Russell Howard Music Blog

City Heart Logo Concept v.2

2011-02-21T12:24:00.001-05:00

The Big Update Part 2

2011-01-25T10:41:00.002-05:00

So where were we? Ah yes, guitar.

Of utmost importance to me this time around was establishing the feel of each song. How a song hits the ear when played solo is necessarily different then how it behaves when a band picks it up. So far, I've been a solo act, so we were presented with a challenge - stay true to the feel of each song, but transform it into a full band sound. The solution was found in recording the guitar parts first and building complementary percussion tracks from the ground up.

For many of the initial sessions we went song by song establishing the right tempo, programming a click, recording the guitar part, and building the basics of the rhythm track. Last time around I had one session with the drummer - luckily he was world class - but time was such that there was no opportunity to develop the interplay of the drums and guitar in a meaningful way. So, for City Heart, a healthy focus on percussion has been the key to making the guitar sound great.

The Big Update Part 1

2011-01-20T15:18:00.002-05:00

Ladies and Gents, Happy New Year!

Here’s to a great 2011.

I don’t know about yours, but my holidays turned out to be more restful than anticipated. A sight delay in the recording process provided some unexpected time to catch my breath. I read a book, visited with friends, and impatiently counted down the days until we could get back to business.

During this down time I realized that shooting video and trying to actually WORK in the studio wasn’t working. The clips I’ve posted haven’t really narrated the process… so before I head back to NYC at the end of the month to finish up, I’m going to take a few minutes and catch you all up on everything that’s happened so far.

THE BIG UPDATE: PART I

September 2010. In the middle of a little mini-tour, I stopped in NYC and dropped off 6 guitars, an amp, pedals, and a big tangle of cables at the studio. After Lawson was forced to move his studio in July (something about foreign investors and condos…) this was my first glimpse ...

Read more at Tumblr or Facebook.

CityHeart.02.wav

2010-11-06T16:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a little montage of the sessions with Sam Cohen. He has this big, warm, fuzzy, tremolo goodness that just fills up the room. Also, it doesn't hurt that his old band Apollo Sunshine was a favorite of mine in college... So cool to have his sounds on City Heart.

Sam's new stuff: http://www.myspace.com/yellowbirds

The Bass-ics.

2010-11-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

This is Mike. He came in and threw down the bass for City Heart a few days ago.
We spent the first couple of weeks framing out the songs and building the rhythmic foundation - so following that line - I guess Mike came in and poured the basement. Most importantly, he killed it. He's one of those players that not only plays the right notes in the right moments, but insinuates so much in his playing that he's really inside the song and not under it.

Mike's in a super cool band called Knights On Earth: http://knightsonearth.bandcamp.com/
Check 'em out.

CityHeart.01.wav

2010-10-28T12:44:00.004-04:00

A little teaser...

When life closes a door...

2010-10-12T20:56:00.007-04:00

get someone to buzz you in.

...

This is the place. The Strokes recorded here. So did Wheatus.
We're in good company.

the beginning

2010-10-10T17:40:00.005-04:00

Week #1.

A scratch and a sequenced click track.
This is how it starts.

Kickstarted/Supplement

2010-08-16T15:58:00.005-04:00

Huzzah! City Heart has been KickStarted! Thanks so much to everyone that contributed. You guys are AWESOME.

I've heard from several folks asking if they can still contribute, and while the official kickstarter project has concluded, I'll be accepting pre-orders and contributions and honoring the kickstarter rewards until we actually start recording in October.

:::: Backing is now closed ::::

:::: Thanks everybody, we raised nearly $400 extra! ::::

What will $12 get you these days?

2010-08-09T12:30:00.010-04:00

2 hair plugs

1 cup of coffee

up to 50 words from the Associated Press (but only if its not for profit)

1 hour of semi-skilled factory labor

This wood.

1 hipster lamp-cord.

The opportunity to be part of something great.

::::

This is the last week to make my new record a reality. Visit russellhowardmusic.com/kickstarter to pre-order your copy of City Heart. Funding ends Sunday, August 15th at noon, so act now!

City Heart Logo Concept v.1

2010-07-21T13:01:00.003-04:00

the city heart design concept: a preliminary exercise

Title Fight.

2010-06-29T13:16:00.008-04:00

Almost exactly a year ago I finished writing a song called Home Sweet Home... and almost immediately I knew there was something special about it. As I tinkered with the melody and rhythm over the ensuing year, I started inadvertently referring to the song by a different name.

