My friend Gary Flanagan, who supported this project with comments, advice and even some vocals, was kind enough to write a very glowing review of the cd that resulted from this whole project. For anyone coming here as a result of his review, I thought I should finish re-making the songs available.
And here they are, as a Soundcloud set: http://soundcloud.com/christianleblanc/sets/52-weeks-1/
See, garageband (where I had my songs hosted during the project) went under sometime in 2010, so I'm currently in the process of rehabilitating this site. Expect some updates soon(ish) that will include:
*working links on each song's page
*links to youtube video of the 52 cd release party
*a brief summary of said party
*images of the finished cd and its packaging
See you in a bit!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Electronic Show - February 20th
EDIT: Troy Chenier has been added to the bill! That's 6 acts for the price of - cat food, if you want!
The date is Saturday, February 20th. It's at Sunstar Lounge. It's an electronic music showcase. We'll say the show itself starts at 9, but the music starts at 10. And I'm more than excited to announce the following acts:
Dok Rogers - will be bringin' the noise with his first live appearance. I have yet to confirm if he will be bringing the shiznit as well, but chances of the shiznit being brought are very good.
Cryptowen - ambient electronic. This will be one of his first live appearances, as well. Kinda like ambient Aphex Twin, but without the microphone in the blender.
Troy Chenier - The weird guy. This man's music makes you feel smart, funky and dangerous.
Dan Chamberlain (the purple cool aid incident) - He says: "Experimental. Psychedelic. Electronic." I says: His microphone has spikes all over it. That really fits his music really well :)
Christian LeBlanc (I could link to my blog, but you're already here!) - I'll be performing somewhat mixed, mashed and expanded sets of some of the better songs I've recorded this year. I want to make you sad and whistful for like a second every so often, and then dance it off. That's the plan right now.
The Trick - Fredericton synth rock/pop that rewards you for 'listening local.' I don't even care how badly he'll outperform me, I'm that happy to be seeing him play again!
So there's your lineup, and I think you understand now why you have to attend. What do you need to get in? It's looking like you should either bring $5 with you, or, instead, just some pet food for us to pass on to the animals at the Saint John Animal Rescue League. U-decide!
Keep watching this space!
The date is Saturday, February 20th. It's at Sunstar Lounge. It's an electronic music showcase. We'll say the show itself starts at 9, but the music starts at 10. And I'm more than excited to announce the following acts:
Dok Rogers - will be bringin' the noise with his first live appearance. I have yet to confirm if he will be bringing the shiznit as well, but chances of the shiznit being brought are very good.
Cryptowen - ambient electronic. This will be one of his first live appearances, as well. Kinda like ambient Aphex Twin, but without the microphone in the blender.
Troy Chenier - The weird guy. This man's music makes you feel smart, funky and dangerous.
Dan Chamberlain (the purple cool aid incident) - He says: "Experimental. Psychedelic. Electronic." I says: His microphone has spikes all over it. That really fits his music really well :)
Christian LeBlanc (I could link to my blog, but you're already here!) - I'll be performing somewhat mixed, mashed and expanded sets of some of the better songs I've recorded this year. I want to make you sad and whistful for like a second every so often, and then dance it off. That's the plan right now.
The Trick - Fredericton synth rock/pop that rewards you for 'listening local.' I don't even care how badly he'll outperform me, I'm that happy to be seeing him play again!
So there's your lineup, and I think you understand now why you have to attend. What do you need to get in? It's looking like you should either bring $5 with you, or, instead, just some pet food for us to pass on to the animals at the Saint John Animal Rescue League. U-decide!
Keep watching this space!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Pre-orders
Red means reserved, green means available
Remember that cd's are only $5.20 (plus shipping if you're outside of Saint John, NB), and the entire $5.20 will be given to the Saint John Animal Rescue League.
