STINGING EYES
This one has a SLIGHTLY louder main vocal and some oohs n ahhs care of BIAB
Stinging Eyes feat Katya vC
Here's a little ditty, purest country or, perhaps, Cow Punk!
Hopefully it's a bit of fun in a sad way. I can't tell you it will be - you're the one to judge.

Katya of Xabarovskiy Krai did the lead vocals...THANK YOU!!!!...while Kim n Lauren did the gang vocals.
Bandhi Nahbox provided the drums.

Guitars are a 2017 Squire Mustang and a 2019 Harley Benton 12 string Ricky clone both through a Marshall and mic'd with a Sennheizer e609 + a Shure 57.
The Mustang was juiced by a boost from a Boss DS1 pedal - no drive - just level increase.
Bass is a 1981 Vantage through a Behringer BDI21

BIAB details...
WARRIOR.STY
ev8 4/4 F#m 140 bpm.
RealDrums SouthernPopFast 8ths02.

I used the BIAB Melody maker to work out a vocal melody. Sadly it was far too complex and with too wide a range for my croak to sing, or anyone else . I sliced, diced, reworked closer to chord tones and FAR fewer notes. Katya grappled with my heavily edited/reduced/changed result.

LYRICS:
STINGING EYES
verse
You light up the room
And a cigarette too
You just blow
Smoke rings

chorus
You blow your smoke in
My stinging eyes
You don't care
You don't care
Don't care
Who it is cries through
My stinging eyes

verse
You light the city
The stockmarket too
You just blow
Smoke rings

chorus
You blow your smoke in
My stinging eyes
You don't care
You don't care
Don't care
Who it is cries through
Their stinging eyes

Now you heat the globe
For profit too
You just blow
Smoke rings

solo

chorus
You blow your smoke in
Our stinging eyes
You don't care
You don't care
Don't care
Who it is cries through
Our stinging eyes

outro
You just blow
Smoke rings


ALL comments, suggestions etc. are most welcome.

"A little ditty" is it? "Cow Punk." You got it!! The only thing I'd change is the title to Smoke Rings. Ha! Katya and the others was the perfect choice. There's so much to hear in there that I'm now on my 3rd spin. Love that bass. Cool harmony phrases. I like the melody you created. I'd like to hear the vocals better but that would maybe lose the feel a bit. I know you spent a lot of time on the mix, and I totally respect your decisions. This one seems like a blast to mix --so many choices. Loved it! A real tear jerker. hehe

Hi Ray,

Good song and well played and sung.

Congratulations.

Best Regards
Nigel

Ray.
nice guitars/lyrics. interesting chord changes/avant garde.
just an idea...i kept on wanting the femme vocs more
"upfront"...and that FINAL GUITAR CHORD...VERY CLEVER !.
well done.
best
oldmuso.

Man that's a cool tune Ray! I love the rhythm in this! The vocals really flow with the tune and the lead vocalist did a super job! Your bass work is so steady and played well! You always mix your work in excellent fashion! Another very nice effort from you! Thanks, Torrey

yes Marty,
i was a little cheeky in my initial description I know. Cow Punk is a thing though.
!st it was Scott Goddard and then it blew out into fun like The Johnnys...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SoYSv1LeK4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SK2JleuXlc&list=OLAK5uy_nsabKdaDA1z_hoMB86j8JOwEp6-gOErfI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8hQm1ge-i0
But it is a sad song and the story starts out like a Patsy Cline ditty.
I "upped the vox" just a tad for ya. Thanks.

Thanks Nigel.
Your surname is important in Oz music of the 60s n 70s Stewie Spiers was a classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItgZ95oJ_sw

Thanks oldmuso,
Old style jazz was the influence on the chords.
Girl Vox further "upfront" and a touch of ohh n ahh added in the update.
Final chord? I rarely resolve a progression or a song for that matter...my blessed ignorance of theory.

Thanks Torrey,
I took a bit of time working out the bass for this and employed a NEW SECRET WEAPON...Modern Deathcore - a VST compressor...set to maximum crush.
It's intended for metal but it works really well on bass and vocals...even levels without being a limiter.
https://freevstplugins.net/modern-deathcore/
https://plugins4free.com/plugin/1176/

rayc
i like the vC better.
and heres an idea...i hear in my head you useing your great aussie accent before music starts ...
"HEY KATYA LETS KNOCK THEIR SOCKS OFF" or something appropo
in your great aussie accent....while just bass is riffing off a single note.
then the heavy guitars slam in hard core. its an old arrangement trick.
you could also have Katya reply to you after the above.
just an idea ?
best
old..i like to rock hard...muso
ps...liking that short lead break.

"Cow Punk", I like that!

This is cool Ray, very unusual melody and quite clever how you came up with it.

Katya sounds great, and I really like the processing you used on her vocals.

Guitars and bass rock solid as usual.

Good stuff, enjoyed!

Dwight Yoakam referred to his music as Cowpunk back in the late 80's.
So we were surprised not to hear a fiddle intro

Both are fine mixes but we tend to favor version 2.0

Katya, Kim and Lauren did excellent work on the vocals. Far, far from something
we could imagine creating and/or putting together.

