"Waking To A Sun" Album Progress - First Song titled "Carry Us" Complete!

After the turmoil my life has been in over the last 6 months (which i'm surprised I haven't even uploaded onto this blog yet! Maybe later...) I have managed to finally record my first song for the album.

The previous blog said I had a song ready for a CD. After many listens and re-mixes I decided I will start it again from scratch. Either way, I recorded a different song and believe it is sufficient to be placed as the first song on the album, titled "Carry Us'.

I've uploaded it onto SoundCloud and also on my facebook. Here's the link:

Hurshy Kalsi - Carry Us

I think the amount of problems I have been through and dealt with over the last few months has set a catalyst for me finishing this album. But I am still being realistic as I am pursuing my financial planning career also. I want to say that I will have the album complete by March 2011, but as long as it close to that time i'll be happy.

Hope everyone is well and looking after themselves. Have a merry christmas and a happy new year!

Fuzz

Afraid Of The Silent Truth

Well, there has been some hiatus on this blog of mine. However, it is safe to say that I have been quite productive since my last blog.

I decided it was time to get some professional advice on recording my song. I chose the title track "Waking To A Sun" as I thought it would probably be the most complex song to work with and would ideally set some sort of benchmark as to how I will record the rest of the album.

The person I chose to work with (purely from google seach) seemed to have alot of experience and some of his works are of great quality.

He charges $80 per hour and for this song I spent $730. He has a huge array of analog equipment ranging from compressors to reverbs and multi fx. I spent the first session putting the tracks down (Rhtyhm and lead guitars, vocals, strings, drums). The second session was actually removing the vocals completely because I was sick when I recorded them, and they sounded awful, followed by guitar fills and fixing up the drums and strings. No mixing, editing or mastering was done during this time.

As every hour passed with this person I started feeling a little more uneasy because it was really pinching my wallet. I wasn't sure if it was worth spending so much money when half the things I could do myself.

As a result after I recorded the majority of the tracks, I told him to give me the raw tracks so I could mix it and master it at home myself. He wasn't pleased as he would prefer to follow through, but he did it nevertheless.

I redid the vocals at home and mixed, edited and mastered everything to my taste, removing a financial burden and believe I had a sufficient mix for putting on a CD.

The next step is to get the rest of the songs done. I can feel progress is made, regardless of how slow it is, but it is there.

Working on my aesthetic appeal

One thing i've been using alot of my time with is attempting to understand the psychology of the human condition. My perception is that the majority of people are used to being led by an authority figure, whether is a parent, a political representative, a friend, or even a partner. Also, people who claim to be self preserving motivate themselves by writing down things in a third perspective, effectively creating an illusion of an authority figure.

The reason i'm mentioning this is because I feel that as much as we appreciate an authority figure in our life, the line has been crossed many times in our society where we are told what to do instead of being mentored. As a result we end up flocking in unison for a goal that we never set for ourselves individually. When you go out and meet people in clubs, bars, even libraries, you can see they are craving for a unique perspective. Sometimes the most obvious things can be a shock to their system.

Anyway, musically my material is coming along very nicely. Even though i've been working on this project since the big bang, there's nothing better than knowing your material is that much stronger because...well, you've grown up that little bit more. But during my musical outbreaks I realised I was missing a key component of the package. My aesthetic appeal. I have no look! Sometimes I feel like Surinder Sahni from Punjab Power.



Just like Surinder created an alter ego to win the love of his wife, I need to figure out my own alter-ego, my persona, my on stage character. This is going to take a while. But I give myself 6 months until im confident. 3 months of vigorous exercise, and 3 months of character building. By that time my music should be ready to hit the ears of eager listeners.

But in the mean time, im going to be inside four walls and answering the phones with "Hurshy Kalsi Punjab Power, lighting up your life Sir"

Fuzz

The Reign Of Kindo

The Reign Of Kindo is a US based band comprising of some of the most soulful musicians you will come across. They have a self titled EP along with a full length album titled "Rhythm, Chord & Melody" released in 2008. The frontman Joseph Secchiaroli apparently writes and mixes all the tracks on the album, which is by far the most astonishing thing i've heard from someone because the mix itself is what defines clarity. It encompasses the perfect blend of dynamics, compression, and loudness of what a song should have. I've been hooked on the album for countless weeks now. I havent been hit this hard since I heard my first ever Dream Theater song back in 2000... Dance Of Eternity.

Praise aside, I am exceptionally jealous of these guys. The only reason I think the world hasn't heard of them yet is because they're not ready. Once the era of Autotune is over people are going to look for something real, and thats gonna be The Reign Of Kindo!

Soul's Timbre

I've decided to call the band for my music Soul's Timbre. I've got a couple of songs lined up for an EP... I just need to re-re-record them with better vocals.

