September 23, 2008 Midnight Pages

Wow, sorry it's been so long.

I literally haven't had a minute to write. Ok, lame excuse. But I guess I've been doing a lot of living and took an accidental break from journaling. Shouldn't happen again. It also shows a lack of discipline, and that's the kind of thing I'm trying to break.

I've been all over the map, truth to tell. Been nabbing one-man music gigs just to stay fresh. It's annoying that I'm still too cash poor to rehearse with the band, much less publish QUANTUM #7. Sucks having a book in the can and not being able to publish it. It's starting to piss me off.

The good news is that I'm being creative. Pre-production on the new record is proceeding apace. Working out the kinks and building beats for stuff. It's all really rough, but it's reassuring me that the songs themselves are pretty solid. There is going to be a decision soon, however. The record is a lot poppier (as in more pop-sounding) that the last. A lot more songs feeling like “Twenty Days,” which I suppose is a good thing, because that song's a fan favorite. And although I have a tendency to try to program the drums to sound more live, I think I'll be doing R&B drum mixes simultaneously. That will give me two arrangements of every tune, and then when it comes time to decide to Urban I wish this record to sound I can pick and choose by song.

That will also give me alternate remixes that I can release at another date. It's something I played with on SOBES and never implemented. Since I can't find any remixers right now, I'll just do it myself.



Logic Pro is some serious shit. I'm still learning it, and I've been a power user for years. I wish I could find a diagram of ProTools key commands so I could customize Logic appropriately. It'd be great to just take a couple days to really get it under my fingers. That may be my weekend project. But the features are completely out of this world. It really makes MIDI instruments superfluous. Still have to get the audio interface so I can start tracking acoustic stuff.

Lots to catch up on. Will try getting up early enough tomorrow to continue morning pages.

Peace and chicken grease,
P

Standby...

I know it's been a while since I've posted. I'll more than likely get something up tonight. Stay tuned.

September 10, 2008 Morning Pages

I have so little time to crank this out, so I'm going to type like the wind. Lots on my mind, no real organization, but want to get it down simply because that's what morning pages are for.

First and foremost: glad to be alive. Guess the Large Hadron Collider didn't destroy the planet after all. Crisis averted. Can we all move on now?

Item. Woke up this morning taken out of a fantastic dream I was having about being on stage with The Purple One by a hungry, impatient beagle. I love having dreams about simply being in the same room as Prince, as I realize that the likelihood of it actually happening is pretty nil. One part I vividly remember was him playing a huge 6-string bass, surrounded by scores of hot women who were also thumping on the bass in various places. Made for such a great visual. I must have been playing in the band in some capacity, because I was on stage and not watching from the crowd. God, I love a good dream.

Item. Got to give it up for the new iTunes. Two very significant improvements to the software, most notably the new “Genius” feature. iTunes now studies your music library and besides giving you recommendations on what music you may be missing (which it's done for awhile in its “mini-store”), it can craft you a custom playlist using your library based on any song in that library. Just to give it a good test, I plugged one of my songs into it and was pleasantly surprised at what iTunes chose to pair my music with. Also updated is the visualizer. It looks pretty amazing as well.

As long as were talking about amazing looking things, let's move on to TV. Caught two premieres last night. Ok, actually one and a half. I watched the full pilot for Fox's FRINGE and stumbled into SONS OF ANARCHY about halfway through. It amazes me at how much good drama doesn't take long to seep in, because I got more enjoyment out of the 30 or 40 minutes I saw of ANARCHY than the nearly 90 minutes I sat through FRINGE. And I wasn't even all that interested in catching this new FX series. It wasn't on my radar. I'd heard passing things about it from a couple friends at work. And it's definitely not my usual cup of tea. But there are so many great things about this show so far, that I think I'm instantly hooked.

First, it's like The Sopranos, but on Harleys. How brilliant is that?

Second, it's impeccably cast. Ron Perlman made a phenomenal choice taking this role hot off of Hellboy. And, prediction time:

KATY SEGAL IS EMMY BOUND. MARK MY WORDS.

There are so many other great aspects of this show that I haven't gotten hip to. I must see the pilot in its entirety. The set-up and premise to this drama is pretty engaging. I may have found a new favorite for fall.

