few more cables and a shock mount for the condenser and I'll have a pretty awesome little home recording set-up. Can't wait!