I've taken a break to move from Portland Oregon to St. Pete Beach Florida. I've been remodeling a condo and we're moving in 1st of July.
Five new songs on the way , so stay tuned!
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I have learned a lot about music while preparing for our upcoming Tito gigs. Most of the original music was recorded in layers, one track at a time. Creating music this way allows for a lot of flexibility, but working with professional musicians to play your music live, requires you to write your ideas in a format that everyone understands.
Being a drummer I have always memorized my parts without written musical notation, but that doesn't fly when working with musicians playing in different key signatures, etc.
I am putting this thought down because I am currently writing charts for the Tito players. It's a slow process but wow, I am learning so much about the language of music. I'm using Finale, a music writing software that is truely amazing.
So, back to the computer!
Spence
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Playing live is no easy task, but we are currently rehearsing for a couple of upcoming gigs. Eight great players are assembled and learning Tuto tunes, a new Bose PA system is in place and I hope this is just the first of many public performances to come. For me it has been kind of scary making the transition from the drummer to the singer, the front man, but I think it's helping me become a better musician.
School is out in a week and I'm looking forward to getting back to writing and recording. I'm working on a new song called "Jamaica Waits" so stay tuned.
My most pressing project is to edit down video footage of a group of 1960's rock and roll musicians talking about how the music industry has changed over the past 40 years. We shot the footage back in December 2010. Can't wait! Spence
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Whisper is finally up on the web, I hope you like it. Thanks to Rob Bonenfant for his beautiful flute work.
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Whisper is almost ready for posting. Rob Bonenfant will be laying down a flute track this week and I have some more vocal accompaniment to add, but it's close.
I am working on another new tuned called Amanda Lynn's Lullaby. It's a song about a serial killer who is beautiful, and her advances are impossible to ignore. If she sings you her lullaby you will surely die! The name is a play on the musical instrument Mandolin and I need to find a player for the recording or no one will ever here this one. Ciao, Spence
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I just finished rerecording the vocals on "Girl's Night at the Rouge", a tune inspired by my son's comment that he was going on a "trim hunt" (a reference from the film "48 Hours"). It got me thinking - when has not having two nickles to rub together stopped a young guy from having high expectation of meeting "miss right" in a bar? After all he's got the look, a good attitude, his buddies for support, and a rag top Corvair. What could go wrong?
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When I wrote this song back in June of 2009 I didn't know that summer would never come to Portland in 2010. After recording it I thought it was a pretty good tune but sleepy as Simon Cowell would say. After thinking about speeding it up I realized that was the feel I wanted. Kind of like waking from a deep dreamy sleep. I rerecorded it this week and added piano, bass and more vocals with a Leslie effect. I hope you enjoy it. Stay awake! Spence
Reply
It's been a while since we have recorded a new song but here is the latest called "New Caledonia". Although it is an instrumental it will hopefully evoke thoughts of sailing the trade winds of the South Pacific, crystal clear water, coral reefs, beautiful people and French cuisine. Rob Bonenfant is on alto sax and I'm playing all the other instruments.
We are also working on a Brazilian flavored tune called "Whisper" a song inspired by a documentary I saw about Brazilian music. In it, a comment was made that Bossa Nova revived American jazz in the early 60's and that it was the whisper heard round the world. I will never forget when the first Getz Gilbert album was released, I played it over and over like Beatles album, I was hooked and I still am.
Thanks for listening
Spencer
Reply
Greetings,
I couldn't of had a better Christmas present than Matt Touzet and Leon Cotter showing up at my recording studio to lay down a horn track to my new tune "Girls Night At The Rouge". These cats can play. They came up with the arrangement on the spot and laid it down in about 15 minutes. I also want to thank Sam Fisher for his Bass track.
On that same session we recorded two jazz classics, A Night in Tunisia and Stolen Moments. We were joined by piano player Vahagn Khachaturian, and flutist, David Griffith. It was a day I will remember for a long time. Leon and Matt both in their twenties really inspired me to become a better musician. It's so great to talk to young cats about jazz musicians and tunes from the 50's and 60's, because they know and love the same music I do. And not only do they know it, they can play it.
Merry Christmas everyone
Spence
Reply
Spencer & Friends / Blog
Back in the studio
I've taken a break to move from Portland Oregon to St. Pete Beach Florida. I've been remodeling a condo and we're moving in 1st of July. Five new songs on the way , so stay tuned!