...which means that I'm going to have to cut something else I was planning on watching, and that will more than likely be Fringe. For all the wait and hype, it got a serious “meh” from me in the end. I think, perhaps, because it really just picks up from where the X-Files left off, and I really wasn't that into the X-Files. Sorry, JJ Abrams. Sorry Joshua Jackson. I love you both, and I'll give this series a couple more chances, but I have a feeling I'm just not going to be that into you.

Ok, that's good for today. Off to the exciting world of graphic design.

September 9, 2008 Morning Pages

Wow, it's been a minute.

Have been so tied up personal health concerns lately that I've been missing my journaling routine. Today, fortunately I woke up early enough to correct that.

But, to be honest--and I won't say I was blocked because I don't buy into block--but I do believe that a great deal of my own creative engine is also tied to my confidence. And that, as of late, has been hanging pretty low. The good news is that I've spent a great deal of this past week focusing on the new record and pre-producing much of the material therein. The recently-puchased G5 runs like a top even without the audio interface, so at the very least I'm able to get basic sequencing and music demos cranked out. I'm actively working on 3 songs this week alone. Have very good demo-able versions of “All 4 the Love of U” and “Big Blue Sky” nearly out of first draft stage. “November Rain” looks to be a lot more challenging, however, and I'm going to have to take a long hard look at how it's going to be produced. On a songwriting level alone it's a early fan favorite, and I want to make sure I do it justice.

With the new Thicke record looming on the horizon, it's led to me think a lot about how my new record is going to sound. The answer hasn't really changed: it's going to sound like it's going to sound. This project has been gestating for the better part of six or seven years. It's material that's been back-burnered since “State of Blue-Eyed Soul,” and I need to get it out of my mental queue. Depending on how things sound when I've really got some finished songs done, we'll see how much makes it on the record. But I've got a good 12-14 songs that could come out of this. There is also the temptation to start fresh with some new sounding things as well. My main fear is that I've already dated these songs before they even see the light of day, but that's really going to be a production issue. The songs, in and of themselves, are solid enough in my opinion. And at the end of the day I can't be bothered by what the Robin Thicke's or Justin Timberlakes are doing. I can only make the best music I know how to make. That's all I've ever done.

But already this record is going to be a lot more pop-y, which may be a source of concern to me. I kind of wanted to lean more toward R&B, but at the same time didn't want this record to sound as self-produced. It is a goal to make sure this record sounds more like other, live musicians participated. So, again, I have to divorce myself from the status quo and just put out the next great Philip Clark album.

Anyway, it sounds like if worse came to worse, I would grow out my facial hair and make a killing as a Robin Thicke impersonator. I hear there might be some money in that.

Ha. There would have to be.

Continuing from yesterday, here is the rest of my tribute to my favorite Blue Eyed Soul artists:

David Pack



Probably one of the most under-appreciated of his era. As Ambrosia's lead singer, Pack's style and voice were absolutely genre defining. He also did a number of solo stints in the 80's that were totally overlooked. This guy gets many props in my book.


Paul Carrick



Another under-appreciated gem. But you'd know him if you'd heard him. Just go to Ace's “How Long Has This Been Going On,” Squeeze's “Tempted” or “Silent Running” by Mike and the Mechanics--not to mention his own solo work. A Blue Eyed Soul powerhouse.


Phil Collins



Phil had a soul, charm and sense of song-craft and rhythm that was truly his own and pushed him to the forefront of the 80's music scene as a member of Genesis. But album tracks off his solo outings will really show this guy had a deep love for old-school soul.


George Michael



Hitting with a massively luscious voice, good looks, and steady hooks, this brit took the best elements of his Stevie Wonder influence and ruled the late 80's and early 90's. His solo debut, “Faith,” is still ground-breaking to this day.


Annie Lennox



A complete soulful vocal powerhouse. I don't know many people funkier than this woman. She's outright dangerous with how much passion and soul she has. It's actually kind of scary.


Robbie Nevil



“C'est La Vie” indeed. This phenomenal singer, songwriter and producer is vastly under-appreciated. Go find his music and absorb it.


Richard Marx



Probably best known for 80's soft-ballads, Marx is a songwriter's songwriter and a hell of a vocalist. All commercial success aside, he is a prime example of all things true and blue.


Robert Palmer



How could this guy leave our planet so quickly and suddenly. This guy had pipes and pizzazz. A Blue Eyed Soul great.


Peter Cox



Most people will gloss over Peter as the frontman of Go West. But dig deeper and you'll find a fantastic solo career, lyrical vocal range and fluidity and a deep rooted passion. Singers, do yourself a favor and study this guy.


