Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,599
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,599
Dear Mama Video
The video consists of edited photos from various US government and state archives.
Dear Mama Audio
For audio only folks the lyric is at the bottom of the page.

On the evening before an anticipated dawn battle a young soldier writes home expressing his fear of what he portends will be the outcome...

We have a long standing interest in our local Civil War history and spent years researching the troop movements and engagements in our area. During General Sherman’s March To The Sea (November, 1864) thousands of his troops camped less than a mile from our home on a friend’s property (that has been owned by his family since the 1850’s). We have walked the fields and woods of nearby skirmishes and small battles (often unmarked and poorly documented) while pondering the thoughts/conversations of soldiers as they sat around camp fires awaiting the next day. Such musings lead to the writing of this song 25 years ago.

We originally posted it five years ago as our second BiaB production. Having never been pleased with the production we recently started from scratch with all new vocals, a different tempo, a different key, a tweaked lyric and new RT’s. And a new video.

We hope you will find the song of interest and we much appreciate your comments.

Many thanks to floyd for harmony/vocal arrangement ideas and to Tom for adding two acoustic guitar tracks.

Janice: Lead and harmony vocals / Nectar 2
floyd: harmony vocal / Nectar 2
Tom: finger picked acoustic guitar and acoustic guitar fills
2474:Bass, Acoustic, Held Ev 085 / Neutron
2028:Fiddle, Soloist CountryAndy Ev 065 / Neutron and EMT140 reverb
1593:Fiddle, Background Pop16ths Ev 065 / Neutron and EMT140 reverb
368:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 065 / Neutron and EMT140 reverb
1758:Banjo, Rhythm, Pop16ths Ev 085 / Neutron and EMT140 reverb
The bass track was comped from multiple 2474 generations. The fiddle track was comped from 2028 and 1593.
Mixed via Logic Pro X and mastered with Ozone 7 Advanced



dear mama
© 2017 Janice & Bud Merritt

dear mama, I take my pen
to write this letter to you
cause I’m so afraid of morning
and what they say we must do

chorus:
their camp flickers like fireflies,
all across the misty valley
the cap’n says we’ll charge at dawn
lord, i wish i was home with you and daddy
wish i was home with you and daddy

david got hit real bad
and slipped away just past noon
all he ever said to me
was he’d be seeing aunty sally soon

repeat chorus

i saw you and little sister
in my dreams last night
’n i wondered why you were cryin’
while your face glowed in candlelight

repeat chorus
wish i was home with you and daddy



You can listen to our catalog on Apple Music or Spotify by searching on Janice Merritt
Our Videos are here on our website
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,312
ROG Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,312
Janice, Bud, Tom, Floyd.

An emotional, yet beautiful journey. This is a BIG song - an inspired and inspiring write.

The depth of the backing and the haunting beauty of Janice's voice carry you easily through the story, whilst the lyrical content leaves you feeling saddened and a little uneasy about the things we do.

An amazing production and performance by all concerned.

ROG.

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 7,219
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 7,219
Janice, Bud, Floyd & Tom,

This is a beautiful piece of work. Outstanding song and a sweeping production - the mix sounds like vinyl with it's warm round tones. I also love the acoustic guitar parts by Tom and background vocals by Floyd.

The lead vocal by Janice is delicate, fragile and absolutely heartbreaking... So beautifully performed.

A new favorite...

Bob

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,801
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,801
Hi Everyone,

The folks who have commented before us said much of what we were thinking. The one thing that struck us in particular is how big this song is with such sparse instrumentation. That takes talent! The song is full and dynamic from beginning to end, yet only a handful of subtle instruments drove the sound.

The video was awesome! I'm in the process of writing a historical fiction novel that begins right after the end of the Civil War, or, as many of the Southerners called it, the War of Northern Aggression. Your song made me feel confident and renewed my desire to finish it by year's end. It's actually the first book in a three-volume epoch.

That was such a great listen! Still feeling the sorrow and trepidation of the subject of the song. Simply marvelous!

Alan & Di


BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*16GB 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

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,203
C
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
C
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,203
Stunning and beautiful song and a powerful video. The story of your song reminds me of a recording "Sweet Was Our Rose" in the 1980's by a group named Atlanta.

Enjoyed this a lot.

Charlie


BIAB Ultra Pak+ 2024:RB 2024, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,599
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,599
Originally Posted By: ROG
Janice, Bud, Tom, Floyd.

