Letter Seventeen: Recent Episodes
Letter Seventeen
I live on the Eastern continental divide. The picture to the right is of a sculpture in a local park showing two water flows intertwined with one flowing to the Atlantic Ocean and the other to the Gulf of Mexico. … Continue reading →
I met Kenneth “Sam” Broussard back in 2007 via a podcast he hosted with his brother Keith and his neighbor Doc. The show was rambling and profane and slurry as they faded late into the evening getting drunker and higher … Continue reading →
I was rather taken aback by the reaction to my demo of “Pacific Ocean”. I mean, I know people were being rather nice, but it felt good to have such positive feedback. I started off the RPM with a couple … Continue reading →
Tuesday was a slow day, but I continued to push on, adding bass to “Person” and “Tonight” while verifying that the new bass part I recorded for “Breathe” is a keeper. It’s good enough for RPM, for sure. I also … Continue reading →
Monday was the day my faith was restored. I made real progress and got back on track. I moved three songs forward, including two that were completely in the ditch for me and I’m feeling much better about everything now. … Continue reading →
I knew it was going to happen eventually. It always does each and every year, and usually mid-month. I hit the wall. I started working on guitars for “Hiding In Plain Sight”. It was the last on the list needing … Continue reading →
“What’s that sound, coming out of the hole in the wood? It’s the guitar.” – The Dead Milkmen Guitars. That’s what Saturday was all about: guitars. And, more importantly, a chance to break out the Fender Blues Jr. and mic … Continue reading →
Meg is one of the lovely ladies of Cornwall, living next door to Tess. When the two of them sing backing vocals for me they refer to themselves as Pepsi and Shirlie, referring back to the two ladies who sang … Continue reading →
So I wasn’t completely right when I said vocals were done. I did, in fact, go back and revisit “Tonight”. The dissonance I’d been hearing was incredibly obvious given a little time away and simply muting one small section solved … Continue reading →
guth críochnaithe is Gaelic for “vocals complete” and that’s mostly true. I wrapped up the last two songs late in the day. The one I’d been holding out on was “Hiding In Plain Sight” because it required the most aggressive … Continue reading →
I have to admit, I’m getting really tired of recording vocals. It’s all I’ve done for three straight days for about seven hours a day and it’s wearing me out. But I’m also getting better performances out of myself than … Continue reading →
The push to record vocals continued on Monday and what started as a day of underachievement may have ended in victory. I started off working on Tonight. It’s not a terribly complex song, but the vocals take a bit of … Continue reading →
The time has finally come for vocals. I have the house to myself, so it’s good both in terms of not being self conscious about singing and not being concerned about noise. I would normally be taking on vocals mid-month, … Continue reading →
Things are moving slowly, but I’m making progress. On Saturday I spent a little time trying to work up a bass part for Pacific Ocean but spent most of my time playing keys on Breathe. Breathe started out as part … Continue reading →
I spent some more time working on Tonight, stretching it way out by adding a much longer build and intro along with an extended outro. The song now clocks in at 5:30, meaning that between Tonight and Hiding In Plain … Continue reading →
Things felt a little off on Thursday. I eventually made my way into the studio, but despite a large to do list, I wasn’t particularly inspired to work on music. I was, however, interested in distracting myself with trying to … Continue reading →
My intent for day three was to plow through a few more songs and really establish a good base on a few pieces, but then I found myself alone in an empty house for a couple of hours with a … Continue reading →
I spent some time recording guitars and bass for a silly song called Stealing From Ed about stealing a chord progression from my buddy Ed. It’s a fast punk-like song. Maybe a little too fast. The tempo is 210bpm, making … Continue reading →
It’s February, so it’s time for another RPM Challenge. In the past I’ve blogged over at http://rpmchallenge.com, but since the site has migrated to a new platform the blogs no longer exist, so I will blog here instead. Day One … Continue reading →
Sometimes you just need to embrace your love of Foreigner. Featuring Matt Ferrara on backing vocals and Jarrett Osborne on drums.
Some people want to be larger than lifeBask in the glow of their name in lightsPaul Stanley’s had a fine career, but his dream’s not mineWe walked different paths, and for me that’s fine It’s different for meIt’s different you … Continue reading →
We are thrilled to announce the release of our newest album “A Preponderance Of Diggity” featuring ten new songs. Some sound familiar and others don’t. Featuring the usual cast of characters (Tim, Clarke, and Grant) along with Joe Purrenhage and … Continue reading →
We return from a lengthy hiatus with a Halloween song. It’s our cover of the Buck Owens classic “Monster’s Holiday”!
