The Wagtunes Corner

[wagtunes]

Yeah, I could. Somebody want to start a GoFundMe so I can pay for all that?

Ha ha, you won't do it even with GoFundMe cuz its been suggested in the past (even by me!) but it won't cost you anything to copy your best-of-best on usb and meet with IRL studios.
Take a risk.
At worst you will be ignored but at best a producer may have an idea
Otherwise, on your deathbed you will say, "Fukkin goddam shit, I should have listened to Michael L!"
Not!
Edit, I see your follow-up post. Great news! Do more of that!! You are so prolific, send out your songs like seeds to sprout. Publish the Wagtunes Songbook, etc.

Well, this group has about 4 or 5 albums lined up featuring a number of my songs so we'll see how that goes. While my contract as of right now isn't exclusive, they may want one in the future. I'll just have to wait and see.

[Michael L]

I'll just have to wait and see.

But you write in more than one genre...
Best wishes in whatever you do!

[wagtunes]

I'll just have to wait and see.

But you write in more than one genre...
Best wishes in whatever you do!

That is true. And this group performs in more than one genre. In fact, they are quite versatile, which might explain why they have such a big following.

[wagtunes]

Okay, going with my new process of only posting my best stuff, a little backstory on this album.

In January of this year, I completed an album called "The Facebook Chronicles Vol 1". Don't worry, there won't be a volume 2. It was an experiment to see if I could write music to the lyrics of others. So I went to a couple of Facebook songwriting groups and asked people to contribute lyrics. I got 10 and it was like pulling teeth to get those.

Most of them, honestly, were pretty bad. Very few of these people had any sense of the difference between lyrics and poetry. Verses with meters that were light years apart.

In short, the project was a train wreck.

But one song stood out. The title, while grammatically incorrect, really inspired me. Not only the best song of the album but I think one of the best things I've done.

So here it is, from "The Facebook Chronicles Vol 1", "It's Up To We"

Would really like to know what you think as it's the only song from this album that I'll be posting.

9th track from my upcoming CD "The Facebook Chronicles Vol 1"

Lyrics:

It's Up To We

I want to shoulder the world to spare the ones I love
I want to shoulder the burden but one alone is not enough
We all need to heed the message on the breeze
The state of the world is a shared responsibility
it's not up to you or me it's up to we

As the sun sets the moon starts its Rising
We must look at ourselves and forgive without despising
A war requires two sides to battle
Prattle on about who is right or wrong who is weak or strong
But we were all babies. The youth that shook a rattle.

It's not up to 1 2 or 3 it's up to we
Collectively United to be free
More complex then ABC not Elementary
We must open our eyes to see the forest and the trees
It's not up to 1 2 or 3 it's up to we.

We need to bring peace
We need to bring peace
Please see the beauty of forgiving release
We need love, we need heart
We need to see each other be "we"
collectively respectfully. we need to bring peace.

Repeat Chorus

Outro

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim/its-up-to-we

[Googly Smythe]

Re: It's Up To We
Well, I liked it. Some nice chord changes around the 1:50 mark (the middle 8?).
I can't make up my mind, though, whether or not you were deliberately emphasising the "ee" sounds/rhymes, which appear quite a lot.
Maybe the lower mids were a bit prominent? Probably my less-than-stellar monitors.


As an aside, amusing to see "Repeat chorus" auto-linked.

[wagtunes]

Re: It's Up To We
Well, I liked it. Some nice chord changes around the 1:50 mark (the middle 8?).
I can't make up my mind, though, whether or not you were deliberately emphasising the "ee" sounds/rhymes, which appear quite a lot.
Maybe the lower mids were a bit prominent? Probably my less-than-stellar monitors.


As an aside, amusing to see "Repeat chorus" auto-linked.

Thanks for the listen and the comments. Yes, I was purposely emphasizing the ee sound on this one. As for the mids, it's definitely your system. I am very careful about my mixes these days.

[wagtunes]

Well, this has been a long time coming (44 years to be exact)

I just got an email from the band I'm signed with. Our first album together was released yesterday. They sent me the track of mine that's on it and it's amazing how great one of my songs can sound when performed by people who can actually play and sing very well.

Unfortunately, I can't give any info on the group, the album, anything. The only thing I was told is that it is available through a subscription service limited to Europe and Asia. Even the band, who lives in the US, doesn't have a subscription. It's bizarre to say the least but it is what it is.

However, my life long dream, to have a song recorded and released professionally, has finally been realized. I honestly never thought it was going to happen, with good reason.

I don't expect the royalties to add up to much, but money was never the goal for me. It was all about some recognition. That's it.

If anybody wants to listen to MY version of the song (sung by one of the Vocaloids) I'm posting it below. I have posted it before but in case anybody missed it, here it is. Their version, however, is a hundred times better.

9th track from my upcoming CD "Six Guns And A Chaser" with my newest Vocaloid Avanna on lead vocals.

