Video comes out & First Gig

Do you have the time to discuss our video and gig? No? Then go about your business. If you do, here's the story.

I called a local bar to arrange a debut gig. They were positive and encouraging, but the only date available and suitable for us, was mid-summer's eve. That time of year marks the beginning of summer vacation to most of Finnish working people. They usually run to their summer cottages, leaving the towns almost empty. The Bar people assured us that they've had band happenings on mid-summer eve before, and that people would be there. So we settled for that date. 

We had asked around for bands who would be willing to play with us before this, and a few had turned up. One of them even told us they would be ready for a gig any time. As it turns out, however, mid-summer is a baaad time for this kind of thing. All these bands declined. We did some more asking around, but none would come. Ok, so we would do this by ourselves.

The music video was gradually coming together, and that's why we decided to release it at the same time. All kinds of stuff needed to be gotten in order:  the master of the audio, get it to the editor, the titles for the video, the ISRC- code...You name it. We saw the first version, and thought it was very good, no need for changes. The previous night before the release date I received a message, that there was still a bug, that needed to be fixed. Argh, No! But it got fixed in time, and was ready to be shown on the bar screen (instead of soccer).

We use a laptop containing synth- and additional tracks and a click track for the drummer. Before final rehearsals we had to do some checks. I had re-made some of the synths with my Korg Trinity, just to obtain a wider and bigger sound especially to the choir-pads. I also wanted the "human" effect, by actually playing and recording the tracks. These then had to be transferred into the laptop. Then we had to check the levels and arrange the tracks in playing order. One last thing, I had to try playing acoustic guitar myself on "Siouxsie on the Beach", that is practice, practice, practice! I've just begun to seriously get it under control, and barre-chords still kind of kill my hand. But I'm now able to play it and it even sounds decent. 

So after a smooth rehearsal we were confident and ready for a smooth gig. We didn't expect a lot of people there. The weather was awful but that didn't tell anything. People might go to pubs or they might stay inside... We sound checked and arranged everything for the video. All set. There was a decibel limit in the bar because it neighbored apartments, so the levels had to be quite low.  We had no-one to mix for us, but checking our selves in such a small place was doable. The bartender helped with a decibel meter. All set. We ate, drank coffee, I did my make up, ironed a dress I was to wear. 

Playing time was at eleven pm, but there was hardly anyone around. We waited for half an hour for friends and some other people to show up. Facebook- event had been made, even some posters had been distributed. Still, we weren't expecting a crowd, and there was no crowd. A few friends, a few who clearly came to check us out, because they left immediately after, and a few family members. At eleven thirty the video was shown. Then we started with the same song. 

The shaking of my limbs, the rapid heart beat, the shallow breathing, it's all familiar to me, and I get it under control through technique. There's genuine joy of playing together and the feeling of conquering the world. There's also this feeling of aggression, the need to give it your everything, get it out of your chest-feeling, which is one of those not yet wholly familiar feelings for me. Of course, maintaining balance between technique and expression and maintaining contact with the audience, as well as band members is multitasking, so you can understand that some funny mistakes were made. What I'm most afraid of is black outs and that I can't make anything up to mask them. Well, this time I did: I was supposed to sing "A morbid wraith with a heart of stone" but instead sang "A magic worm in time and space". No-one in the band noticed. I guess next time I'll just sing something dirty instead.

Over all, the gig went very well, even smoothly. Our system, the laptop and click-track, was tested and it worked out well. We could hear everything, except the guitars might have been too low for our taste. We might yet change the order of the songs to give the set a stronger ending. But there's nothing that can't be fixed in one rehearsal, and that gives me relief and confidence. The audience was happy with the performance, and I think of it as a good sign, that they had gathered a collection for us, even though we didn't ask for an entry fee. 

The next performance, of great importance for me too, is in Lumous-festival. It is the biggest gothic music/culture festival in Finland and some well known (in gothic circles) names have performed there, like Double Echo, Nachtmahr and Thinner. This year Terrolokaust and Metallspürhunde are the biggest guests. We will play at the opening club on thursday 12th july, together with Agnosia and Astral Zombie. A little terrifying but can't wait!

