February Album Writing Month - FAWM.ORG

wander (@wander)

progress: 16

winner!
joined: 3 months ago
location: Netherlands
website: www.soundcloud.com/wandercats
influences: Syd Barrett (as he is crazy and his solo work is so lo-fi) and Pink Floyd up to WYWH, Beatles, Kinks, Ro Halfhide and other Amsterdam Songwriters Guild people, Arcade Fire, Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Ben Harper, Amos Lee, Bon Iver, Blur, Paul Simons ´Graceland´ album, Prince, James Vincent McMorrow, Nick Drake, Pixies. My girlfriend Lorette and my children Hazel and Lauren.

Bio

I am an upstarting songwriter from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, age 35. Although I know there's a lot of work for me to do in the guitar and vocal department, my weird mind seems to be fully formed.

I have been a music addict all my life. Started my own band Plexis Solaris at 16 with my then best friend. Played bass guitar in two cover bands. And now decided to write and perform my own songs so nobody can kick me out of the band anymore and in order to create own songs instead of recreating other peoples songs.

So far I have performed live six times and my aim is to improve my vocals and guitar and write hundreds of songs. I am really scared of presenting songs here and really doubtful if I can produce 14,5. But hey, this challenge is too cool to pass up!

Good luck and love to all!

2012 Songs

1	Show me your songs, FAWM (feat. the blueball from hell)	7 comments // 3 months ago
2	Suzy's got children	9 comments // 3 months ago
3	Dear Roger B.	5 comments // 3 months ago
4	Collaboration time (with danalyze)	6 comments // 3 months ago
5	Englebert Frost	9 comments // 3 months ago
6	You got to keep your head up high	6 comments // 3 months ago
7	One day	8 comments // 3 months ago
8	A lion at your front door	2 comments // 3 months ago
9	Ballad of a lonely deserted boy	2 comments // 3 months ago
10	Wibautstreet	4 comments // 3 months ago
11	Roy de Smet	6 comments // 3 months ago
12	Sergeant without stripes	4 comments // 2 months ago
13	The brothers Halfhide	2 comments // 2 months ago
14	The Boat (with roydesmet)	3 comments // 2 months ago
15	Freedom lane (the unhidden track)	2 comments // 2 months ago
16	Goodbye	4 comments // 2 months ago

Soundboard

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roydesmet 2 months ago

In fact, I'll be there tonight!
(It's not that I didn't tell you because I don't like you, it's because I've just heard it myself too!)
roydesmet 2 months ago

Hey man, are you still hanging out round here?
fineexcuses 2 months ago

Thanks for the comment, man - very kind. I didn't mean to sound like I was employing some false modesty, but you know how some tracks just turn out a bit gnarled, and you can't quite put your finger on why? It was that sort of thing. Thanks again, though!
ianuarius 2 months ago

Hah! But there's actually nothing scandinavian about it. I'm Finnish and ryuu is German. ^__^
darcistrutt 2 months ago

Thanks for the comment on my offering of "worst". You can see what my vision for the song was at least. It was an attempt to do something very different and meet the weekly challenge. Stretch is good...
ianuarius 2 months ago

Congratulations being the first one pointing that out!
Yes, it's a complete One of these days ripoff.
donna 2 months ago

Thanks for the visit, @wander. And yes, the text is puzzling, which is why I've described it as the 'worst'. (One would need to read the lyrics associated with the particular lines. )
max 2 months ago

I'm glad you joined FAWM Wander and were able to make the album you always wanted to make. It's good to see how you've been active in the community, in songwriting and commenting. Good for you (kiddo) !
petemurphy 2 months ago

Haha, yeah but it wasn't my fault! Someone contacted me and asked if they could use the lyrics to one of my existing songs and put their own music and melody to it. I couldn't refuse, but yes, it did mess up my goodbye(s)
roydesmet 2 months ago

There is no music for that song
It's not so good anyway.
danalyze 2 months ago

wow 16 liedjes wat goed!!
bij mij stond na 14 posts winner dus dan ben ik klaar toch?
wander 2 months ago

I am done!!! Thank you, FAWM and you all have been wonderful!
My girlfriend is happy that it´s over too. I always had the dream of making an album. Now I fulfilled that. It may not by a very long stretch be the best album ever made, but I did it and I am proud. Look forward to listen to dozens of your tunes in the next few weeks.
Stay tuned...
roydesmet 2 months ago

Hé, winnaar!
bradbrubaker 2 months ago

Cheech & Chong? Nope! Interesting thought.
happyprospector 2 months ago

That's what I was thinking too! Thanks!
donna 2 months ago

@wander Here's the website.
http://www.dragondreams.org.uk/SAforum
caseewilson 3 months ago

Hey - thank you for your comment! The plan is to add some bass and percussion, and we've made a video in the style of the 80's rock fundrasier videos (lots of shots of headphone-wearing singers) which will hopefully reduce some of the love-ballad tendencies of the track - I hope!
roydesmet 3 months ago

Ready for a collaboration on february 27th?
I could bring my recording set, which gives us a little room to experiment because it has the feature to record on 8 tracks.
I think we are both really into musical experimenting.

