Songs
A long time ago — okay, not that long ago — I was a professional singer/songwriter, or more accurately, a professional starving artist. I now have a family and a vocation that I’m passionate about, but music remains a big part of who I am and who I want to be.
Here are some things from the vault, basically arranged in reverse chronological order. Clicking on the title of the song should automatically play it. Or, you can feel free to download any of these songs directly from this page by right-clicking on the title and choosing “Save Target As…” (or “Download Linked File”, depending on your browser).
Thanks for listening — I hope you enjoy it.
Freedom II
Posted 6/7/11. Well, it took nine months to get a second song posted here, but after a few months of one-and-off work I’m happy with this one. There’s nothing special about the title, other than there was an original “Freedom” idea that was not as good as this one, so it got shelved. A song about trying to figure your way out of the box. The mix sounds more open to my ears than what I posted last fall, so I’ll take that as progress.
Something Simple
Posted 9/17/10. Here’s the first non-child song I’ve written and recorded in, oh, years. I was bound and determined to finish something, and here it is — a short song about songwriting, relationships, and how the two may or may not be the same thing. The mix is shrill and the compression irritating, but you know what? It’s a start.
Tomato
My first recorded song in quite a while, featuring the vocal and writing talents of my six-year-old son Johnny. He knows what moves him! It’s all about raw feeling…
Lullaby #2
I recorded this song in 2005 for my niece Sierra. (The name comes from the fact that I am unoriginal. My first lullaby is included on brightest coldest blue, below.) I love the layering of the vocal parts on this one.
What You’ve Got
I wrote and performed this song at my sister’s wedding in 2001. It’s a harmless ditty that is in dire need of a good mastering job.
Each Brand New Blossom
I was commissioned to write this song for a small company on the occasion of their anniversary. I recorded it in 2000. This was my first real recording attempt with Logic, which was at version 4.7 at the time (it’s now at version 9!). Logic seemed incredibly rich and deep after the Roland VS-880 — actually, it still does. What a great program. The song, however … well, it has it’s moments. Again I say: Is there a mastering engineer in the house?
Sidewinder
I wrote “Sidewinder” in late 1998. I always liked its use of guitar, particularly after how piano-heavy my work on brightest coldest blue was.
brightest coldest blue (1998):
brightest coldest blue is a CD I released in 1998. I recorded it using a Roland MC-500 and the venerable VS-880. It seemed like high technology at the time! I’ve included every track from the CD. Want your own copy? I’d be happy to send you one. Let me know.
Lyrics for the songs are available here.
6: A Farewell to Seven Sisters
This was recorded live in 1996 for an early demo tape. I’ve always really liked this song. Simple, but sometimes simple is enough.
All music and lyrics © J.W. Shuck. All rights reserved.
