I imported the tracks into Studio One v4, augmented the bass with Toontracks EZbass, added additional piano parts, used TR5 plugins to alter sound of loop. Used Lurssen Mastering Console for mastering.
===========================================
I wrote this song in July for a Facebook Cut-Up Method group I was in. I had started several other songs that month, and with 2 days to go before I submitted my project, I read a political article that bothered me, and I ended up writing this song sketch. It's still very rough, but it's a good place holder, I think. And it was fun and cathartic to write.
UPDATE 2020 Nov 7: I forgot to mention that in the video, I have the Inkspots playing at the end. This was for my Cut-Up Method group. I wanted to assure them that I wasn't advocating violence, rather love. This Inkspots clip is not on the Soundcloud version and obviously wouldn't be on an album.
Excellent vocal on this groovy feel, Todd! Loved the lyrics; wonderfully written song. Good production. Man, you got the voice for anything. If you can write something this good because of a political comment, you came to the right world. Now about that ending...
Enjoy whatever happens! marty
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 11, EZDrummer
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Excellent vocal on this groovy feel, Todd! Loved the lyrics; wonderfully written song. Good production. Man, you got the voice for anything. If you can write something this good because of a political comment, you came to the right world. Now about that ending...
Thanks so much, Marty, for watching and commenting. I really appreciate your kind words. That's a beautiful thing you've written: "you came to the right world". That means a lot to me. Thank you!
If you are calling this "very rough" I can't WAIT to hear your "smooth"!!
Truly intriguing lyrics. Remarkable melodies. Incredible vocals - excellent tone , excellent pace, terrific processing - they sit in the mix perfectly.
Man! you've got talent. Bucket loads...
Can you expanded on the "Cut-Up Method"? And where do you come up with such terms and "groups"???....
I like the message, some thought provoking lyrics. Band songs good, vocals bring it home. Video production was interesting.
Thanks so much. I appreciate it. The video was a last-minute thing before I submitted my song to my songwriting group on Facebook. It was during the protests and fires in the US, so I used news footage and then overlaid a bunch of photos related to current political issues.
If you are calling this "very rough" I can't WAIT to hear your "smooth"!!
Truly intriguing lyrics. Remarkable melodies. Incredible vocals - excellent tone , excellent pace, terrific processing - they sit in the mix perfectly.
Man! you've got talent. Bucket loads...
Can you expanded on the "Cut-Up Method"? And where do you come up with such terms and "groups"???....
Great stuff.
fj
Hi, FJ.
Thanks again for your kind words and the specificity of what you like about the song and for your questions. Makes me feel better about my songwriting. Thank you for that.
You asked about the Cut-Up method. This technique started with the Dadaists in the 1920s when Tristan Tzara offered to create a poem on the spot by pulling words at random from a hat. The technique become popular in the 50s and 60s with William Burroughs. Bob Dylan used it a bit, as did David Bowie and Thom Yorke of Radiohead. When I do a cut-up, I like to get at least 2 texts. I often get a really bad science fiction book and a really bad romance novel. Then I flip through them and cut out words and phrases that I like. I arrange them until I find something interesting and then I glue them onto a piece of colored paper. Sometimes I'll recut them and paste them down again. From this poem-like object, I write a rough draft of a lyric. Then I continue to explore the images, sounds, and personas as I write subsequent drafts. Eventually I come up with some music and inevitably, as I'm trying to get the lines to fit the music, I make more rewrites. I usually get somewhere between 8 to 10 drafts, sometimes more.
Most of the Facebook writing groups I'm in started from relationships formed at a songwriting retreat called Crooked Crow. A close friend of mine, Johann Wagner, started the retreat, and I've been both a participant and a teacher there. Lots of great artists have come through the retreat: Adrieanne Lenker and Buck Meek of Big Thief, Gregory Alan Isakov, Pete & Crystal Damore of Ordinary Elephant. Johann Wagner and I were friends at college. I was a graduate student in poetry and he was an undergrad studying jazz guitar. Along with several other songwriters, we started a writing group called The Kitchen Sink Poets. We explored a lot of experimental and fun ways to "discover" a text. When I was a teacher at the university, I also taught these methods to my students: cut-up technique, translitic, ekphrasis, etc. Through the years, Johann and I (and others) have continued to use these methods to find fresh and new material.
Thanks again for your kind words, and if you'd like to know more about any of these techniques and how to apply them to songwriting, I'd be happy to share what I know.
We rarely quote from other posts but man did fj ever nail it with,
"Truly intriguing lyrics. Remarkable melodies. Incredible vocals - excellent tone , excellent pace, terrific processing - they sit in the mix perfectly."
Reading through your response to him regarding the technique was absolutely fascinating. And how it can come to such wonderful fruition is amazing.
A gem on the showcase indeed. We'll only add to fj's comment by mentioning how cool the arrangement is.
Most enjoyable!
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 are here on our website.
Bowie spent some time in Cut Up land--- made it pretty popular in the early 70s - for a while. This is cool with a contemporary edge that matches the contemporary events. Needed a little Stevie Ray at some stage though. The ink's a nice touch.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Really enjoyed your singing. The alliteration works really well.
Everything about this is super-musical: the phrasing, the melody, the arrangement.
As floyd jane said, you've clearly got talent.
Thanks so much, David. I'm happy you enjoyed it. I'm glad the alliteration works. I tend to be heavy on alliteration and other devices in my lyric writing. (I read a lot of Dylan Thomas.) I appreciate your kind words. Cheers, Todd
We rarely quote from other posts but man did fj ever nail it with,
"Truly intriguing lyrics. Remarkable melodies. Incredible vocals - excellent tone , excellent pace, terrific processing - they sit in the mix perfectly."
Reading through your response to him regarding the technique was absolutely fascinating. And how it can come to such wonderful fruition is amazing.
A gem on the showcase indeed. We'll only add to fj's comment by mentioning how cool the arrangement is.
Most enjoyable!
J&B
Hi, J&B. I like that quote. FJ is always so kind and generous with his feedback. I'm happy you read what I wrote FJ about the technique I used to write the lyrics. It helps to steer the lyrics away from the usual places I go (or at least gives me some fresh words & images to sing about those places I usually go in my songs). Really happy you liked the arrangement. Thanks so much. Cheers, Todd
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
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XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 60 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
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XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
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