I don't know if you have to work, and to what time. But I have the whole day (or rather: week) off. I think it might be best that you pick me up at Central Station or somewhere else, as I don't know how to find my way to Freedom Lane.
roydesmet 3 months ago

Yeah, well. I was baptised and such. But I'm not really a devoted Christian.
I especially found the addition to the song title interesting.
There's a Pop Version coming up! I actually like that one ^^.

And yes, my voice still isn't what it used to be. But I couldn't handle not singing!
I'll record 'Woman' again later. I kind of love that song. I really do.
I ask for your honest opinion. What do you think of it? I think of it as one of my best songs, really.

And I'm still 17. Turning 18 in June. Thanks for thinking I sound older.
I want to be older; I feel older. Mind-wise. Age is just a number.
roydesmet 3 months ago

Yes, I uploaded two new songs. And two or three new songs are on their way.
Needless to say; I'm actually sailing through this FAWM without much effort.
I think I'm one of the few.

I'm really looking forward to collaborating with you!
robs 3 months ago

Hi Wander, thanks for the comment (and yes, er is meer). I see you like Beatles and Prince, that's a nice combination . Only 5.5 to go, you can make it!
roydesmet 3 months ago

Haha, no, not really. Though possibly.
It's about a 13 year old friend of mine who I told about 'the feelings that I had for a girl'.
He thought he liked her too, but on a very superficial level. She was a bit of a mystery, as we hadn't spoken or seen her in ages and I fucked some things up and hence lost contact as well.

Then, he saw her in the streets and talked with her
so he said to me: "Yeah, I've spoken her. We talked about this and this and that. And oh, we talked about the misunderstanding between you two".
"Huh, what? What misunderstanding?"
"That you thought you were in love with her"
"But.. that wasn't a misunderstanding"
So he was a bit scared that he screwed things up for me, and I was really calm like "Easy. What did you say? Tell me EXACTLY what you said".

And, turned out, the quality of their conversation wasn't really that great and he had not quite screwed things up for me. As he adressed it, she had frowned and then he continued sleighing with his nephew.
roydesmet 3 months ago

Don't have much time now with school and stuff.
I might be able to drop by next week, but I'm not too sure yet.
I have a week off from the 25th on, so that's three days of free public transport (27th - 29th) in which I could drop by.

I was planning on going to Jet Lounge, ASG on the 28th.
wander 3 months ago

On a zong bust mission! Love to hear everyone elses songs. I hardly hear any bad songs and some I really like. We're all in this together folks!
jayafrica 3 months ago

I finally got to catch up to all your tunes and am now working through the rest of your material on your Soundcloud. Great stuff all throughout! Bravo on your collection of truly wonderful songs.
unpronounceable 3 months ago

Thanks for your comment!
tommyd 3 months ago

I'm glad you noticed the kazoo! I felt it was a very useful tool for that song. And I'll get those lyrics up very soon!
tommyd 3 months ago

Thank you! I'm actually only recording on a built-in microphone for my laptop for now. Hopefully I'll be able to get some better equipment before the month is over.

Also, I'm really digging on your songs, especially the lyrics. Fantastic stories!
johnthomasmumm 3 months ago

Thanks for letting me know. I deleted the song and uploaded it again. Hopefully it will work this time.
roydesmet 3 months ago

I've always had this great fascination with concept albums.
It's not really going to be like any of those forementioned conceptalbums,
but it might going to have in common that I use 'everyday sounds' (airplanes crashing, "Look mummy there's an aeroplane in the sky" etc) in my music like on The Wall.
And I was thinking about reprise versions and 'alternate versions', or a 'version 2' like on for instance Sgt. Pepper's, but also with a big fat wink towards the whole 'bootleg world'.

Oh, and I already have a bonus track for my FAWM-album!
It's a song I wrote prior to FAWM (November, December?) but that I found quite fitting to this FAWM-work and do not see a point for doing something else with.
(Don't worry. I won't make the bonus song included in the counting to 14½)
roydesmet 3 months ago

No, but I was actually planning on recording some more 'life sounds'.
It's just getting a bit messy now. I had this track called 'Introduction', and I feel like I need to bring that back in a reprise or something.
And I had the 'Run Up The Stairs' three-piece for which I still need to record 2 other versions.

And for the rest... Maybe I could sneak in some sound excerpts into other recordings.
A siren, a dog, laughing, a car, glass shattering, chatting.
I have about 15 minutes of 'A Day At The Station' recordings left!
At least, you can't say I'm not ambitious!

