Sunday, June 03, 2012

Hello, World EP!



Hi, its me, mcenroe. I did a new record in the last 6 weeks. It has 4 songs. Do you want to hear it? I'm gonna put it on bandcamp in the next couple of weeks. And I will press up CD copies (but not very many) in the next couple of weeks. And put it on itunes in the next couple of weeks. And hit up blogs and all that.


But its ready now, and I wouldn't mind at all if you heard it.


So if you wanna hear it, how about you just ask me?


Email me at roddy <at> mcenroe <dot> net and I will hook you up. I will send you a link, and you can hear it. And if you are so inclined, you can email me back and tell me if you like it. That would be cool.


Just ask.


And tell me what part of the world you live in, and if you don't want me to add you to the Peanuts & Corn mailing list, tell me that too, or I may just do it.


---


I've got a lot to tell you guys. Music is a big thing right now. I am working on doing some new partnerships for upcoming records. I'm really excited. I can't wait to tell you. But first I want to tell you about this 4 song EP.


I have been kinda bummed that it is taking me longer and longer to finish records. I get busy, I work on other things, I shoot music videos, I work, I build basement suites, I watch hockey games, I hang out with my lovely wife, play with my lovely children, educate them, all that. Its time consuming man! But still, I have to be able to finish a record. I just have to. Music is too important to me not to.


So I set out to do four songs, and put them out as quick as I can. I know several dudes that can achieve this feat in about 24 hours. For me, it took 6 weeks.


I mean, I gotta make the beats. Then I have to write the songs. And when I write a song, its not easy. Maybe I hold myself to a higher standard, or maybe lyrics just don't flow as quickly from my head as some. Whatever it is, it takes time. I would say a 24 bar verse, if I am feeling inspired, would take about 3 or 4 hours to write. So you need to have that chunk of time, without interruption, with the ability to rap out loud in a working, studio environment. Not so easy for me these days.


Anyway, I wrote these songs and then finished off the beats. And that takes a long time too. I can start about 10 beats in a night. But finishing them? Layering them and having lots of interesting things happen? That takes much more time.


Then I need to find a window of pure quiet in my house, to record the vocals. This is almost impossible. I have a 3 year old and a 5 month old baby. If the baby is in the house, either he is making noise or there can be no noise. And the baby, he doesn't need to leave the house all that often. So I don't get a lot of time in the house to myself to record.


Let me me stress that I am not complaining about how busy my house is. Its awesome. But it makes it a challenge.


Then I gotta mix and master the record. And when I make a mix, I can't listen to it out loud in the house, for the same reasons as above. So I gotta go drive around in my car. And waste gas, I know, its bad. So generally I would only do 1 mix per day. So every little tweak would generate a new mix and add a day to the process.


Anyway, thats why it takes 6 weeks. And here it is. Four songs of brand new mcenroe paranoia and attitude. The tracks are:


Hello, World! - about our ultra dependence on technology.
Last Man Standing - I guess that would be me?
Stack Silver - I'm not saying global financial collapse is imminent, but yo!
You Are A Robot - no , really, you are


So hey, check it out. Let me know what you think. And stay tuned for big news about some records me and my friends at Peanuts & Corn have coming out.


Later,
Roddy
mcenroe

2 comments:

Matt said...

I can totally relate man. My wife and I have 3 month old twin boys at home and they rule the house and everything and everyone in it! I don't even have time to play PS3 or get my drink drink on - stupid selfish babies... I wouldn't trade it for anything :)

Dortch McGirken said...

Hey Roddy, I have been bumping Hello World! all day today. So far Hello World and Last Man Standing are my stand out favorites. Don't get me wrong, they are all dope, but those to appeal to me the most so far.

I love the subject matter of these tracks, as it's what I am into and what I write about. Thanks for offering this EP up in a bonus pack.

Thanks for your continued dedication and perserverance. I look forward to your future releases!