Reply
Playing Live
I have learned a lot about music while preparing for our upcoming Tito gigs. Most of the original music was recorded in layers, one track at a time. Creating music this way allows for a lot of flexibility, but working with professional musicians to play your music live, requires you to write your ideas in a format that everyone understands.
Being a drummer I have always memorized my parts without written musical notation, but that doesn't fly when working with musicians playing in different key signatures, etc. I am putting this thought down because I am currently writing charts for the Tito players. It's a slow process but wow, I am learning so much about the language of music. I'm using Finale, a music writing software that is truely amazing.
So, back to the computer! Spence
Reply
Playing Live
Playing live is no easy task, but we are currently rehearsing for a couple of upcoming gigs. Eight great players are assembled and learning Tuto tunes, a new Bose PA system is in place and I hope this is just the first of many public performances to come. For me it has been kind of scary making the transition from the drummer to the singer, the front man, but I think it's helping me become a better musician. School is out in a week and I'm looking forward to getting back to writing and recording. I'm working on a new song called "Jamaica Waits" so stay tuned. My most pressing project is to edit down video footage of a group of 1960's rock and roll musicians talking about how the music industry has changed over the past 40 years. We shot the footage back in December 2010. Can't wait! Spence
Reply
Whisper
Whisper is finally up on the web, I hope you like it. Thanks to Rob Bonenfant for his beautiful flute work.
Reply
Whisper
Whisper is almost ready for posting. Rob Bonenfant will be laying down a flute track this week and I have some more vocal accompaniment to add, but it's close.
I am working on another new tuned called Amanda Lynn's Lullaby. It's a song about a serial killer who is beautiful, and her advances are impossible to ignore. If she sings you her lullaby you will surely die! The name is a play on the musical instrument Mandolin and I need to find a player for the recording or no one will ever here this one. Ciao, Spence
Reply
Girl's Night at the Rouge
I just finished rerecording the vocals on "Girl's Night at the Rouge", a tune inspired by my son's comment that he was going on a "trim hunt" (a reference from the film "48 Hours"). It got me thinking - when has not having two nickles to rub together stopped a young guy from having high expectation of meeting "miss right" in a bar? After all he's got the look, a good attitude, his buddies for support, and a rag top Corvair. What could go wrong?
Reply
Summer Never Came
When I wrote this song back in June of 2009 I didn't know that summer would never come to Portland in 2010. After recording it I thought it was a pretty good tune but sleepy as Simon Cowell would say. After thinking about speeding it up I realized that was the feel I wanted. Kind of like waking from a deep dreamy sleep. I rerecorded it this week and added piano, bass and more vocals with a Leslie effect. I hope you enjoy it. Stay awake! Spence
Reply
New Caledonia
It's been a while since we have recorded a new song but here is the latest called "New Caledonia". Although it is an instrumental it will hopefully evoke thoughts of sailing the trade winds of the South Pacific, crystal clear water, coral reefs, beautiful people and French cuisine. Rob Bonenfant is on alto sax and I'm playing all the other instruments.
We are also working on a Brazilian flavored tune called "Whisper" a song inspired by a documentary I saw about Brazilian music. In it, a comment was made that Bossa Nova revived American jazz in the early 60's and that it was the whisper heard round the world. I will never forget when the first Getz Gilbert album was released, I played it over and over like Beatles album, I was hooked and I still am.
Thanks for listening
Spencer
Reply
Girl's Night At The Rouge
Greetings, I couldn't of had a better Christmas present than Matt Touzet and Leon Cotter showing up at my recording studio to lay down a horn track to my new tune "Girls Night At The Rouge". These cats can play. They came up with the arrangement on the spot and laid it down in about 15 minutes. I also want to thank Sam Fisher for his Bass track.
On that same session we recorded two jazz classics, A Night in Tunisia and Stolen Moments. We were joined by piano player Vahagn Khachaturian, and flutist, David Griffith. It was a day I will remember for a long time. Leon and Matt both in their twenties really inspired me to become a better musician. It's so great to talk to young cats about jazz musicians and tunes from the 50's and 60's, because they know and love the same music I do. And not only do they know it, they can play it.
Merry Christmas everyone Spence
Reply