An emotional, yet beautiful journey. This is a BIG song - an inspired and inspiring write.

The depth of the backing and the haunting beauty of Janice's voice carry you easily through the story, whilst the lyrical content leaves you feeling saddened and a little uneasy about the things we do.

An amazing production and performance by all concerned.

ROG.


ROG, thank you for listening and taking the time to offer such thoughtful and supportive comments. We are especially happy that you liked the production as we spent considerable time trying to get to all work together. The banjo was the most difficult but we wanted to have nothing but instruments that would be correct for the time period. As I mentioned the song has a special connection with us given the amount of time we have spent visiting and in a few cases discovering undocumented Civil War sites (a long story there) and I (Bud) know that Janice's feeling in her performance is genuinely heartfelt. We most appreciate your remarks.

J&B


You can listen to our catalog on Apple Music or Spotify by searching on Janice Merritt
Our Videos are here on our website
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,986
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,986
What a powerful, beautiful song! Very well done on every level. The story line is well crafted into the lyrics. A very sober, complex part of our history. The video is very well done. All the performances are spot on.

You should consider doing a group of songs in this genre/storyline, as a musical portrait of this period. You do it so well.

Very touched by this.

Steve


Steve Young
Music
"In order to compose, all you need to do is remember a tune that nobody else has thought of." - Robert Schumann
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,360
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,360
I love this!

powerful video

excellent vocals and mix

a great haunting quality to this story

wonderful job, guys

Kenny

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,587
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,587
Janice, Bud, Tom, Floyd,

Just played this masterpiece to my wife - "well that says it all".
I've listened a couple of times now and not only is it a haunting and lovely song, superbly performed and produced it's like a mini documentary (nice work Bud).
Wonderful stuff - congratulations to all concerned.

Peter

User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,316
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,316
I listened to the audio version of this a week or so ago and thought it was one of your best, and after just watching the video I still think that. Just a wonderful song on every level!

Janice's vocal sounds even better than normal, not sure how that is possible! And production wise the way you handled the reverb on the vocal sounded great and a new technique for me, so thanks for sharing!

And the harmonies, just so tight!! Perfection!! A great song, performed by an all star cast with a professional mix ..... doesn't get any better IMHO.

User Showcase
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 4,219
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 4,219
Bud and Janice, This is one of the best tracks ever posted on this forum. I was going to say a musical documentary and then I saw Peter beat me to it. To me the chorus sums up what it must have been like in the Civil War. I can't imagine the feeling of looking over the hilltop down into the enemy camp knowing that the next day will most likely be your last. The production has a warm sounding mix with some terrific editing including my own parts. Janice gives an impassioned reading of the lyric that could only have taken place with an extensive knowledge of the subject matter. The way she pronounces Cap'n is worth the price of admission by itself. A fine underlying harmony by floyd adds some depth. There's no way around saying the write is absolutely brilliant bringing into play the quiet desperation, fierce loyalty and regret felt by a teenage soldier. Thanks for letting me in on this one. It is outstanding in every way. Tom

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,801
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,801
We forgot to mention one other thing that stood out to us when we posted our comment yesterday.

The subtle background vocals add so much to this. It's much like the cherry atop a sundae. The sundae's pretty danged good without it but that cherry just makes a statement. Diana and I were saying early this morning that we could hear this playing in the background in places of a Civil War documentary.Tom and someone else mention a documentary and yeas ... what a great addition this would be for such an endeavor.

This is a soundtrack of human emotion. Classic writing and fabulous delivery.

Alan & DI


BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*16GB 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

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 8,059
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 8,059
Wow what a stunning production. This was a true pleasure to listen to and watch. I felt like I was just settling back to watch a Ken Burns movie with a great score.

All of the instrumentation was excellent and so rich and varied. Wonderful work with the backing guitars and vocals from Tom and Floyd.

In one word this piece was just truly sumptuous.

I loved it, great job.

User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,664
PG Music Staff
Offline
PG Music Staff
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,664
Hi Janice & Bud! Great work on this, fantastic vocals and song. Very soothing! Well done always a fan of your songs! smile


Cheers,
Joe
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,599
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,599
Originally Posted By: rsdean
Janice, Bud, Floyd & Tom,

This is a beautiful piece of work. Outstanding song and a sweeping production - the mix sounds like vinyl with it's warm round tones. I also love the acoustic guitar parts by Tom and background vocals by Floyd.

The lead vocal by Janice is delicate, fragile and absolutely heartbreaking... So beautifully performed.