The songs are (in no particular order)

1. The Things You Hold Dear
2. Simple Mistakes
3. Life In A Box
4. We Used To
5. Waking To A Sun
6. Whats Left Of Mine
7. 11th Hour
8. Sands Of Time
9. Games Of Lies

I might actually shorten this to 4 or 5 songs depending on my time and how the songs come out. Will go for about 20 mins.

Material wise I feel confident. I believe i've been putting alot of effort into the material i've been writing as opposed to actually playing it. So for the past few weeks and continuing few months i'm going to be practicing these songs over and over again until I get them bang on.

I'm still having thoughts about doing drums on my own or hiring a session drummer. I feel more comfortable getting a session drummer to do it for me. I'd love to be in a studio just once to see how the pros do things. I think it'll help make sense of things when I do it at home. In terms of cost I really don't care anymore, I just want to get this done as soon as possible.

I'm going to keep updating this journal with my music details in addition to my normal e-venting.

Wish me luck....

Fuzz

2009 - The Year Of The Rollercoaster

With the end of year approaching in quick silence, im feeling reflective and optimistic about 2010. This year has been an absolute rollercoaster. My emotions have been almost as volatile as the ASX, and almost perfectly correlated, even though there is no connection whatsoever. Hmm, maybe I should invest in the market when im feeling down? LOL...

But in all seriousness, i'ts been a crazy year. It started off with a list of goals that I felt have been regurgitated for the past decade, so the goals had very little ambition. It was the usual stuff that people have.. Drink less, lose weight, find someone special, improve your job status somehow, network more, make more friends, spend more time with family, etc etc. Basically the underlying condition of all of these things is to be happy.

I hadnt been happy for a long time. Years in fact. It was so bad that being solemn and indifferent became a habit, regardless of how happy I felt. Having to overshadow my genuine feelings with a joke exemplified my insecurity. Being different is always hard, being alone makes it harder, and being outcasted makes it impossible.

But its times like these when you learn most about yourself. You realise how strong a person you actually are, how capable you are of picking yourself back up and facing the world. Your differences no longer hold you back but they set you apart, your loneliness brings you independence and your uniqueness makes you strive for success. You learn that life is a work in progress, nothing comes at the click of a finger and that is why the final product is so much more rewarding.

It is today that I can say without hesitation that I am happy. I've learnt so much about myself. While I have changed over the years, my moral compass has always been in tact and it has never failed me. Through my trials and tribulations i've learnt who to keep close and who to maintain comfortable distances with. I've met the love of my life, someone I can confide in to give me strength the same way a deity does for others. I've started a new job that can allow me to prosper in a way based almost purely on my capabilities. I have a loving family that I would die for, I hold my beliefs in silence and I only involve competition with myself, never with others.

I feel different, the winds are changing now and things will only get better.

Look foward to meeting you, 2010.

No sleep for the restless

Hey guys,

Long time no bog! I know this was going to be a dedicated journal for my music diaries, but ive decided that I would not upload it near as much as a result because im honestly not getting much done on that part. I've been far too busy. Its really frustrating.

Dont get me wrong though, I am still working on it, just at a much slower pace than before. The material im writing is alot stronger though. Quality rather than quantity right? Dont worry, an update will come soon enough.

Songwriting is becoming a really difficult task. You feel that time is always escaping you no matter how much you put it aside. Your conscience is more muddled because you have more things going on in your life. When you sit there ready to play some heartstrings on your guitar, your subconscious is constantly telling you that you should be doing something else. Its a bizzarre feeling. When I have kids, and if one of them ever decides to pursue music at a young age, one thing I wont tell them is "Get your studies over with, then pursue your hobby. Music is a very risky business". Thats absolute BS. You know whats a risky business? Finance. Just ask the GFC. There is nothing worse than covering up a child's innocence with a reality blanket. Sure it provides protection, but boy does it get hot in there.

Its past 1am, I was trying to sleep for the past 2 hours but can't. I've been dating this girl for the past 5 months, its been absolutely incredible and im deeply in love. The honeymoon period is over, so the real shit kicks in now. I could go on and on about it, but in the end i've come to the conclusion that i'm too clingy as a bf. I need to give space. I always found this a confusing concept. I've been single since the dark ages, im hopelessly romantic, and that worked out great during the honeymoon period. Now that the probationary period is up, its time to dish in the hard yards to get the rewards. Its time to take it more casual, realise that there is a life of your own outside the relationship. I have to get that back. Im surprised I lost it so quick. I mean, it only took 5 months and one amazing girl to forget that im an independent person. How things change huh?

I've been applying for some new jobs. I found out im getting paid around $15k less than my market value at my current company, and there is no talk of a raise. That means one thing...im outta there. No ifs or buts about it. I have two interviews coming up, one being a sales test via phone and another being a technical test with a 1 hour exam paper. Fukiinnn aye!! I really gotta knuckle down and prepare for it.

Ok, thats enough random 1:30am thoughts to put down on an online blog. Its reassuring to know that I will always be there for myself.