Jon B.



An absolute force to be reckoned in modern R&B, I truly can not believe this guy is white sometimes.


Jamiroquai



Pooling his own quirkiness with a huge Stevie Wonder influence, Jay Kay helped bring Acid Jazz to the masses.


Justin Timberlake



As a member of NSYNC and eventually a massive solo artist, you can't deny that JT is probably the epitome of what Blue Eyed Soul has become today. At times, I feel he does a better Michael Jackson than Michael Jackson.


Remy Shand



Unfortunately, this guy only had a couple of hits a few years back. But this one-man production and music prodigy has some serious chops--as both a multi-instumentalist and singer. You can hear Marvin's ghost coming out of this kid. Gives me chills.


Robin Thicke



Although probably the closest thing I'll ever have to a nemesis, you have to give the guy credit. He's a capable singer and songwriter who's paid his dues and struck a chord with the mainstream. His ground-breaking “Lost Without You” is as smooth as hot butter. Very much looking forward to the upcoming record.


Tomi



An overlooked Blue Eyed Soulster of this era. Go out and buy this guy's debut album NOW! Tomi mixes the best of what you'd expect from Justin or Robin, spins with a heavy Prince influence and then puts his own mark on it. Highly recommended.


Marc Broussard



What little I've heard of this guy I very much enjoy. Looks like he's very well on his way to helping usher in the next level of Blue Eyed Soulfulness.


Jamie Lidell



A relatively new voice in the genre, but one that's gotten high critical acclaim. Keep an eye out for this one.


Philip Clark



What kind of list would this be without...ME? Yes I'll keep the tooting of my own horn to the minimum, but be assured that you'll see great things coming up, and I'll hopefully earn my place on this list of legends.

September 3, 2008 Evening Pages - Philip's Blue Eyed Soul Hall of Fame, Pt. 1

Gonna take this morning to talk about “Blue Eyed Soul.” Now, some folks love the term, others hate it. Myself, I find it makes it a lot easier to effectively tell people what kind of sound I have. Yes, of course, it's all Soul Music. But “Blue Eyed” is a distinction that only a few of us can truly pull off well. Here's my quick tribute to the best of the best:

(I started this list, and I know I'm forgetting someone. I also realized this is going to be a 2-part blog. Forgive me.)

Elvis Presley



Got to give it up for the first. Elvis was really the first white guy to fool the masses into thinking he was black. His voice gave him the huge crossover it took the pioneer a whole new sound.


Jerry Lee Lewis



Taking the best of what Elvis had and adding his own sass and, more importantly, piano to the mix.


The Righteous Brothers



The original Blue Eyed Soul duo. Bill Medley's voice alone is about a dark as they come.


Teena Marie



One of the first Blue Eyed Soul divas. You can't deny how sultry and funky this girl is.


Bobby Caldwell



Just take a listen to “What You Won't Do For Love” and tell me this guy doesn't have soul.


Daryl Hall



Probably one of my biggest influences. Hall took vocal smoothness and combined it with keyboard elegance and sharp songwriting. A soul god in his own right.


John Oates



Not to be ignored but rather highlighted as his own entity. John Oates was more than simply the quiet half of a legendary duo. He composed and produced for several acts in the 80's and 90's to leave a strong legacy of his own.


Michael McDonald



More than likely my single biggest influence in this genre. Michael McDonald's voice took smooth to the same kind of level that Hall's took agressive. But what really separates Michael Mc Donald from the pack is this sheer brilliance as a songwriter. His songs evoke passion, change, heartache and romance all at the same time. No one writes like this guy these days.


Bobby Kimball



Possibly overshadowed due to the fact that he's with a group. But this, the original Toto lead singer, has a range and a mastery of voice that very few have. Bobby was probably one of the first guys I heard that could truly “riff” like a black vocalist but still keep the edge of a rock star.


Gino Vanelli



This Canadian Soulster stuck a resonant chord with smash hits like “I Just Wanna Stop” and “Living Inside Myself.” But the best gems from this guy are ones that never hit the airwaves. And songwriting! Don't even get me started. Take a listen to “Lucky Man” and tell me this guy isn't coming from somewhere uniquely genuine.


Boz Scaggs



Smooth, elegant, with a very dark soulful voice. Boz is undeniably someone you immediate go to for solid 70's soul, of any color.

END OF PART ONE. STAY TUNED FOR PART 2!

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