A new favorite...

Bob


Thank you Bob. It's great that you felt that in the mix. You better described what I was aiming for than I could. And Janice is very appreciative of your remarks about her vocal. As always thanks for your support!

J&B


You can listen to our catalog on Apple Music or Spotify by searching on Janice Merritt
Our Videos are here on our website
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 6,972
G
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
G
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 6,972
WOW!!! Beautifully done! So well put together. So interesting to think of what it must have been like. You guys put together a very compelling story. Mix/production are absolutely wonderful. Great contribution from the forum A-team. Awesome!! Take care. Greg

User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 548
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 548
Janice & Bud,

Great work!. This song is related to the American history which is something hard to understand for a Japanese, but the music itself is the common language for us and so is understandable smile

Good vocals and nice arrangement. Everything is beautifully balanced.
I enjoyed it very much.

Hiroshi

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,013
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,013
I love the first line of the song, and how it manages to do so much in such a small number of words. "mamma" indicates the writer is young; "i take my pen" is formal, archaic phrase.

Another thing that caught my ear was the interesting rhythms - it's very melodic, but the phrasing feels very natural.

Super job.


-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,599
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,599
Originally Posted By: Al-David
Hi Everyone,

The folks who have commented before us said much of what we were thinking. The one thing that struck us in particular is how big this song is with such sparse instrumentation. That takes talent! The song is full and dynamic from beginning to end, yet only a handful of subtle instruments drove the sound.

The video was awesome! I'm in the process of writing a historical fiction novel that begins right after the end of the Civil War, or, as many of the Southerners called it, the War of Northern Aggression. Your song made me feel confident and renewed my desire to finish it by year's end. It's actually the first book in a three-volume epoch.

That was such a great listen! Still feeling the sorrow and trepidation of the subject of the song. Simply marvelous!

Alan & Di


Thank y'all for the super review. Dynamics were on our mind while mixing this particularly with the vocals - we appreciate you mentioning that and what we did with sparse tracks. And we are excited that it renewed your writing interest! We always appreciate your support and kind remarks.

J&B


You can listen to our catalog on Apple Music or Spotify by searching on Janice Merritt
Our Videos are here on our website
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,074
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,074
Beautiful as your songs always are, but also thought provoking. In this day of televised wars, complete with logos and carefully framed wide angle shots to maximize the shock and awe, it's worth being reminded that most wars are fought by people who are barely adults.

Nice job on the whole package, everybody who participated did an outstanding job!

I also liked the video.

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!

With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!

Here's a small sampling of what XPro Styles PAK 7 has to offer: energetic rock jigs, New Orleans funk, lilting jazz waltzes, fast Celtic punk, uptempo train beats, gritty grunge, intense jazz rock, groovy EDM, soulful R&B, soft singer-songwriter pop, country blues rock, and many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Watch the XPro Styles PAK 7 Overview & Styles Demos video.

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!

Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!

In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.

Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!

Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!

Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!

In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.

Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!

With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!

Here's a small sampling of what XPro Styles PAK 7 has to offer: energetic rock jigs, New Orleans funk, lilting jazz waltzes, fast Celtic punk, uptempo train beats, gritty grunge, intense jazz rock, groovy EDM, soulful R&B, soft singer-songwriter pop, country blues rock, and many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Watch the XPro Styles PAK 7 Overview & Styles Demos video.

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

Video - Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin Version 6 for Mac®: New Features for Reaper

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 includes built-in specific support for the Reaper® DAW API, allowing direct transfer of Band-in-a-Box® files to/from Reaper tracks, including tiny lossless files of instructions which play audio instantly from disk.

We demonstrate the new Reaper features in the Band-in-a-Box® VST DAW Plugin 6.0 in our video, Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin Version 6 for Mac®: New Features for Reaper

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac® - Update Today!

Already grabbed your copy of Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac®? Head to our Support Page to download build 803 and update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 installation with the latest version developed by our team!

Learn more & download now.

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac® Video - Over 50 New Features and Enhancements!

Read all about the 50+ newest features in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac®, or you can watch our video "Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac®: Over 50 New Features and Enhancements!" to see it in action!

Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics82,925
Posts751,089
Members38,943
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
Scott Eric, Musletter, deejay, katarzyna buch, wordleunlimited
38,943 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
rsdean 106
Al-David 106
MarioD 105
DC Ron 102
BYOBand 90
vicarn 75
Today's Birthdays
Michael Green
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5