Now, both names fit... and to make things more complicated the phrase "Home Sweet Home" was the starting place, the central textual thrust of the song. It seemed that no matter how much swagger the new name carried, I couldn't walk away from Home Sweet Home.

So, late one night in a mid-western hotel, I made a decision:

The wonderfully abstract, individually malleable concept that was the second title would inhabit whatever album/record/project on which Home Sweet Home eventually found itself.

With that in mind, may I have a drum roll please...

The new record will be called City Heart.

The magic number is 71.4

2010-05-21T17:35:00.007-04:00

I started this post in Austin, wrote a line or two in Houston and am now finishing up in San Antonio. After a long night in San Marcos and a longer morning in Austin I decided to pop over to H-town to visit some good friends before they move up to IL...

Anyway.

The tour is now 71.4 % complete with only two shows remaining!
San Antonio tonight and Dallas tomorrow. The purpose of this whole trip was to feel out the new material, try out some new keys and tempos, and generally get a handle on the songs that I'll be taking up to New York. With 28.5% to go, I've more than accomplished my purpose.

Usually after a show when somebody comes up to you with an opinion, its kind of like, ok, thanks, whatever man... at that point, after the record has come out, the songs are what they are and unsolicited advice is often more, err, unsolicited than instructive.

From the beginning I thought of this tour as a learning experience. I've approached each show as a chance to connect with an audience on a "were all in this together" level, seeking out the kindred hearts and gauging their reactions. I've been rewarded with great deal of excitement and a flood of surprisingly insightful feedback. Maybe I'm just listening better this time around, but regardless of the how or why, the what has confirmed some suspicions, challenged some assumptions, and has me crazy excited to get into the studio and get this thing moving.

So, thank you Texas.

See you tonight 210. Stay classy.

Russell

Phase 2/New Music Preview Tour

2010-04-29T09:48:00.011-04:00

In a few days I will be embarking on my new music preview tour. With me will be the short list of songs to be recorded this summer... when you come out to one of these shows you are likely to hear:

Won't Get To Sleep // Home Sweet Home // Morning //
Under The Weight // Speak My Mind // Time & Trouble //
Too Far // You, Me, & Someday // Safe to Say

I've played some of these songs out before, but usually one here, one there... this is going to be a glimpse into the set list of the future.

Texas is my home state and the crowds have always been kind, so its with the lone star state's help that I'm going to take stock of all the possibilities and narrow down this list to EP length ...and have a great time while I'm at it.

See you soon Texas!

- Russell

* get your hands on these songs and other exclusives - join the rhm mailing list *

Phase 1

2010-04-06T15:12:00.007-04:00

Between a productive week in NYC and several nights in the bathroom/studio here in Charlotte we have a hefty stack of demos assembled for the new record. One of the primary thrusts of this project is to strip away all the clutter and get down to the heart of these songs before building them back up. This is phase one... taking each of these songs down to progression, rhythm, melody and lyrics, shoring up all of these elements, ensuring that the foundation is sound. Too often I get sidetracked with handclaps, background vocals, and guitars six deep before I really arrive at the heart of the song. We're just making sure all those hearts are beating on their own...

more to come - stay tuned.

* get your hands on these demos and other exclusives - join the rhm mailing list *

* http://www.russellhowardmusic.com/list *

Introduction

2010-02-21T17:19:00.006-05:00

Lawson, everyone.
Everyone, Lawson.

Lawson and I are going to make some music together.

The shape, scope, and details of the project are still being determined, but here are the basics:

New songs to be recorded at Clinton Studios in NYC with Mr. Lawson White producing. Key words for the project include, but are not limited to: organic, acoustic, pop, jazz percussion, background vocals, matching shirts...

Between twitter, facebook, and russellhowardmusic.com, I've been struggling to find a niche for this blog, so here's the plan: as this new project unfolds I'll be posting video, pics, and other tidbits from the front lines of the creative process. There will be plenty to share with you all, so I hope you'll join me in my excitement!

More to come asap...

- Russell

The VA to the PA to the VA

2009-11-15T16:38:00.000-05:00

Dallas to Denver

2009-08-05T10:23:00.001-04:00

Time Travel

2009-05-29T13:45:00.002-04:00

As someone whose job it is to express myself, I spend a good amount of my time reliving past experiences. As someone who has big goals and many many things to accomplish, I spend a lot of time looking forward and making plans. This arrangement provides for very little time living in the here and now. For a long time that was reflected in my creative process - the moments/ emotions/ experiences that eventually become songs were always washed through months of internal processing before coming out as melodies and lyrics.

