Writing For The Voice – Doug’s thoughts on “Gonna Get It Right”

Posted by mbgband on October 6, 2011

Following the “Download of the Month” release, members of MBG will share their thoughts about that song in subsequent blog posts. We hope it’ll give you a greater appreciation for the tune and all that went into writing and recording it. Enjoy!

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When I first became peripherally involved with the Bad Guys, there were several things that attracted me to the band. In addition to being an easy-going group of friends that not only played, but harmonized, well together, they were anchored, in my opinion, by Les Slate’s voice. Although at the time, the band was playing a lot of Jack Johnson songs (an artist that, though I’ve come to appreciate, was hardly on my “top ten” list), I heard a different kind of depth to Les’ voice, a kind of measured sorrow that really resonated with me. It’s the smoky kind of sound for which I feel I’ve been writing songs for years. Unfortunately, my voice doesn’t have any of that quality! From the day we first started playing music together, I wanted to write songs for Les to sing. “Gonna Get It Right” was the first of those songs, and the result is everything I was hoping for.

Most of the songs we’re working on right now are collaborations among different combinations of band members, and I love the thought of all the possibilities that that might bring about, but this is one that I contributed that I wrote on my own. “Gonna Get It Right” is a sad sack’s song, sung from the point of view of the perennial loser that just never can seem to make the right decisions. I wanted to strike the same kind of tone that Tom Petty has been able to strike in a number of songs: a careful balance between that of someone that you can sympathize with, but only so far. You know that he’s probably going to screw it up, that things probably aren’t going to go so right for this fellow. There’s the possibility of some kind of redemption, and if you want to dwell on that, well, I’d be happy if it brought you a little hope. But the end of the story is far from unwritten. Maybe this guy will turn up in another song again soon and we’ll learn more.

Musically, it’s a pretty straight-ahead affair – simple American roots-rock. As with a couple of the songs we’ve been working on, they’ve gotten a little beefier in the studio, as we’ve built up the guitars and harmonies. Jerry’s harp strikes that high, lonesome, “Nebraska”/”Unknown Legend” sound. Steve and I layered acoustics, and I chose my Strat for the main rhythm guitar, which is a bit of an unusual choice for me – I’ve always had an uneasy relationship with Strats for some reason. In any case, somehow that single-coil sound keeps it on the honest side for me; it keeps it from getting too beefy, too “rawk,” at least until the heavier Les Paul overdubs come in on the bridge and the solo. Steve lays down lots of tasty Benmont Tench piano licks and organ pads from my Hammond M3. Drums and bass were pretty much straight in, one or two takes.

I couldn’t be happier with the way this one turned out, and I hope you enjoy it as well!

Doug

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TO DOWNLOAD OCTOBER’S SONG “GONNA GET IT RIGHT,” CLICK HERE

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“Gonna Get It Right” – now available for download!

Posted by mbgband on October 1, 2011

Thanks for all the downloads and listens from our first tune, “I Will” (and it’s not to late to download it, just click HERE).

But TODAY, October 1st, we’re happy to share with you our second song, “Gonna Get It Right.” All you need to do is click on the pic below (or HERE):

As with “I Will,” you can stream the song by clicking on the play button. Assuming you’ll then want to immediately download it as your own, simply click the “Buy Now” link to start the download process. You get to name your own price – and if you’re one of the first 200 to download the tune, you can get it for free! How cool is that?!

In your rush to enjoy the MBG goodness, don’t forget to click the Facebook “LIKE” button under the album cover art and tweet it as well. We greatly appreciate any help getting the word out about the new tune. And please feel free to head over to our Facebook page and leave a comment there letting us know what you think.

Thanks for checking it out

Les, Jerry, Doug and Steve

Announcing our second Download of the Month – “Gonna Get It Right”

Posted by mbgband on September 27, 2011

Thanks for all the fantastic response to “I Will” – which you can still name your own price and download right HERE.

