As stated in the previous post, this is the last song from the small live acoustic cover set i performed. The next time i throw down an Antisleep: Undercover track for you, it will be something with actual production rather than just an acoustic performance (and will be tied into the release of the next song, "Burning Bridges"...but i'll go into that a bit later).
As for this song, it happens to be the only number from this show that wasn't a cover of IAMX or Sneaker Pimps. Who did i cover? Who's song did i ruin with my godawful live vocals and atonal guitar playing? Lamb Of God? Bette Midler? Hell, you'll know it when you hear it...
Tomorrow i'll be posting the last song from the acoustic live cover set i performed, and i'll let you be the judge on whether i saved the best for last. This isn't the end of Antisleep: Undercover by any means, you'll still find me completely ruining perfectly good songs on the blog, pairing them up with official releases and generally having an outlet for the weird ideas for song destruction that come screaming into my brain at 3am. It will just be a bit more sporadic and spontaneous...like when i break into your house late a night and move every object 1 inch to the left (just because).
AND are you aware of why you shouldn't put a cellphone in the microwave? It releases the ancient unholy evil, that's why:
Friday sure has a way of sneaking up. Hopefully it's not entirely creepy, like sneaking into your apartment just to watch you sleep and gently stroke your hair ...that's a restraining order waiting to happen. First, a bit of news as to what's going on in the studio:
-LA MUSICA Over at the Celldweller blog, you can read about Klay going in to mix his track Louder Than Words (on which i did a little bit of live drum editing). While he's off mixing his newest audio assault, i'll be in the A studio mixing MY new single "Burning Bridges". From the hints i've dropped about this sucker, you can expect some general badassery (which would be the name i want if i joined the army: "General Badassery"), blatant pissed-off-edness, and a swingin' beat. i have a feeling my burlesque friends may be rocking a nice little routine to this one. Also working on a song called "Corner" that is more of a combo of the sensuality of Kill Me Every Time mixed with the buzzsaw guitar riff nature of ULTRAnumb (if i had to compare . . . which i didn't . . . but i did . . . and may do again).
-UNDER THE COVERS Only 2 more songs left from this live acoustic cover set i performed. i saved the more up-tempo stuff for last in case you were worried that i'd be putting you to sleep with yet another slow burner. Quite the opposite, NOW you get me pounding away arhythmically and atonally on a defenseless acoustic guitar as my "cats in a blender" vocals offend all within earshot (and since it was a live set at a book release, the doors were locked from the *outside*, trapping the hapless victims in a local sushi joint. Forced to bear my song-destroying antics. i'm like the musical version of a Saw movie). This is also the last cover of IAMX from this set (whom, as mentioned previously is A-freaking-Mazing. Albums to procure?...all of them).
Today i'll be mucking up one of my faves from IAMX, "Spit It Out"
Listen here:
And download for your very own (golly!), right here sucka:
C'mon, you know you had that Rockapella theme play through your head as you read that. As for me, i was out of the studio (and the state) taking care of some family stuff for about 5 days. Lo and behold, the only available machine with net access decided to become a sleek, beeping paperweight during that time which meant no updates, no blog posts of randomality/short films/art/pictures of monkeysridingdogs and certainly no torturing you guys with more Antisleep: Undercover last week. Much apologies for not being able to interact with you all on any of this twitter/blog/myspace/facebook stuff the past few days. i really dig being able to go back and forth with the people who write in, but my only option this past week was telepathy, and upon attempting it, i only wound up breaking glass and causing Japanese 70's horror movie freakout seizures. Now that i'm back to being surrounded by tech, i'm going through the process of catching up on everything.
i'm throwing yet another track from the live acoustic set at ya for this Antisleep: Undercover installment. And yet another cover of the all-freaking-amazing-wish-i-had-half-this-guy's-talent IAMX (check out his shiznit, get the albums, take long drives). You know, it's kinda funny that i'm giving you guys quiet, low key acoustic tracks when the song for MY album i'm *currently* finishing up ("Burning Bridges") is baseball-bat-to-the-noggin', piss'n'vinegar slice of hard, dark and angry. Coming soon...
For right now, you can listen to me destroy and render helpless a perfectly well crafted song right here:
And if you *really* hate your ears, you can download the track for free right here:
And holy hell, after wading through all of this, you deserve something entertaining. i dropped this on my twitter as a test long ago, So for those that missed it, here's something to kick off your weekend:
Let the record show, that i am an ass. i had no idea how many days had passed since the last blog or even marginally informative twitter. i could tell you that i've been wrapped up judging both The Hipster Olympics and The Belated National Douche Off, or that i've been set upon by a series of Lovecraftian horrors . . . but those would be hilarious, awesome lies. Actually it's because there's a lot going on in Stahliland (note to self: Create theme-park filled with rad), everything from editing live drums on the new Celldweller track Louder Than Words, to cutting vocals on the next Blue Stahli single "Burning Bridges" while writing a new track that brings the BIG riffs, sensual vocals, tribal drums played by Klayton and so much rampant sexiness you'll need to lay down a tarp or dropcloth of some kind (that's right...you better *believe* i just comically insinuated). In addition to that, i'm doing some extra little side thingies that you definitely would not expect from me (more on those later!). Rushing a bit to get everything done before making a a bit of an emergency trip back to the desert (where i'm from) for a few days. The only way i can make up this past absence to you guys is to fill this particular post with entertaining goodliness. But before i actually give you all something enjoyable, here's the Antisleep: Undercover track from the acoustic live-set for this Friday:
Today, it breaks away from The IAMX covers for a bit of slaughtering of a Sneaker Pimps song...which isn't really breaking away at all as it's the *exact* same artist just in his previous band (i promise the very last track from this set is a different artist). i know i mentioned that
Listen to me desecrate a perfectly good song here:
And turn your iPod into a torture device, by downloading the free MP3 here:
-HERE is an amazing photo and story of a ginormous volcanic eruption as photographed from the freaking International Space Station. i'm not entirely convinced they aren't just filming an expository scene for Michael Bay movie.