Recently, for some reason, I've been tackling the subjects that cut closest to the bone at that very moment. The writing of these songs is more spontaneous, unexpected, and satisfying than in the past - yet the results seem more thoughtful and well constructed. Maybe my skill set has simply improved to the point that I can musically accommodate lyrical ideas more quickly - the music can respond to where the words are going, instead of shaping words around music written at another time and place. Maybe I'm just more sure of where I stand and don't have to take as long to process. Then again, maybe I'm less sure. Perhaps embracing that desperate uncertainty - without measuring, rationalizing, or sanitizing - is what makes these songs so much more alive. Either way, I can not wait to get them down, recorded, and in your ears.

...there I go making plans again.

-Russell

New music is here!

2009-05-19T23:09:00.007-04:00

New music now on iTunes.

Its the original Too Soon/Too Late

PLUS

Take Your Time & Anna's Waltz.

(If you thought you had Anna's Waltz, guess again. This is a whole new vocal and a new mix of the track. Three words: Smooth like buttah)

Webiste preview

2009-04-18T00:02:00.007-04:00

So I've been working hard on the new website, and I'm getting very close! Here is the homepage for your approval... I'm excited to get this thing launched in the next couple of weeks.

(the song that reminds her of) Morning

2009-04-15T16:06:00.001-04:00

I'm going to do a little experiment here and start sharing some stuff I'm working on. To kick it off, this is a recently finished song 'o mine. In the future I would expect some lyric fragments, some chords, some basic ideas - we'll see what happens =)

(the song that reminds her of) Morning

Sunlight, falls across the bed
The floating dust catches, you lift up your head
and see, for the first time, with new eyes.

The morning deepens, you stretch out your hands
from tip-toe to head-board you are queen in this land
you wake, for the first time, to daylight.

If there's ever any question in your mind
close your eyes and find me lying by your side
listening to your heartbeat in the morning light we shared.

The daylight wanders, the afternoon draws near
but there's nothing worth discovering beyond the two of us here
we lie awake, for the first time, in one life.

If there's ever any question in your mind
close your eyes and find me lying by your side
just listen to my heartbeat in the morning light we shared.

And if there's ever anybody in your life
who makes it seem the morning is never quite as bright
just open up your heart darling, toss me out a line
I'll be there quick as lighting to get you through the night

And if there's ever any question in your mind
close your eyes and listen, I'm lying by your side
adding up the heartbeats in the morning light we shared.

(copyright 2009)

MN MN MN, delicious.

2009-04-12T20:51:00.005-04:00

Last week I was in Rochester MN for NACA northern plains.
(You guys rock!)
The hotel in Rochester was about three quarters of a mile from the convention center, but to get there you didn't have to set foot outside because of the skyway. I guess its one of those northern things...snow and all. Point is, I don't think I went outside for three days.
Punchline:
Never straying beyond the three quarters of a mile, I got coffee at a different starbucks each day I was there. Ridiculous.

1st of the new profiles...

2009-03-28T18:38:00.006-04:00

New page on facebook - czech in out & fan me... its hot in here.

The UPS man cometh.

2009-03-28T02:59:00.003-04:00

CDs are here!
Excitement to follow.

Yo Russell!

2009-03-27T16:26:00.004-04:00

So a couple weeks ago I got to hang in the studio with Police drummer Stewart Copeland. He was kind enough to sign an LP of Synchronicity that I found at Bob's Records on S. Lamar in Dallas.
Good times.

Just The Start

2009-03-24T11:31:00.000-04:00

Hey folks,

There has been so much going on getting ready for the big 2.0 upgrade. First there was recording. Then there was mixing. Then there was cover art making. Those were swiftly followed by mastering, uploading, manufacturing, photographing, and let us not forget HTMLing. I've also been busy creating new profiles all over the web - I'll post links and details once they're all ready to go.

Whew.

Today I just got hold of the photos we took a couple weeks ago. So good! I'm also getting pretty far on the website - I'll soon be ready to hand it over to an expert. I can make it look like I want, but I need to call in some help to make it do what I want. Well, back to work.

More soon,

Russell