Release date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The Next Step
As the project was drawing to a close and I had more and more songs to work with, I toyed with the idea of producing a cd and playing in a show to promote it. Then I chickened out. Then I thought about giving all proceeds (not just net profit) to a local charity. Then I chickened out again. Then I told the fine folks at the middle audio forums my plans; a little bit of encouragement goes a long way, and here we are!
Above, you can see that I'm showing off some preliminary album artwork by Lisa Freeze. Because I think it's awesome. Saturday, February 20th - 52 days from this, New Year's Eve 2009 - will mark the release of a cd with all 52 tracks on it. Here are some reasons to buy it, even if you've already heard every song on the site here:
- It will only cost you $5.20 - that's only 10 cents a song! (In today's downloady age, if you're willing to pay $1 for a song that you like, and there's 52 songs on this cd, the odds are in your favour of getting yourself a bargain!)
- the entire $5.20 of your money will be donated to the Saint John Animal Rescue League. Any supplies and materials to make the cd, come out of my own pocket.
- There will be a new track order, to capitalize on the strengths and weaknesses of certain songs (they'll still be named so that you can rearrange and play them in chronological order, if you're into that).
- a few tracks will be cleaned up (as much as I want to leave all my mistakes in, there are a few tracks that have static going through them that shouldn't; the only reason it's in there at all was because I didn't find the master faders in my software until late in the project...if it's such a quick and simple fix, I feel like I can get away with it).
- in addition to the hand-made packaging, your cd will be one in a limited run of only 52; I'll be displaying a checklist of numbers that have already been claimed by people. Email me in advance (chrisleblanc79 at gmail) if you'd like to claim one for February 20th! To help promote the cd and get the word out there (because I seriously don't want to be left with a pile of 40 or 50 cds burning a hole in my self-esteem!), Dan Chamberlain is helping me to set up a show at Sunstar Lounge, Saturday night, February 20th. I'll be providing more details as they become finalized, but it's shaping up to look like a solo electronic showcase, if that's something that interests you! And if it doesn't: c'mon out anyway. C'mon, it'll be fun!
Anyway: keep watching this space for more details as they become available. I also still plan on posting a few articles here about what I thought of the project, some thanks, and some spotlights on other people out there that have done the '52' thing before.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
52
52:52 by ChristianLeBlanc
I may have had better songs, but I've never had a 52nd song of the year before. So that has to count for something :)
As promised a few weeks ago, I tried getting drunk and doing this song all in one session. Didn't quite work out as planned; I did get slightly buzzed on absinthe one night, with the lights off and a full moon reflecting off the freshly-fallen snow on the trees outside. This produced the jangly guitar line and half the lyrics. I had some more absinthe and finished it off tonight, but I didn't really get drunk either night, so nothing all that weird.
Thanks, reflections, and a spotlight on other '52' artists to come, along with rumours of a cd and a show a little later! Stay tuned!
"This is my last song
So I don't want to get this wrong
You must know how I feel
By now
A fracture and a bond
I suspected all along
Nobody's wrong
But me
Can someone draw this picture
Of daylight on the trees
'cus this is what you mean to me
One last chance to say I love you
So let me get this right
You're the fire in my cold winter night
It's only my last song
This year"
I may have had better songs, but I've never had a 52nd song of the year before. So that has to count for something :)
As promised a few weeks ago, I tried getting drunk and doing this song all in one session. Didn't quite work out as planned; I did get slightly buzzed on absinthe one night, with the lights off and a full moon reflecting off the freshly-fallen snow on the trees outside. This produced the jangly guitar line and half the lyrics. I had some more absinthe and finished it off tonight, but I didn't really get drunk either night, so nothing all that weird.
Thanks, reflections, and a spotlight on other '52' artists to come, along with rumours of a cd and a show a little later! Stay tuned!
