Lars68

Looking really good! I like that the vintage style models are back. Lars

Great job, David. I really liked that one. You tend to write lyrics in a style I appreciate and is personally drawn to. A lot of artists I love tend to deal with similar topics, like Springsteen and Isbell to name just two. I also live in a small town, so a lot of the issues and characters you often write about feel very real to me. Your songs also have a tendency to remind me of stuff from these other artists I like, and this one is no exception. It's more a thing of a shared topic or point of view than anything else. Have you heard Jason Isbell's song “Speed Trap Town”? The lyrics to that one are sensationally good, I think I've said it before, you have been posting several songs here for quite some time now that deserves recording. Any more detailed plans for that? Lars

Beautiful! I like the somber tone. Lars

As you know I'm a BIG Springsteen fan, and that was great!. It was also the best sounding recording I've heard you make. That's exactly the balance and overall tone I would like my own recordings to have. Any secrets to share? My acoustic tracks, especially, sounds so brittle and harsh in comparison. Yours was warm and lush. Lars

Beautiful guitar. Sounds great too! Congratulations! Lars

Beautiful, Sal! So how exactly is the recording made? It sounds super Side note, I have actually been to Georgia and Macon Lars

Just wonderful! Lars

Very nice indeed. It both looks and sounds older than it is. This is about the only circumstance when such a comment is a positive... Lars

Jinder, that is wonderful. I really like the smooth, orchestrated sound. Great vocals as always too. I heard it on youtube a few days ago. and I hope it brings some well deserved recognition your way. Lars

I just found the debut album from a new young guy named Ian Noe, and he is absolutely fantastic. Great storytelling. Check him out here: Lars

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Thanks a bunch! Not exactly the most accessible song I've ever written, so thanks for listening. Lars

There is also a lot of handles new, or vintage, on ebay, just search for “guitar case replacement handle”. Lars

Here is a song I have been messing with for quite some time. It's about constantly fighting for the important things in life, and never taking them for granted during the short time we are given. It has got a couple of attempts at a few firsts for me, like alternating rhyming lines, two time signatures, and an attempt at some more powerful vocals on the chorus, and even some heavy drums too 😀 It's a very odd song... THE NORTHERN STAR VERSE 1 the hour glass is broken and time falls to the floor too many words unspoken while I'm trapped behind closed doors no the sand won't pull back it covers all I've forsaken maybe it's the effort I lack or the wrong road I've taken CHORUS so throw away the maps and keys to where we are pack our bags boys and catch the Northern...the Northern Star. VERSE 2 our new town shall be unknown and our street without a name pure seeds will be sown for our love to remain I wanna make it up to you for the time lost between the most beautiful two boys I have ever seen CHORUS so throw away the maps and keys to where we are pack our bags boys and catch the Northern...the Northern Star. Lars

Wonderful Sal, on so many levels, playing, singing, recording are all super. Sounds like your're finding your way home after a bump in the road. Great headphones too! Best sound per dollar available anywhere! Lars By the way, what was done to fix the action of your guitar? Minor stuff or big surgery?

Hey, I really like it, especially the last verse. Great imagery. We don't have any coal mines were I live, but the scenes in your song hold true for so many small towns here too. Here it's the close down of small manufacturing businesses having a hard time to compete in a globalized world. Have you heard "Cumberland Gap" by Jason Isbell? A song on the same topic as yours, but in a different style. Your way of writing lyrics reminds me very much of Isbell's. Lars

Sal, take a look at the Apogee One too. It's a high quality interface WITH an internal mic (similar in quality to the Apogee Mic). You can use it like you have used the Apogee Mic, with its internal mic by itself, or you can also hook up your SM-57/58 and use both it and the internal mic at once. I think this is a way to get both the ease of an iPad to single mic setup, as well as a two mic at once setup. The Apogee One is not much bigger than a single mic. Lars

https://apogeedigital.com/products/accessories Lars

Great song, David! I really like the low pace, and it really helps emphasize the lyrics. You have posted several great songs here. I hope you don't mind me asking, but what do you do with them? Your songs deserve to be documented and given a chance to be heard by more folks. Do you plan on eventually recording your stuff in a more professional situation? Lars

I agree with the above, ease of use is my first priority. You could look into either the Apogee Duet or the Apogee One interface. It would allow for any two mics, but you'll keep the convinience of the iPad/Garageband. I use the the Apogee One with a Myrtle condensor mic. This is a good compromise between ease of use and flexibility/quality. The Apogee One has a built in mic that is supposed to be of the same quality as the Apogee Mic, so in combination with a second mic, you can still use a two mic approach. Lars

Hey, be careful with those strong meds, MissouriPicker mentioned! You and that guitar sound great! What are those fretboard inlays on your guitar? Lars

Great news on both accounts! May I suggest Scarlet Johansen for doing the 1940's incarnation of one of the Gals Lars

I'm pretty sure that the process of applying the pickguard changed throughout the Legend life cycle. I have seen guards both applied on bare wood, as well as over the finish. The original guards in the 40's were applied to bare wood, and then the burst pattern was sprayed with the guard unmasked and in place, meaning the guard was sprayed too. The Legend in the picture above appears to have the guard placed on bare wood, but it was masked off when sprayed, so the burst pattern is interrupted by the shape of the guard. I have also seen Legends were the firestripe guard was placed with the guitar already sprayed, just like the with guards on modern Standard J-45s. Neither of the two methods I have seen on Legends, replicates the original method, but I personally prefer the look of guards placed over an already sprayed top. Also it should help to avoid future pickguard cracks, when not glued directly to bare wood. Here are examples I found of each type: The modern way - Over finish The old way on bare wood - but masked off and not sprayed over Lars

Well put! Well, I asked for input and I got it, so I'm not complaining. Also, I don't want to dismiss anyone taking the time to listen to my song, read my lyrics and post comments. All input has been valuable, but mostly because it sparked my mind into thinking harder. In the end, I'm not looking to please anyone but me. Of all the input given to me regarding lyrical choices, my two main take aways from this thread are the value of word ecenomy, "less is more", and not to be lazy with my English skills (when in doubt, there is probably a better and more precise word to be found, if I use online dictionaries etc). So I think I have learned a few things, which made this particular song a little bit better, but might make the next one even better. Also, I enjoy the search for the elusive idea of "perfection", even though I have a loooong way to go... Lars

Thanks, Kelly! Livemusic, good input! I appreciate you taking the time. I really like some of your ideas, especially "I dozen red roses where I want her to be". Very good! I doesn't fit my meter, but the idea is great and useful. The bit about riding shotgun won't work here in Sweden. Not that I have an "audience", but they won't get the reference (it's from the old western stage coach times, when the shotgun was "on the passenger seat" to protect from robberies, right?). Most Swedes understand English very well, so writing in English (which is not native to me) is usually no problem. I like the fact that I can bounce ideas here when I write in English. So I tend to write three songs in English for each Swedish one. I'm glad I'm not "releasing" songs I can change anything any time I want. The songs are not done until I decide so. By the way, Jason Isbell is a HUGE influence. He is fantastic, and one the best lyricists I know of. I recently bought two of his live shows and downloaded them from nugs.net. Superb! His songs are like novels. "Elephant", "Speed Trap Town", "Children of Children", and "Live Oak" (what great titles!) are personal favorites of mine. That's about as high as a bar can be set when it comes to lyrics, I think. I heard an interview with him were he said his objective is to write lyrics that feel authentic, in the sense that they could have been spoken by a real person in an everyday situation. As opposed to, for example a Shakesperean poem at the opposite end of the spectrum. That is something I aim for too. Lars