The final song from “How The Story Goes” is a quiet little ukelele song. People seem to like it.
Tim’s favorite song on the album is also the longest. Learn about the emotional connection he has to this one and how this really is a love song.
It’s a surf song about monkeys. They throw poo. How could you not want to know that story?
When funk and disco meet loud guitars, can Tim hold the song together, or will he make it too hard for the others to play along? Learn more by listening!
Someone once described this song as the theme song to a TV show that has never been aired. Learn how it was written by a whole host of friends.
We’re back after a lengthy break with the story of the title song from the 2013 album “How The Story Goes”.
Our latest endeavor is a cover of the Debbie Gibson song “Only In My Dreams”. (mp3 download link).
Our latest single is part of the Angie Fights Crime project XCHANGE. AFC wrote 12 songs for 12 of us, and we each wrote a song for him. He recorded our 12 songs and we each recorded one of his … Continue reading →
A good old-fashioned drinkin' song, featuring a fiddle! Is it country, cajun, or zydeco?
OCD, The Partridge Family, and the theory that the human brain can only pay attention to three things at once.
Writers block, guest musicians, and COWBELL! Check out the latest Letter Seventeen podcast and learn all about the song "My Mind Is Blank".
We are thrilled to announce the official release of our 2013 RPM album “How The Story Goes”. The album is available for purchase on iTunes, the Amazon MP3 store, and CDBaby, or you can choose your own price (including free!) at the Letter Seventeen … Continue reading →
Picking up on an internet theme three months late and failing to capitalize in it. At least Tim got to use his new microphone.
Psychedelia, sitars, and guitar solos. Learn all about the final track from King Richard.
We’re nothing if not timely, so here’s a new song taking advantage of the whole “McKayla’s Not Impressed” meme. Two months after everyone else has forgotten about it. sigh Regardless, it was a fun song and provided a nice warm-up … Continue reading →
What happens when you mix an Einstein biography with a new wave dance song? Listen and find out!
Here's a new collaboration between MCOBigBen and Letter Seventeen. Ben wrote the original song. Tim chopped it up, adding guitars and vocals, and then Grant added drums. Tim handled the production duties. Enjoy!
I've been meaning to cover my friend Gary Fox's song "Caged" for a good while now. Featuring Grant on drums and Brian "Bogstomp" Martin on tambourine.
Every year I get this song stuck in my head. This year I decided to do something about it and recorded a cover or the X/Dave Alvin song “4th Of July”. I went from learning the song to posting the … Continue reading →
Learn about one of the most personal songs Tim has ever written, and find out who King Richard really is.
Learn about track #1 from King Richard. "So Social" isn't about you. It's about someone else. No… really.
We are thrilled to announce the official release of our 2012 RPM album “King Richard”. The album is available for purchase on iTunes and CDBaby, or you can download it for free at the Letter Seventeen Bandcamp site. Use whichever link you … Continue reading →
The final two tracks from “backstage stories, plus a cover version of “Day To Day” by Keith Landry. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Track nine from “backstage stories is the story of gunfire in the streets. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Track eight from “backstage stories is the tale of Doc’s house flood. There is also a video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXwsW4osePo http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
I started out the day trying to work on a Christmas song, and when that didn’t work out, I recorded a song I’ve had stuck in my head for a long time. It’s a cover of a cover. I’ve re-interpreted … Continue reading →
It’s a blast from the past with a song from 2008; a cover of the Sha-Pink soon-to-be classic “Bobby Brady Pants”! http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Learn about the interlude and jail song from “backstage stories”. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
I’m thrilled to announce the official release of the song “Release Your Passenger”. The song was written by Brent Kinder of Angie Fights Crime as part of a concept record called “Sunny, sorta…“, based on the book “The Talisman” by … Continue reading →
Doc’s favorite news story is about a man who funded his own birthday parties long after he died. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
The story of track 4 from “backstage stories”. It’s all about Doc’s, um, theatrical debut. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Tim tells the story behind the first-ever Letter Seventeen recording. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Some stories are too good to keep to yourself. Learn why it may not have been the best idea to encourage the kids to sing along to “Donkey Jockey”. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Song #2 from “backstage stories” is called “Action Figure”. Learn about Wonder Woman vocals, chilling guitar solos, and The Six Million Dollar Man. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Letters 17 and 14 begin discussing the 2010 RPM concept album “backstage stories” with talk about the opening track, “Carnival”. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
