Ukulately

Recently I spotted a ukulele on the shelves of Calgary's MCC thrift store for $10. After tightening the tuning pegs and throwing on some new strings, it turned into a half-decent instrument. Here's what I've done with it:

An original tune -

And a couple of Dylan covers -

Don't worry, I'm from the future.

I started writing this song after reading an article on CNET published April 1, 2010.

Self-Deprecating Fun

I've had this one half written for a year or two. Finally came up with a fourth verse recently and got around to recording it this morning.

Sound and Sight

A while back I wrote my girlfriend a song:

Why Don'tya by fingerpickingood

In response, she gave me a print of the following image for Christmas:

I thought this was most excellent.

Instrumentals

So, sometimes I write songs, plan them out and have them more or less composed before I start recording. Other times I just sit down in front of a microphone and start making noise. Then I grab another instrument and lay down another track, until I've got something I like listening to.

I don't remember the exact circumstances of any of these three instrumental pieces, but I'd wager a guess that they were recorded in winter, late at night or early in the morning, on a night when I couldn't or didn't want to sleep. Hash oil might have had something to do with it too.

Catnip by fingerpickingood

Insomniac rant by fingerpickingood

Peristalsis by fingerpickingood

Summer, Winter, Boom and Bust

So, over the past four years or so, since I first got a macbook, I've produced about 50 tracks with amateur equipment and software. A large percentage of these are terrible, and I don't intend to share these with you. However, some of them, I've decided I like. Here's a couple of those.

Alberta Leave the Lights On by fingerpickingood

This first track I wrote while working late in the day by myself on Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Summer of 2010. I was worried that the sun would set before I finished the pail of caulking I had just mixed. At the time the news was full of foreclosures and oil spills down down south, America way, and I couldn't help but think, "Damned if Alberta ain't a fine place to be."

Calgary Blues by fingerpickingood

This next track is fairly recent. My luck's been pretty good since moving to Calgary, but that ain't true for everyone. So sometimes you gotta write a hard-luck song. The odd sounding solo instrument you hear is the sound of me whistling run through a bitcrusher.

Hello, this is blog.

As you may or may not know, I am unemployed and more or less done with schoolwork for now. This is my winter to goof off. As you may or may not know, I have been writing and recording songs on my computer for several years and sharing them with practically no one. I'm launching this blog to share my adventures in music and in deliberately being unemployed. I got a busking ID last week. Went busking once on Stephen Ave. Made about $8. Maybe I go busking again, maybe I don't. I dunno; I do what I want.

Here's a busking set performed live in my living room:

Set list:

00:00 Just the Other Side of Nowhere - Kris Kristofferson

03:52 Jerry Can't - Dave Toews (Me)

08:02 Freight Train - Elizabeth Cotton

10:29 You're No Good - Bob Dylan

12:55 Why Don'tya? - Dave Toews

16:32 Love Minus Zero/No Limit - Bob Dylan

19:24 Sunday Morning Coming Down - Kris Kristofferson

Stay tuned, there's more music to come.