While waiting for news on the festival, you can check out the video:

Until next time: Hypnosis

Music Video!

Ok, now I have something to show you!

It all started when I was asked to play a role in another bands' music video. It was a horror- themed video where I played the innocent victim, who in the end turns on her pursuer the Baron, and kills him. There was also the evil Baron and his other victims. And band playing, of course. Make up was done by a professional, which was quite nice and the results were nice too. Costumes were picked by each actor him/herself. I was to wear a white dress. I found one in a thrift store and made some minor changes for better fit.

Acting before a camera was different than on stage, which I have more experience on. It was easier in the sense that the camera picks up your tiniest expressions, while on the stage you have to do everything big so it's visible to the audience. On the other hand, there is no time to "get into the character", at least, not months or even hours. It's much more like improvising, just being and reacting. I was surprised on how easy it was. Based on my previous experiences with the camera I thought I would be very awkward and unnatural. I think the biggest factor of success in this case was the fact that I was working with people I trusted. And the camera man was a professional. He had a very gentle but articulate way of instructing the actors. 

So the bands' project was to release a video every month, and they had made a number of them already, gaining experience on shooting and editing along the way. In exchange for my service they offered to help in our future video projects. The singer of the band did the directing and most of the editing on their videos, and I really liked the way his work was progressing: He seemed to be developing an eye for good shots and a vision of the whole. I decided to work with him on our first music video.

First, we had to pick the song on which to work on. Second, develop an idea or a story for the video. The story needn't necessarily have to be connected to the song, but it should take the song one step further, enhance it, so to speak. A video with humor content wouldn't necessarily work in a love song. it depends, though. In the end it's just about the first expression you want to give as a band. That's why I felt so insecure about choosing the song. 

I had had a ton of ideas for a video for a few songs, but I knew which song it was that I wanted to shoot first. It was the tender song I wrote after realizing I had found the love of my life. You can hear it on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/hatefulchains/a-night-like-this

How could I develop a story credible enough to a song like this? All my ideas were of grandeur scale and I suspected they wouldn't be doable with our minimal budget and limited resources. But this song was the first expression I wanted to give. So we sat down with the team and started working.

First we watched a bunch of videos that were somehow related to this songs' atmosphere or were in some other way relevant. The director had of course listened to the song and had come up with some ideas of his own. He could really think through the lens. The drummer was also present and he had great ideas about locations. The result of this first meeting was a vague idea about a character walking on rose petals, an exploding angel, shots from a close distance and the band not playing until the chorus begins...

So I developed a storyboard, which is something I've never done before. The general story was that a character dressed in red is on her knees, eyes cast down. She then sees an angel that beckons her to follow. She tries to catch the angel, but it escapes her. There are shadows dancing on the walls. In the chorus the band comes in. The chasing goes on until in the solo-part the red dressed character touches the angel, and the angel blows up, or is consumed by light. The red-dressed is blinded and falls down. In the end there are again close shots of the red-dressed. I presented this story board to the director and he took the lead from there, planning the shots and the final vision. The end result might not be exactly what I just wrote, but it's going to be something along these lines.

Next, was designing and making the costumes. Here are some of the sketches: 

        

                   

I went through several fabric stores until I found something suitable for the red dress.  I already had the mask for the angel, it was part of a costume made for another project. But that costume was too large for me, so I had to make one to fit me. I stumbled across the angel costume-fabric in a thrift store: it was a lace curtain. Fitted my philosophy of DIY and recycling everything you can perfectly. 

I used the whole preceding week before shooting to make these costumes. I even had to make some minor changes on the very morning of the shoots to the angel costume, because I felt it was too revealing. But, they came out very nice in the end.