But what 'Bruxelles' is really about...
I have this little project going on with city names.
I have a song called Amsterdam (it's on my bandcamp), a song called 'Newcastle' which I think will be on my EP and now Bruxelles.
(The first 2 are actually songs. No 'sound collages' like 'Bruxelles')

I had heard an announcement like this earlier and I thought: that would make a great 'alternative note' to the concept! Hence...
roydesmet 3 months ago

I agree. It's not really a 'song', but I'll make up for that in the future!
I have something awesome in mind, it's just that I need a piano player for that who can play what is in my head.
But I've found someone, and we're going to work on it!!!

It's February Album Writing Month and the sort of albums I listen to have stuff like this on it sometimes.
'Crosby Nash' by Crosby & Nash had a little live-improvisation on it (blacknotes), and the Megafaun album I immediately deleted had a few tracks of nonsense on it.
Blaudzun's latest release has a 21 second 'song' of noise.
Oh, and not to mention Paul McCartney's "Liverpool Sound Collage".

It's artistic freedom that I'm exploring the boundaries of.
And it's defintely avant-garde! I like avant-garde.
explodingmary 3 months ago

I've always got lyrics up for grabs, due to upload issues... and also at @heavyhedonist, too. feel free to collab of you see anything you like-- or give me a subject/idea, and i'll put through the old grinder for a new set of words to use.
roydesmet 3 months ago

And I'm 1 ahead of you again
wander 3 months ago

@sapient So far I have only performed at the ASG twice, mainly because I first want to improve my skills, the songwriters there are often very good. You should go there if you have the time, it's on tuesday eves and its a lot of fun, great atmosphere.
sapient 3 months ago

Hi there fellow Nederlander! I just saw your post on the "why do I FAWM thread" and thought I'd pop over to say hello. I know the ASG, and have been to a couple of events, but I don't perform there. Mostly because I have no idea how I would go about performing my songs live...

I'll be back here to listen to your tunes - I can write on FAWM from work, but not listen to the songs!
roydesmet 3 months ago

Englebert Frost. I already like the title!
I will listen to it this evening!

The horror vocals, haha.
Well, it's actually part of a personal 'Explore The Core'-challenge I wanted to do.
I'm planning on recording 2 more versions, different versions.
1 on piano and one on mandolin.
wander 3 months ago

Hah already 5 out of 15 done. Love this FAWM thing!
madthesinger 3 months ago

Thank you for your comment on my song, Mama's Strength. Thankfully, this isn't about my present situation but my family has been affected with cancer so I thought I would try and write about it. It was very difficult to sing without crying!
cheekmeat 3 months ago

I have not heard that dEUS song before, but I can certainly see why it came to your mind when you heard my song!
I'm gonna have to spend some time checking them out.
Thanks for listening!
danalyze 3 months ago

i like suzys got children
calumcarlyle 3 months ago

thanks for the comment! that's one of the most original comments i have ever received!
carleybaer 3 months ago

Thanks for the feedback! They're fake drums, courtesy of Garageband.
jayafrica 3 months ago

Hello, wander! Thanks for the comment. I look forward to checking your tunes out and watching your song list grow
wander 3 months ago

Ok bal deed het net weer, blij! Heb nu al zin in die after party!
roydesmet 3 months ago

Ja, de mede-ASGers maken het een stuk gezelliger dan vorig jaar, heb ik het idee.
In Maart wordt er een AfterFAWM-party georganiseerd in Jet Lounge door @max.
Lijkt me leuk!
wander 3 months ago

FRUSTRATION! My blueball recorder has broken down so cant record any songs!

Time for some zen mantras to cure the pain and let`s hope it will get better so I can post more songs here. Just wrote and recorded a new song tonight but I cant post it as it sounds like `And the gods made love` from Jimi Hendrix and the intro of `1999`, only much worse. Will be back!
max 3 months ago

Snel? 10 jaar ploeteren om de vaardigheid van "homerecording" een beetje onder de knie te krijgen is niet echt snel. Ik ben nu zo ver dat ik vier uur nodig heb voor een liedje tot aan de mix. De mix en master procedure duurt gemiddeld nog uur. Plus ik ben 31 januari begonnen omdat ik die dag vrij was en niet langer kon wachten. Cheating that is
Wat helpt in dat ik geen perfectie nastreef, dus als het goed genoeg is is het klaar. De lol is voor mij om dan met het volgende aan de slag te gaan.
wander 3 months ago

Ik vind het vooral spannend maar het voelt hier ook wel erg gezellig, vooral met mede ASGers in het huis. Rock on!
roydesmet 3 months ago

Hey Wander! Doe je ook gezellig mee?
danalyze 3 months ago

yes lets colaborate
max 3 months ago

He Wander, welkom.