The closing track of “Snowbound”. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
The (mostly) true story of a boy, a donkey, and a college graduation. Oh. And hand claps. Lots of hand claps. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
A cover of “Like This” by The Missed Connections. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Tim writes a love song. About bees. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Evil emailing robots. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
A story of a car crash. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Tim teams up with the amazing Sha-Pink to record their song "Four Step Program". Hear the Sha-Pink version as well as Tim's demo. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Tim teams up with Keith Landry to write a very strange spy theme. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Tim writes a very angry song, then gets other people to play on it so he can take credit for their talents. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
Tim channeled his inner Peter Murphy to sing on the MOSAIK USA song “Psycho House Plants”. It’s great fun and the song has even garnered some radio airplay! A big thank you to Dawna and the guys at MOSAIK USA … Continue reading →
A discussion of track three from Snowbound. The song “Chester Arthur” is about the forgotten 21st president of the United States. http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
A sidetrack from a discussion of tunes on Snowbound. This episode features Keith Landry talking about Tim playing mandolin on his song "The Ghost Of John Muir". You can check out Keith's music at http://alonetone.com/keithlandryacoustic http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
A discussion of track two from Snowbound – "Gas Can". Is it a tribute or a rip-off? http://letterseventeen.com http://www.facebook.com/letterseventeen
An introduction to Letter Seventeen Thanks to Sha-Pink and a shameless plug for For Whatever Reason Night Terrors: drums by Grant Muller, guitar by Pedro Pereira Become a fan of Letter Seventeen on Facebook Leave comments at Alonetone Download the … Continue reading →
One of my favorite RPM artists is Amelia of The Missed Connections. She writes delicate little acoustic songs that are really quite lovely. I covered her song “Oh Florida” last year and it ended up being quite popular on Alonetone. … Continue reading →
I’m happy to announce the release of the latest Letter Seventeen album, “Snowbound”. The album was recorded and produced as part of the 2011 RPM Challenge. It was largely written in December 2010, except for “Head On”, which was written in … Continue reading →
My song “Chester Arthur” from the upcoming album “Snowbound” is featured in an article about presidential songs on MotherJones.com. Check out Chester at position number 21. The new album is once again a product of the RPM Challenge (record and … Continue reading →
I have a new toy – an Akai LPK 25 keyboard. It was a birthday present. I decided to see how well it worked by embracing all that was cheesy and eighties in my soul and I quickly threw together … Continue reading →
I wanted to see how my Taylor acoustic would record, so I quickly threw this cover together.
I’m thrilled to announce another cover of a song from Backstage Stories. This time it’s lead guitarist extraordinaire Andy Samford offering up his take on “Riding With The Captain”. Andy did a great job, offering up a slightly freaky and … Continue reading →
Another Sunday cover, this time putting an acoustic spin on one of my favorite tunes from RPM2010 – Communist Party by the great Sha-Pink. This song marks the first time I’ve ever used live percussion. Enjoy! Oh, and expect an … Continue reading →
Another Sunday, another RPM cover. This time I took on “Oh, Florida” by The Missed Connections. I took the song in a decidely darker direction than Amelia originally did and I’m still unsure whether I did the song justice. Still, … Continue reading →
I took advantage of a rainy Sunday to record a cover of one of my favorite songs from RPM2010 – Party! by Gumbo. Check out his songs at Alonetone.
The very talented (and my new friend) Keith Landry has covered my song “Day To Day”. He did a great job. I think I like his version more than mine. Go check it out and then visit Keith’s Alonetone site … Continue reading →
I’m proud to announce that I have successfully completed the 2010 RPM Challenge. I wrote and recorded the album “backstage stories” all during the month of February. It’s a fun and quirky collection of indie pop and it’s a concept … Continue reading →
In my entire life I’ve written maybe four or five songs. Six, tops. Yet here I sit, part-way through the third day of the RPM challenge and I have four pieces of music uploaded to my player with two complete … Continue reading →
Last month I produced my first interpretation of the 2 Guys, 1 Brain theme. It was a fun bit of playing with electronic music. This time through, I’ve decided to go for something simple. It’s a cello, a piano, and … Continue reading →
For those of you who haven’t seen my discussions of the RPM Challenge on the Letter Seventeen Facebook Fan Page, I’m participating in the 2010 RPM Challenge. I’m trying to write and record 10 songs or 35 minutes of music … Continue reading →
As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of the 2 Guys, 1 Brain podcast. Their theme song is a catchy little tune called “Bongo Booty” by Vincent Van Go-Go. So there I was, poking around in Logic, checking … Continue reading →