We shot the video in an empty hall, that had contained a shit ton of computers. The floor was interesting: panels covering a wide network of sockets and wire that were still there. The original idea of shooting in darkness with just one or two spot lights didn't work, it came out too dark and grainy. So we decided to shoot with full lighting and spots and leave the balancing to the edit. Risky, but there's always something that needs to be changed at the last minute. The hall was interesting enough though, to get good shots.  

On the first day, we shot the scenes with the characters. First were the scenes with the red dress, all angles, distant and close-ups. The very close-up sweeps were the most uncomfortable because I didn't really know which way to focus my eyes. I tried not to focus them anywhere, maybe that worked. I had to fall while getting blinded by the light. That took several takes, since it was difficult to make natural but be towards the camera at the same time. I spent a considerable amount of time on my knees, and began to feel it too, after a while. 

After this I changed my make-up and costume to shoot the angel scenes. There was beckoning, dancing around, laughing to the camera and raising stones magically and casting them down. The angel turned into some evil creature, luring the innocent red one into a trap...I expect fascinating results of these scenes. 

In the end, the evil angel lay on the bed of roses. Finally we took the walking on rose petal- scenes with the red dress. 

The next day was time for band shots. It was really simple, we were arranged in a formation that looked good on camera and then we shot the whole song through, first with me then also without me, to get as many different shots as possible. Close ups were taken from every player separately. We decided to go just with instruments, without the PA. My only instruction for the band was to wear black. I wanted a somewhat unified look, but not for it to look like costumes we wouldn't normally wear. I did my make-up fairly simple, something I would wear for a club or on a gig. Or day to day, actually.

Finally, we did the shadows on the wall. Some solo-shadows were taken of me, too. They might be used in the final cut, or not. 

On both days everything went smoothly on the set and we managed stay on schedule, although me and Kimmo had some car trouble while getting to the scene on the second day. Anything can happen, always be prepared, but admit that you can't prepare for everything! I brought some snacks and beer to keep the team happy and energized, and at least nobody complained. The atmosphere was once again great, laid back but focused. This is a great team, and I'm sure we'll be working together in the future as well.

Thank you, Video Team Focus: Ville Solkinen, Pasi Kaukonen, and Jani Vilhunen, and Hateful Chains: Kimmo, Toni and Jani! It was fun and refreshing to work with you guys! Hopefully this will turn out to be a great video. Only time and editing will tell.

Recording Part Three, and the difficulty of Mixing

Today we are going to the studio again to record the rest of the drums. Feels nice. Rehearsals have been going great and our playing has improved. I mean, there has been a real drive and flow a couple of times. And that only comes through playing together a lot.

So the day will start by assembling the system, drums and mics. Then we'll just sit and listen as the drummer does his amazing job. and then we'll criticize the hell out of it so he will leave the room crying. And then we'll pat him on the back and say that he's an ok drummer... that's how it goes for most bands? No? 

Yeah, I guess it's still kind of hard for me to say out loud that I want something differently. But I've been practicing a lot in rehearsals. The problem with recording is not necessarily bad playing, it's more like too much stuff. Especially in drumming. Singers just fuck up all the time and forget lyrics. In their own songs! At least I do. And then I take the overly perfectionist role and re-do lines that were quite good the first time. Anyway, my job in drum recording today is kind of producing, telling what I want and don't want. 

The guitarist does most of the mixing. My role is just to stand there and comment. To be the fresh ears. Also to tell what I want or don't from the songs. But it's proven to be really difficult. We have several reference songs to compare to, which have been mastered of course. We have acquired good monitors and do the works mostly through them and not earphones. But listening to the whole sound and knowing what can be done to improve it is an art form. Nothing less. And we're just learning. 

As a singer I tend to listen to the vocals, of course, more than anything else. But the nature of vocals, especially female higher vocals, is such that it comes through a lot of mass. So maybe I needn't worry so much, except if there are low notes that drown in the general sound. The second thing I always listen to is keyboards/synths. Can I hear the melodies that I put in there? Sometimes there is imbalance, so we need to figure out why. It might be because of the loudness of the track or other tracks, but it also might be because of the nature of the synth sound itself, or the effects I put in there. Sometimes a different sound will work better.  Same goes with all instruments.