Great lyric. Yeah they just blow smoke rings but those rings just won't go away.

Man, you did an excellent job on the guitar and bass tracks. Just the right amount
of crunch and that bass tone is something to strive for in a mix.

Most cool!

J&B

You fooled me on this one. I was thinking you were going to try a country western tune. Anyways this is an excellent tune. Backtrack guitars sound very familiar. :-)

Boy did Katya nail the vocal. Was perfect for the song. Well done

Hi rayc.

Very good song... The vocalist shines in this song... very enjoyable performance.

thanks for sharing,
Will

Cool song and sound reminds me of the Go Go's.

Josie

Ray

Nicely done, enjoyed the vocals and the backing had a nice live feel which propelled the song throughout.

A very impressive composition, well played and produced.

Peter

Thanks Dave,
Glad you liked it.
Katya's vox are ace and all I added was a little too much reverb.

J&B,
Goddard's song Cow Punk was from 84. He probably took the name from DY. It's not very Cow nor very punk but it is fun.
You KNOW my brain did toy with the idea of a fiddle.
The Vocals are fine I agree.
Hmmm, the smoke is our lovely layer of greenhouse gas now...this year's weather is defying even the most dire predictions.
MANY thanks.

I know it was cruel Scott, but it was, in part, a response to folk telling me, in their intro about what a fun/happy/snappy/pop/sexy/romantic etc. song they've offered.
The sound of familiarity ... that old Marshall does it.
Thank you.

Thank you Will,
I'm pleased you like the song and, particularly, the vocals.

Ah, the Go Gos...before Belinda was blinded By The Hype.
A fun & fab band.
Thank you ma'am.

Thanks Peter,
the song took its original transmission and ignition settings from this, (well, an arrangement similar to it).
https://my.mail.ru/mail/nadya.sharipova/video/707/706.html

Hi Ray,

I heard your nice song and the first moment I thought you played a bit with the pitchknob.
but it turned out to be Misha's wife Katya! Very good indeed. Her vocals could get more upfront and less reverb, but that is a matter of taste.
I noticed this song sounded more bright than previous ones. Like that.
And keep Katya in!!

Nice day,
Hans

Really like this one, Ray. Interesting progression, great guitar sounds (and bass of course) and the vocals by Katya and co. are perfect for the song. Kind of a sixties girl group vibe with a slightly punk edge.
Regards,
Leon

Thanks Hans,
Katya, Kim n Lauren do a fab job don't they!
It's a dark story disguised in post punk clothes.

Thanks Leon,
It seems, in my head, like The Damned took the intro from New Rose and ran with that, ( using their own backing of course).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUxFQ5QBiYk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8UKf65NOzM

Hi rayc,

Beautiful construction and nice harmony. It's very catchy. I am always surprised by your research in the chord suite and it works well for you. The result is very pleasant.

Kindly regard
Derochette
aliasJaniJackFlash

You all did a fantastic job on this one. The guitars and bass were great. The vocal was outstanding and the mix was spot on.

I really liked this!

rayc,

The mix is rock solid—good 80’s, 90’s alternative vibe to it. Like the melody of the vocal; fits the tune well and some really gravitating notes. Tough to weigh in on the song lyrically, as they get a bit lost in the mix . . . for me, at least. But all around, really slick stuff!

Best regards,

Deej

Thank you Jani,
I don't do any research - I just zoom around by fret board, usually with power chords, and then translate those I can into nice open chords. I don't know many chords but I can scoot around.

Thanks Mario,
The ladies did good tonsil work I agree. made it into something far better than I could manage.

Thanks Deej,
Lyrics are up top...not many words and, basically, developing a theme simply.
For me the vocals level is as far as I can cope with...not being a singer may bias my mixing.

Good old girl punk, reminded me of The Go Go's and The Runaways in a very catchy way. The chord progression sounds just like coming from the early 80's. Lyrically maybe not full of anger, but stinging message on both individual and global level. Very good clean sounding mix (the tweaked version). Katya is really made for the style.

Janne

Thanks Janne,
Katya as RIOTTT GIRLLL, yes.

Definitely one of the most pleasant surprises here in a while! What I really like about this track is how well everything works together. The arrangement, the melody, the singing and even the rather simple lyrics fit perfectly.

Ray,
Very cool Girl Punk tune! Well constructed and played. More!
I will let Katya respond to comments received:
---
Hi everyone, it's Misha's wife Katya here. All the great feedback is so lovely! But really - I have an ear, but am a weak singer, it's all in Ray's song and his imaginative! mix and the back vocals! But it was fun, just glad didn't ruin it
Riot grlll - aaaaah, what a compliment! Thanks everybody!

Cow Punk says it all. Neat song. I like Katya's vocals. The work perfectly for this material.

ray,

LOVED this!

POP. Super well done. Reminiscent of The Bangles (or the Go Gos). Catchy as hell.

Excellent mix. Guitars sound great. Bass & Drums, too.

Vocals are perfect. Katya did an amazing job.

On my 5th listen.

Excellent.

fj

Loved it, the first line won me over. Sounded like The Regrettes. Wonderful!