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It Ain't Easy He's After We’ve been John Mellencamp fans for decades and have always admired his bands … particularly Kenny Aronoff on drums, the violin ladies and the distorted guitar rhythm. This song is an attempt to produce a rock song with that vibe. Farm Rock? That’s what Tommyad called it on our first attempt 10 years ago - as in Mellencamp and Farm Aid. And, OK, there’s a cowbell track.  And, yes, the snare is intentionally loud as Aronoff can and will whack 'em! If inclined check out 😀 Mellencamp’s song “Check It Out” to hear the snare pop. The title comes from an expression we heard on a tv series. Your time to listen and, if you like, comment are most welcome. Thanks to PG Music, Peter and mr jane. The lyric is on SC. Janice: lead vocal, harmony vocal, melody & arrangement Peter: Solo guitar floyd jane: harmony vocal Bud: lyric, arrangement, mix and mastering Vocals (Janice): Rodes NT1 > Scarlet 212 > Logic Pro > Izotope Nectar Bass: RealTrack 683 Electric, PopHalfNotesPush Ev 120 > Waves Bass Rider > Logic Pro ChromaGlow Fiddle: RealTrack 1753: Background Pop8ths Ev 110 > Waves CLA Unplugged Guitar Rhythm: RealTrack 998: Electric, Rhythm HardRockLACrispSync Ev 120 Direct Input > Logic Pro > Ribbon 121 Mic Sim > Boutique Retro Distort Amp sim > Mandolin Rhythm: RealTracks1755:, Rhythm Pop8ths Ev 110 > Waves CLA Unplugged Drums: RealDrums RockHardLA > Waves CLA Drums> Snare: RealDrums RockHardLA > Neutron > Logic Pro ChromaVerb Cymbal: RealDrums RockHardLA > Logic Pro ChromaVerb Cowbell: RealDrums CowbellRock > 140 EMT Plate Reverb sim Mastering chain: Ozone EQ > Oz Stabilizer > Oz Imager > Oz Dynamic EQ > Oz Maximizer > Izotope Tonal Balance > Logic Pro Loudness Meter It Ain't Easy He's After
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Janice, Bud, Peter & Floyd,
This one really hits the mark! Love the big sound and The Lonesome Jubilee vibe. The mix is perfect!
Another excellent pro-vocal by Janice with some great harmony by Floyd. You guys always sound so great together. Completely locked in on the vocals.
Peter is always amazing. Touch and tone for every genre.
I loved everything about this song! Going back for several listens.
Bob
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That lyric sounds a hard one to sing but Janice pulled it off.
I thought the drums may have been a tad heavy on the vol but that's just my preference.
Well done all.
Vic
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Cool song. Yeah, Farm Rock, that's a good description.
Nice work by everyone.
I like that snare but it's a bit too forward in the mix.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Janice, Bud, Peter & Floyd,
This one really hits the mark! Love the big sound and The Lonesome Jubilee vibe. The mix is perfect!
Another excellent pro-vocal by Janice with some great harmony by Floyd. You guys always sound so great together. Completely locked in on the vocals.
Peter is always amazing. Touch and tone for every genre.
I loved everything about this song! Going back for several listens.
Bob Thank you Bob. And we MUCH appreciate you mentioning a Mellencamp song. Everything you wrote means a lot to the three of us. J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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That lyric sounds a hard one to sing but Janice pulled it off.
I thought the drums may have been a tad heavy on the vol but that's just my preference.
Well done all.
Vic Thanks Vic. Tad heavy was our intent. 😀 Glad you liked it! J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Kim was/is a Mellencamp fan...after he dropped the Cougar - she saw him in Sydney around the time of Small Town/Check It Out. Thankfully he wasn't the "Try That In A Small Town" type.
The only thing missing is the gated reverb snare. You've an huge snare so close enough. I find it hard to recreate that gated thing - probably because I have so many shudders remembering the use on many, many bad songs.
What a band.
Janice can rock & rock likes the heart on sleeve influences.