Of course there are general rules on how to make a recording sound good. The guitarist has done this before, too, on several records. He's doing the most work on this, and I must say he's done a great job! But it's a world of endless possibilities and everything you do affects all else. And it's just dawning on me, the clueless singer. So, why do it yourself anyway? Well, we want to learn. And we have agreed that mastering is probably going to be done by a professional. 

But today is the time to complete the recording process for drums. More on mixing and stuff later on!

The Problem Song

There are always songs that go through a long process and are problematic. Here's what happened with one of our's:

When we had made demos for three songs my guitarist/collaborator asked if I had any new ones. I said "yyyeeeeaaah... I might have one". But I thought: "Shit, I don't know", because that particular song was the first one that actually came to be, and I felt like it wasn't quite ready. It was more like a pop-song, with one or two twists perhaps, but not enough for my taste anyway. It was even in major key, mostly. But it had a cool structure, so I decided to give it a go.

We made a demo of it and even tried it in rehearsals. But then it turned out me and the guitarist had different opinions about musical issues, like can there be two subsequent second inversions of a chord, that is, where the bass plays the fifth of the chord. I thought it was just fine, because this isn't classical music anyway. But we changed some of the chords, and it sounded just about the same, maybe even more happy and major key. Next, we argued about structural issues, because he felt like the flow of the music stopped due to all these different parts I had put into it. "But I want this part, and this as well!" I argued, and knew at the same time he was right. He finally asked to have free hands to make the changes he felt were necessary. I gringed, but agreed. 

That was the hardest thing I have had to do music wise. Usually the final decisions have been mine, the structure, the melodies, even most of the guitars and basses. I have held the final vision of a song in my hands only. So it was hard to let go of my darling, even if it wasn't the best song I've ever written, and allow it to be re-structured and modified. Kill your darlings, and you might find a new way to approach your creation. 

What came of it just bugged me for a long time. I felt like the elements that gave it at least some twist and creepy feeling were stripped out and it was now purely a pop-song going slightly to the indie direction. We tried it a few times with the band, with a little different arragements. But it was actually the guitars and the general feel that bothered me. I had a problem with the song. It felt like it wasn't mine anymore. In retrospect, I think I was still going through the process of letting go.  I wanted to leave it for a while and maybe later come back to it. And so we did.

The song was sleeping for maybe six months. I tried to listen to it a few times and analyze what it was that bothered me. Now I think it was just different visions colliding, as does happen in the creative process. In a band everyone has a whole picture in their minds about every song and want to add elements they feel are part of that whole picture. It happens unconsciously most of the time. The thing is to decide whose whole picture is the final one. 

And the one who decides has to have ears to all these elements that the others are offering and be ready to grasp it, saying "That thing you just did with the toms, that's great! Let's use it". But also He/She has to have the vision of the song clear enough in his/her own head to be able to say no to the elements that don't fit into that vision. Open ears and open mind, but also courage to say no. And that has always been my problem, in many areas of life. But I'm learning, and a band is a great learning environment.

So, now that we were recording songs for real, I thought it might be time to take a look into this problematic song and see what comes out of it. The guitarist had been pondering on the song as well, so the time seemed ripe. I did a re-construction and added some parts that I felt had unnecessarily been left out in the previous version. The most important thing, in my opinion, was to add some twist to the guitar parts so that it wouldn't sound so happy all the time. We listened to my version together and talked and analyzed. And I was finally ready to let go.

We agreed to some changes to the guitars to make it slightly creepy, but I left it up to him to come up with the final melodies. I wanted slight changes to the bass line as well. We also agreed to keep the structure that he had made, and this time it didn't bother me even a tiny bit. I think it's due to the fact that I now got to be part of the deciding process. We will refine this one to perfection in rehearsals. It won't be an essentially Gothic song, but it will be very catchy, I promise!