Lyrics:

Not My Jazz

So you talk to me with your pickup lines
What made you think I'd care
I've been hit on by guys slicker than you
So don't you even dare

All your bragging doesn't register boy
It just drives me away
When will you just get it through that thick head
Don't hear a word you say

Cause that scene isn't meant for me
Never will never has
So just turn around and walk out that door
Cause it's not my jazz

What I need's a guy whose patient and kind
One who will treat me right
Not somebody whose all full of himself
So just go say goodnight

Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... na-on-lead

[vurt]

that's great news
congrats

[vurt]

it's up to we.

that's some catchy pop!
not really much to criticize on this one, could imagine a band grooving on this, having fun on stage

[wagtunes]

that's great news
congrats

Yes, it is. Still can't believe it.

[wagtunes]

it's up to we.

that's some catchy pop!
not really much to criticize on this one, could imagine a band grooving on this, having fun on stage

Personally, one of my favorites. And I would have never written it had I not collaborated with a lyricist.

There's a lesson there somewhere.

[Erisian]

Well, this has been a long time coming (44 years to be exact)

I just got an email from the band I'm signed with. Our first album together was released yesterday. They sent me the track of mine that's on it and it's amazing how great one of my songs can sound when performed by people who can actually play and sing very well.

Unfortunately, I can't give any info on the group, the album, anything. The only thing I was told is that it is available through a subscription service limited to Europe and Asia. Even the band, who lives in the US, doesn't have a subscription. It's bizarre to say the least but it is what it is.

However, my life long dream, to have a song recorded and released professionally, has finally been realized. I honestly never thought it was going to happen, with good reason.

I don't expect the royalties to add up to much, but money was never the goal for me. It was all about some recognition. That's it.

If anybody wants to listen to MY version of the song (sung by one of the Vocaloids) I'm posting it below. I have posted it before but in case anybody missed it, here it is. Their version, however, is a hundred times better.

9th track from my upcoming CD "Six Guns And A Chaser" with my newest Vocaloid Avanna on lead vocals.

Lyrics:

Not My Jazz

So you talk to me with your pickup lines
What made you think I'd care
I've been hit on by guys slicker than you
So don't you even dare

All your bragging doesn't register boy
It just drives me away
When will you just get it through that thick head
Don't hear a word you say

Cause that scene isn't meant for me
Never will never has
So just turn around and walk out that door
Cause it's not my jazz

What I need's a guy whose patient and kind
One who will treat me right
Not somebody whose all full of himself
So just go say goodnight

Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... na-on-lead

That's fantastic news wagtunes.

[ssl4000]

I really like your 3 songs. "You can't dance", "Hold you like there's no tommorow" and "It's up to we". I find them very enjoyable to listen to, especially the second one. You excel at cheerful/positive/bright acoustic music, not so much on the darker side of it.
There is one thing holding back most of your good songs in my opinion, it's how you record/mix your vocal. It's so tinny sounding, sounds like it's highpassed way too high, it has almost no body plus the ocassional "clicks" from your mouth are not helping either
The ratio of good tracks to bad tracks on your sc is like 1:20 (sorry about that, being honest). I see you are now taking "less but higher quality" approach, that's good.

[wagtunes]

Well, this has been a long time coming (44 years to be exact)

I just got an email from the band I'm signed with. Our first album together was released yesterday. They sent me the track of mine that's on it and it's amazing how great one of my songs can sound when performed by people who can actually play and sing very well.

Unfortunately, I can't give any info on the group, the album, anything. The only thing I was told is that it is available through a subscription service limited to Europe and Asia. Even the band, who lives in the US, doesn't have a subscription. It's bizarre to say the least but it is what it is.

However, my life long dream, to have a song recorded and released professionally, has finally been realized. I honestly never thought it was going to happen, with good reason.

I don't expect the royalties to add up to much, but money was never the goal for me. It was all about some recognition. That's it.

If anybody wants to listen to MY version of the song (sung by one of the Vocaloids) I'm posting it below. I have posted it before but in case anybody missed it, here it is. Their version, however, is a hundred times better.

9th track from my upcoming CD "Six Guns And A Chaser" with my newest Vocaloid Avanna on lead vocals.

Lyrics:

Not My Jazz

So you talk to me with your pickup lines
What made you think I'd care
I've been hit on by guys slicker than you
So don't you even dare

All your bragging doesn't register boy
It just drives me away
When will you just get it through that thick head
Don't hear a word you say

Cause that scene isn't meant for me
Never will never has
So just turn around and walk out that door
Cause it's not my jazz

What I need's a guy whose patient and kind
One who will treat me right
Not somebody whose all full of himself
So just go say goodnight

Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... na-on-lead

That's fantastic news wagtunes.

Thanks. Yeah, it made my day.

[wagtunes]

I really like your 3 songs. "You can't dance", "Hold you like there's no tommorow" and "It's up to we". I find them very enjoyable to listen to, especially the second one. You excel at cheerful/positive/bright acoustic music, not so much on the darker side of it.
There is one thing holding back most of your good songs in my opinion, it's how you record/mix your vocal. It's so tinny sounding, sounds like it's highpassed way too high, it has almost no body plus the ocassional "clicks" from your mouth are not helping either
The ratio of good tracks to bad tracks on your sc is like 1:20 (sorry about that, being honest). I see you are now taking "less but higher quality" approach, that's good.

Thanks for the feedback. It is much appreciated. Trust me, I know all my shortcomings as a performer, producer and even as a writer.