While the response has been great, and we certainly appreciate the love, time moves on – and friends, it’s nearly time for another song! So mark it down: this Saturday, October 1st, we’ll release our second song titled, “Gonna Get It Right.” Same deal as the first – name your own price to download as your very own. We’ll post the link to our website – so make sure you subscribe to our email list to be the very first to hear about it. You can subscribe at the far right of the home page.

And while you’re at it, feel free to:

Fan our Facebook page
Follow us on Twitter
Get a friend to sign up for our email list at the website, www.mediocrebadguys.com. They’ll thank you later.

Thanks again for all your support!

The Guys

Recording and producing “I Will” – from Doug

Posted by mbgband on September 23, 2011

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I wasn’t around for the initial writing and jamming sessions for this song. I suspect that at last one Bad Guy envisioned this as something of a Jack Johnson-type groove, and though I have no problems with that, I could hear a little more color to it. Oddly enough, given some of my “day jobs,” I don’t usually work a lot of 80’s-ish influences into my original material and studio work these days, but I heard touches of Squeeze and even Madness in this song, along with some blue-eyed soul possibilities. So I encouraged Steve to stick with a Vox Continental rather than his more typical Hammond-type sounds on the organ, for a little of that 80’s retro-60’s feel (are we starting to get a little “meta” at this point?), and I worked on angular guitar parts that were intended to be a little bit Steve Cropper, a little bit, well … in truth, there’s a bit that’s fairly well nicked from “Der Kommissar,” if I’m not mistaken. I put together a horn arrangement that definitely tipped it over into soulful territory, and to my surprise, the band went for it.

From a technical point of view, this was an easy session. We tracked the rhythm section live (two or three takes, tops, I believe), and overdubbed everyone’s parts pretty much as played live. I added a second guitar track for the solo, so I could keep the chicken-picking part going underneath; Jerry overdubbed a harp for the outro; I overdubbed a bunch of hand percussion. Steve added his tight harmonies and Jerry suggested that I beef up the vocal tags leading into the instrumental break with 3-part harmonies surrounding Les’ lead. And then, of course, we brought in Kirk Vernon and Jim Welch to do their magic with the horn arrangement.

We’re just finding our feet as an original band, but the material we’ve written so far tends at least a bit towards the more rootsy folk-rock styles that we favor in our cover set. “I Will” definitely stands out to me as something a little bit different. Only time will tell if it turns out to be indicative of our new sound or only a fun aberration, but it certainly was the obvious choice to debut with – fun, day-glo, catchy.

Doug

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TO DOWNLOAD SEPTEMBER’S SONG “I WILL,” CLICK HERE

TO SIGN UP FOR MBG’S EMAIL LIST, GO TO: www.mediocrebadguys.com

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“I Will:” Proving a jam can actually lead somewhere – from Les

Posted by mbgband on September 18, 2011

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What started out as a typical Monday night MBG practice ended up being my first “real” attempt at songwriting. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve always dabbled in it. Sometimes with my guitar in hand, but most of the time just words with a funny melody to transmit the message. My daughters will attest to the fact that I make up songs all the time – typically something goofy and intended to poke fun or embellish a moment in time. I’ve always done it. I recall that my brother did it too. I believe it runs in the family. Honestly, my dog Tate has countless tunes written about him. So it wasn’t too farfetched to think I could write a “real” song. That takes me to the story behind the first MBG original release “I Will”.

There comes a time at almost every MBG practice when we have a few minutes to jam. You know – make up something on the fly without any forethought. Ours typically occur when someone takes a bathroom break or grabs a beverage from the refrigerator. This is our chance to break into impromptu collaboration. It only lasts a few minutes, there are no rules and there isn’t time for lyrics to be added. It’s just a good way to relax without putting down the instruments. If you miss a chord, play the wrong fill or tweak the tempo up and down, no one cares.

However, on the night “I Will” took flight, a couple of the guys were unable to make practice. Determined to stay on our weekly practice schedule, Jerry, Steve and I met at the warehouse (a.k.a. the Bat Cave) and worked on a few tunes we sometimes play as a three piece. Honestly, we were jamming more than practicing. I remember Steve kicking off an upbeat progression on the acoustic guitar, and Jerry and I followed along with the rhythm section. It sounded pretty good to me, so I started adlibbing lyrics. Honestly, the crux of the lyrics, and most of the song itself, was written on the spot that night. We played it couple of times and then recorded our rough take on Steve’s iPhone. You can check out the first super rough take from Jerry’s blog last week.