No particulars for this...the package is tied with stout string and a pretty bow & is filled with individual parts that REALLY make a song sing.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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It seems unfair to the rest of us plodding away alone — Janice, Bud, Floyd and Peter all contributing on one song — but what a great FAT sound.
Definitely Mellencamp but a touch of the Stones there too, especially in the intro.
Yet another winner. Well done all.
Mike
Mike Garry BIAB 2025/RealBand (5), UltraPak, Kontakt, EZmix, Ozone 9 Elements, Audacity, MSi PC, Windows 11, 64bit, 16GB ram, CPU: Intel i7. https://soundcloud.com/user-952388172
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Hi, J&B&Friends Nice big sound you've got there - vocals and instruments. It definitely has the Mellencamp vibe. My lazy brain would like a less subtle rhyme scheme, but that's a minor nit. Cool. 
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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J & B - what a huge sound, FAB production & mix!
Super vocals & guitar - very well done folks!
Carl
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Cool song. Yeah, Farm Rock, that's a good description.
Nice work by everyone.
I like that snare but it's a bit too forward in the mix. We all appreciate that Herb. Shucks. We were hoping for more than a bit too forward for the snare … like waaaay too forward! 😀 J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Kim was/is a Mellencamp fan...after he dropped the Cougar - she saw him in Sydney around the time of Small Town/Check It Out. Thankfully he wasn't the "Try That In A Small Town" type.
The only thing missing is the gated reverb snare. You've an huge snare so close enough. I find it hard to recreate that gated thing - probably because I have so many shudders remembering the use on many, many bad songs.
What a band.
Janice can rock & rock likes the heart on sleeve influences.
No particulars for this...the package is tied with stout string and a pretty bow & is filled with individual parts that REALLY make a song sing. Thank you Ray. I tried several reverbs on that snare but I have to confess that nowadays reverb subtleties defy my marginal hearing. 😀 Our rock attempts are few and far between so as a rocker your comments are very supportive of the effort and much appreciated! J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Cool Song ... sounds very Mellowcamp (or Cougar??) Nice chord changes. Sound like a hit song to me
MORE COWBELL !!!!
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Man, ya'll are SO GREAT! This song hits all the happy places in my brain, so excessive analysis by me evades the point: I LOVE this song! SUPER performances by everyone involved, and a great feel behind the console, too!!
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Hey Ya'll,
This is some damn good music! Big and bold - just like the cumulative talents of all involved.
I didn't listen to Mellencamp very much, so I can't comment about how much this parallels his style. But I can comment that it's great song regardless. Love then big snare! I think a touch of plate reverb would have added even more definition to it - but it ain't bad as is.
You folks set a high bar for the rest of us. And I think that's a good thing.
Yeah - really nicer!
Alan
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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It seems unfair to the rest of us plodding away alone — Janice, Bud, Floyd and Peter all contributing on one song — but what a great FAT sound.
Definitely Mellencamp but a touch of the Stones there too, especially in the intro.
Yet another winner. Well done all.
Mike You are too kind! But we’ll take it. 😀😀 We genuinely appreciate your review … big time. J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Song of the year. What else is to be exspected from the All-Star team. Dang. Yep, that driving snare is in our ears --eyes, nose and throat-- and makes us move to all that magic that rains down behind it. Great vocals (all 3 or 4 or more, but all perfect). Peter makes any song sound better. Janice makes any song. Floyd is inspirational, and the mix is better than many top hits. More. Encore. Bravo. Bravissimo.
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Yep, that's a good time. I don't know what Farm Rock is, but it could be my new favorite genre.
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A really excellent song and production all around, except for me the drums were way too loud.
Some favourite Waoist Adages:
#1: Play on the Way.
#13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you.
#58: Bring consciousness to it.
#63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made.
#92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
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Hi, J&B&Friends Nice big sound you've got there - vocals and instruments. It definitely has the Mellencamp vibe. My lazy brain would like a less subtle rhyme scheme, but that's a minor nit. Cool. Thanks! And glad you noted the hoped for vibe. J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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