"This is my last song
So I don't want to get this wrong
You must know how I feel
By now
A fracture and a bond
I suspected all along
Nobody's wrong
But me
Can someone draw this picture
Of daylight on the trees
'cus this is what you mean to me
One last chance to say I love you
So let me get this right
You're the fire in my cold winter night
It's only my last song
This year"
Saturday, December 19, 2009
51
52:51 by ChristianLeBlanc
Here it is, part 3 of my little 'trifecta.' As you can see, all I did was mix elements of songs 49 and 50 together to make 51. The impetus for doing this was to give myself a little bit of a break near the holidays, but I think I ended up with one of my stronger-sounding tracks. I don't necessarily love the tune itself all that much, but I believe the song sounds a lot 'stronger' than previous efforts - that is, there's just a lot more going on, and in different places, which is what I'd like to be able to write more of.
So when I started writing 49, I also recorded some of the synth lines from 50, kind of working ahead on 51, but then I muted all the electronic tracks and just finished making a straight-ahead guitar tune for 49. For 50, I just muted the guitar tracks, and added more electronic parts to what I already had to make a new song. 51 took the original song I started working on for 49, and then added all the embellishments that I made coming up with 49 and 50. I may just have to try this technique again in the future :)
"That was a darker time, up until I met you
(Where did I go on a wind that won't blow)
Robotic response in kind, warmer than a virtue
(And it's starting to show, fly as high as a crow)
These simple words at night, helping you to pull through
(I'm not on my own, temperature flow)
Artificial as a satellite, no less of a world view
(Now it's starting to snow, barometer's low)
That was a darker time, up until I met you
(In those darker times)
Robotic response in kind, warmer than a virtue
(Your words felt so kind)
These simple words at night, helping you to pull through
(Helped me sleep at night)
Artificial as a satellite, no less of a world view
(In my old satellite)
Where did I go
Where did I go
Where did I go
Where did I go
Here it is, part 3 of my little 'trifecta.' As you can see, all I did was mix elements of songs 49 and 50 together to make 51. The impetus for doing this was to give myself a little bit of a break near the holidays, but I think I ended up with one of my stronger-sounding tracks. I don't necessarily love the tune itself all that much, but I believe the song sounds a lot 'stronger' than previous efforts - that is, there's just a lot more going on, and in different places, which is what I'd like to be able to write more of.
So when I started writing 49, I also recorded some of the synth lines from 50, kind of working ahead on 51, but then I muted all the electronic tracks and just finished making a straight-ahead guitar tune for 49. For 50, I just muted the guitar tracks, and added more electronic parts to what I already had to make a new song. 51 took the original song I started working on for 49, and then added all the embellishments that I made coming up with 49 and 50. I may just have to try this technique again in the future :)
"That was a darker time, up until I met you
(Where did I go on a wind that won't blow)
Robotic response in kind, warmer than a virtue
(And it's starting to show, fly as high as a crow)
These simple words at night, helping you to pull through
(I'm not on my own, temperature flow)
Artificial as a satellite, no less of a world view
(Now it's starting to snow, barometer's low)
That was a darker time, up until I met you
(In those darker times)
Robotic response in kind, warmer than a virtue
(Your words felt so kind)
These simple words at night, helping you to pull through
(Helped me sleep at night)
Artificial as a satellite, no less of a world view
(In my old satellite)
Where did I go
Where did I go
Where did I go
Where did I go
Saturday, December 12, 2009
50
52:50 by ChristianLeBlanc
Drums from the Triton, everything else from the Moog.
Part 2 of a 3-part cycle of songs (49-51).
"Where did I go
Temperature flow
Barometer's low
Now it's starting to snow
Fly as high as a crow
On a wind that won't blow
I'm not on my own
And it's starting to show
In those darker times
In my old satellite
Your words felt so kind
Helped me sleep at night"
Drums from the Triton, everything else from the Moog.
Part 2 of a 3-part cycle of songs (49-51).
"Where did I go
Temperature flow
Barometer's low
Now it's starting to snow
Fly as high as a crow
On a wind that won't blow
I'm not on my own
And it's starting to show
In those darker times
In my old satellite
Your words felt so kind
Helped me sleep at night"
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