So, we had it – the foundation of our first original MBG release. Gary and Doug were not at practice that fateful night to add their personalities to the first take, but they helped by contributing to the final polished version and development of a bridge that fit nicely with the foundation. If you haven’t already, I hope you will download the final version and check out what resulted from the original iPhone version. Admittedly, Doug Davis is a master at recording. He, along with Jerry and Steve, are both great at critiquing arrangements and adding subtle nuance to any song. Doug came up with the idea to add the horn parts and called in a couple of friends of MBG to give it the added punch that really fit well with the vibe. Jerry, Steve and Doug all have a true gift for writing and recording music and, as a guy who loves to play drums, sing and write songs, they are great guys to know and partner with in MBG.

So, that’s it. Nothing too complicated and no long hours critiquing the arrangements. Yes, it took a while from start to finish to release the finished product but not because we belabored the tune. Everyone has multi projects at any given time, and there was no need to rush it. It happened the way originals should come together. Seemingly effortless. Now on to the next one (or 20), and I’m sure there will be a story behind each one worth sharing. Thanks for supporting MBG!

Les

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TO DOWNLOAD SEPTEMBER’S SONG “I WILL,” CLICK HERE

TO SIGN UP FOR MBG’S EMAIL LIST, GO TO: www.mediocrebadguys.com

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The Revelation of “I Will” – from Jerry

Posted by mbgband on September 14, 2011

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I found in my iTunes library a song named “9/14/09 MBG Rehearsal Wilco-esque.” Check it out:

(click HERE if mp3 player doesn’t show)

It sounds remarkably like our first single, “I Will.” You’ll notice a few differences between that & the final product, though.

No keyboards.
No electric guitar. It does have acoustic guitar, though, which is nowhere to be heard on the”real” version.
No Doug (or Gary, who was still in the band, I believe).
No bridge.
The bass guitar plays the descending line (clunky!) that ended up going to guitar (oh so smooth).
Obviously the lyrics are still getting worked out.
It’s not that good.

I’m not sure if this was the writing session or just the first time we recorded it. You’ll notice two things about the “name” of the song:

We were listening to a lot of Wilco and thought maybe we were heading down that path.
The practice &/or writing took place exactly two years ago.

What can we learn from this silly little blog post?

Try to see the potential in all of your musical ideas. “I Will” blossomed nicely, yes?
If one or more of your band members can’t make rehearsal, show up anyway and work on new music.
Always make sure the tape is rolling.
Put lots of work into your music, but don’t wait two years to release your debut single.

Jerry

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TO DOWNLOAD SEPTEMBER’S SONG “I WILL,” CLICK HERE

TO SIGN UP FOR MBG’S EMAIL LIST, GO TO: www.mediocrebadguys.com

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MBG at NOMA

Posted by mbgband on September 8, 2011

Hello, fine people. We hope this Thursday is treating you well. Let us play a part in making your Friday tomorrow a great one!

We’ll be playing at NOMA Urban Bar in downtown Winston-Salem tomorrow night – Friday, September 9th, at 10pm. It’s a cool little place on 4th St. that we’ve come to love. Great food and beverage, great atmosphere, and if we have anything to do with it, great music too.

Hope to see you there!

The Bad Guys

The genesis of “I Will” – from Steve

Posted by mbgband on September 5, 2011

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We’d been a cover band for so long that I wasn’t sure if we even wanted to do the original thing. That’s the issue with bands that make their name in the cover genre, especially one like ours so rooted in the music of Mr. Jack Johnson. The thing was, all of us were either proven songwriters in our own right or budding ones. It seemed kind of silly not to crack that particular door and see where it took us.