-Wiland Pinsdourf's "Samparkour" is a breathtaking glimpse of São Paulo through the eyes and superhuman displays of Zico Corrêa. i've never been to Brazil, but if i find myself there, i hope i see it in this manner (though i'll probably jut jump off a curb, into a nearby puddle saying "Check THAT shiznit out!").
-They're bout to play some dooguh. DOOguh Greeahrn:
-And finally, if you're easily offended and don't want to see a gritty, animated criminal underworld filled with saucy language, sex, violence and subtitles...then skip it. For the rest of you, enjoy this brilliant music video for N.A.S.A.'s "A Volta" (who's album, The Spirit Of Apollo, i am absolutely *loving* . . . hard).
It seems these particular "Antisleep: Undercover" Fridays sneak right the hell up on you when you least expect it. Ready to pounce and cripple your speakers with horrendous sound-spasms that only the bravest (or self-harming) souls withstand before dropping to the ground in a heaping mass, bleeding from the ears (i hit some bad notes, alright?...sheesh). The song you get today is another IAMX number (go get his stuff if you haven't already!). And honestly, most of the cover songs i played for this live acoustic set are from that catalogue, but aside from just being a fan, i should tell you *why* i chose these songs. This is how kind of how i taught myself to sing. Sure, i've made *noise* all my life. And i've "done stuff to a pitch" ( . . . questionable things), but it wasn't until i started singing along with these songs that i actually started modulating my voice differently and really exploring (kind of like how Scrape was the first time i've really ever screamed). And usually before i track final vocals for one of my songs, i warm up by playing something from IAMX.
Next Friday, another free Antisleep: Undercover song from this acoustic set (i wonder what group it'll be a cover of? Gosh...pins and needles...pins and needles....
This . . . is a huge mistake. Not only am i giving you guys a track that was recorded totally live (which means no fun overdubs, pitch correction, reverb/delay, turning down the "suck" knob, etc.), but this particular song, with which i began my short set, features both a guitar that goes out of tune (great! should match the vocals) AND you can hear me actually *talking*. i realize no one has really heard my speaking voice (and how fortunate you've been...until now). So if you had an image of me speaking in a low, sexy gravel-tone-of-love like Barry White after eating a delicious French truffle laced with E . . .sorry, it's actually more akin to a hopped up Kermit The Frog. At any rate, the song i'm killing today is once again from the amazing IAMX.
You can expect to be assaulted with Antisleep: Undercover tracks from this acoustic performance every Friday for the next 5 weeks. Be afraid.
Listen to it here:
And if you're a masochist, you can download it here:
A little while ago, i played a short acoustic set for a book release party in a sushi joint (i can be easily lured into damn near *anything* with sushi). All covers (apologies to all artists butchered). Happened to have Klay's microtrack audio recorder handy and captured the whole damn thing either out of some kind of "document the atrocities" war journalist obligation, or to put in a time capsule in hopes that future generations can have a good laugh at the awful noises people used to make in 2009 (or whatever year this is). 6 songs were performed (or "committed against the innocent", depending on how much you actually dig it), so over the next 6 weeks, on every Friday, i'll be doing something REALLY dumb and giving out each song as a continuance of Antisleep: Undercover. i should probably re-think this as they are totally live and you'll be hearing just me, attacking a guitar and singing, without the aide of studio goodliness to make my voice tolerable. But hey, i'm all for experiments.
-This next bit is absolutely unrelated, and i don't really care how much of a dork i am for tossing it up here, but i am completely in love with this bit of music right now:
Thanks to Yahya for the font action/color shift. Check the Deviant page here. Original image by UVprod and Doseprod.
As promised, a new version of Antisleep (that you'll see popping up a lot more) kicks off today. "Antisleep: Undercover" will be an exercise in bad ideas executed in poor taste because it will be me covering songs that probably don't deserve a fate such as this. The first installment is pretty apt since it's literally the last thing i recorded back home. i did the guitars in my apartment just before i moved out. The vocals and additional music were done in a night, in the closet of family i was crashing with for a few days before heading out on the crazy road trip that lead up here.
Leaving behind everything i knew and loved and taking that risk was a bit frightening, especially since i fully and wholly despise the state i was moving to. So to try and maintain some semblance of sanity, i would give all the fear, loss, hurt and anxiety a release valve by singing along with music that meant something to me (In this case, the absolutely amazing IAMX, whom Klay introduced me to). Didn't say it was good or on key, i just kinda belted it out, but it was very much an escape. i wanted to have a gift for friends and people who mean something to me (so they either had something to connect with and wrap themselves in, remember me by if i was involved in a horrible firey accident involving pixie sticks, inappropriate props, hair color and a weird culture of people with an unhealthy predilection for car crashes . . . or just something to throw to hardcopy and burn in effigy. Whichever). So this little cover was made to be that gift.
All of you who follow this Blue Stahli action and support it by listening, spreading it around, snagging the singles, writing in on the blog, myspace, facebook and twitter ...you bunch of crazies and lunatics mean the world to me, so here ya go:
And if you'd like to hear the song actually done *correctly* in it's original form. Check out IAMX. Phenominal songwriting and one of the best live shows i've ever seen. He's got a brand spankin' new album out that if you don't own, you really should.