“I Will” was our first attempt at songwriting as a band. I remember the practice at the Bat Cave, as it’s affectionately called. Gary was still in MBG but wasn’t there that night; and as I recall Doug had just come on board but wasn’t there either. It was Les, Jerry, and myself; and we were determined that night to come up with something. As happens when we’re a trio, I defaulted to the acoustic guitar. I started playing a simple G – Em – C – D riff; which as any musician knows could be any of ten thousand songs. Jerry suggested modifying the Em chord to distinguish it a bit. Lee came up with a nifty drum lick and starred vamping vocals as if he knew it already. We slid naturally into the C- Am – Em breakdown, and then put a little bit of thought into the middle eight. I think I was the one who suggested going to the Bb – Dm progression, which I don’t think I would’ve normally done. That’s the awesome thing about being in the presence of great songwriters and musicians – they help you raise your game in ways you couldn’t have done on your own.

When Gary and Doug came back into the fold, I slid over to the keys. “Evoke Bruce Springsteen,” Les told me. Thus the high padded eighth note chords. It was interesting singing harmonies with Les on this tune because he was always working on the lyrics. In fact, I’m pretty sure he wrote most of the second verse in the studio when he was actually recording the song! I remember in practices, Jerry and Doug huddling for a few minutes on bass and guitar to sync up some of the wonderful little runs in the song. Add to that the incredible horn parts Doug wrote and we came up with a neat little tune, I think. If nothing else, it certainly laid the foundation for the burst of creativity that was to come.

Steve

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TO DOWNLOAD SEPTEMBER’S SONG “I WILL,” CLICK HERE

TO SIGN UP FOR MBG’S EMAIL LIST, GO TO: www.mediocrebadguys.com

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Now available for download – MBG’s first original, “I Will!”

Posted by mbgband on September 1, 2011

Well, you’ve heard us talk about this for a long time. No more talk – just music. We – Les, Steve, Doug and Jerry – are pleased to share with you our very first original, “I Will.”

All you need to do is visit our Bandcamp page by clicking on the pic below:

You can stream the song by clicking on the play button. Assuming you’ll then want to immediately download it as your own, simply click the “Buy Now” link to start the download process. If you’re one of the first 200 to download the tune, you’ll get it for free! And even if you’re not, you get to name your own price. How cool is that?

Thanks, folks, for supporting us and joining us on this very cool day!

Les, Steve, Doug & Jerry

Announcing our first download of the month – “I Will!”

Posted by mbgband on August 29, 2011

Thanks for subscribing to our brand new email list! As promised, today we’ve got some pretty awesome news to share with you. But first: the back story…

If anything, Mediocre Bad Guys is about the natural evolution of a band. We formed in 2006 as a pretty exclusive Jack Johnson-only cover trio. A few years later we branched out to include a much more diverse mix of tunes. So it was only a matter of time before we’d start writing our own songs. Three of the four of us have already released a wide catalog of original tunes, with the fourth (that’d be Les) a budding songwriter-in-waiting.

So in 2010 we got to work, and in no time the songs started flowing. At a band meeting at Mellow Mushroom last spring, our plan came to fruition: we would write, record, and release one song a month, making it available to you and the world for download. Exactly how many months, you ask? As many as the creative muse will take us! Our first one out the gate will be “I Will,” a bouncy little tune that’s guaranteed to get your foot tapping. It came out of a simple jam at band practice one night, demonstrating that inspiration can strike at any given moment.

For this and all future downloads we’ll be using Bandcamp – a nifty music website that allows you to download songs in a variety of formats. It’ll also come embedded with the band pic and potentially lyrics. Steve used Bandcamp to release his latest album, and Jerry has his entire music catalog there. The first 200 downloads of “I Will” will be FREE (it’ll also give you the option to pay something for it if you so desire). After then, you can download the song for an extremely nominal fee.

So – be on the lookout this Thursday (the first of the month, our target date for all future releases) for an email from us. In it you’ll find a link to the Bandcamp download! And while you’re waiting for that glorious day to come:

Fan our Facebook page
Follow us on Twitter
Get a friend to sign up for our email list at the website, www.mediocrebadguys.com. They’ll thank you later.

The very first Mediocre Bad Guys original tune is mere days away! Thanks for joining us in the excitement.

The Guys