I had an idea for a riff, I worked on it for a couple of weeks on my own. I brought it to band practice and we started learning it. Then a week or so later at the record store, i heard it playing over the stereo. I had written "the man who sold the world".

jason from volo wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 11:42 am The guitar player plays the opening riff to the song, and, it immediately becomes apparent to me for the first time, and the other two in the band, that the riff sounds EXACTLY like the opening riff to "Fly By Night" by Rush.

*Shattered glass*

Actually the shattered glass noise is in YYZed

I was probably 16. We were in the studio for the second time to record a song for an actual compilation, and it was coming out on vinyl.

At this point, our Screeching Weasel, FYP derivative pop punk was being injected with shades of 90's hardcore (great ideas right?). While we were setup we decided to lay down a second song for demo purposes. While the gang went to get food after capturing instruments, we figured I'd lay down vocals for the demo track.

Also at this point I'd taken up Newport menthol cigarettes as my brand of choice, like some of my cool friends. They combined with a winter cold to create a months long bout of respiratory disaster.

One take into the demo track and the breakdown sounded wimpy. I needed to really get my 16 year old voice to go all aggro. I cleared some minty lung butter out of my throat and really ripped it. Upon playback I was moved to comment that it didn't sound all that tough, but as I commented my voice cracked and I started coughing. All that was left of my voice was a squeaky rasp and we had an hour or two to finish the comp track.

We had the bass player sing his parts first while I chugged water and barely made it through the song to be released without comically squeaking. Still have that record.

jason from volo wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:16 pm Want: sound like Silkworm
Nightmare but possible: sound like Maroon 5

With zero experience of what you guys are up to, I'm willing to bet it won't sound particularly like either. That's just my personal belief in the idiosyncrasies of humanity channeled through rock and roll.

I'm jealous, man, you must share when it's done! If lodging weren't a terrible expense my band would probably already be booked at either EA, or the Magpie Cage. Damned home recording is just so cheap when you have the stuff.

jason from volo wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:16 pm
I am so excited but nervous at same time.

You'll be fine. Just don't ask him if he likes your music or how does it sound.

Lu Zwei wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 2:01 am

jason from volo wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:16 pm
I am so excited but nervous at same time.

You'll be fine. Just don't ask him if he likes your music or how does it sound.

And don’t tell him you want it to sound “warm and punchy”.

tonyballzee wrote: Sat Jun 26, 2021 3:41 am The band I was in about ten years ago had a song written by our drummer that had a cool (I thought) harmony guitar intro riff (I'm a sucker for those). When it came time to decide our CD's running order, our drummer, other guitarist and I lobbied to have the song close to the beginning while our singer/main songwriter (who wasn't as enamored of the track as we were) insisted on burying it near the end, which is where it eventually went.

A short time later, a friend of the band pointed out that the harmony guitar riff was lifted almost note for note from a Blink-182 song. We immediately scratched it off the setlist.

What's funny is maybe 5-6 years ago I was at a show that was in a big warehouse... Maybe 150-200 people there... Like a nice crowd and big giant stage/cool setup for a bunch of indie bands. Anyways... This guy went up to play some acoustic stuff before the rock bands and he had everyone's attention... Towards the end of his set He literally goes into a note-for-note rendition of a Conor Oberst song on guitar, but changes the lyrics and vocal melody slightly to something else.

Afterwards I talk to someone who's a musician and I go, "Did you hear that, he just completely ripped off Conor Oberst"

The guy goes, "Oh did he? I guess I've never heard that song before." Smdh.

I went to town on a demo for this great idea I had that ended up being "My Heart Will Go On".

WeStartToDrift wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 9:22 pm I went to town on a demo for this great idea I had that ended up being "My Heart Will Go On".

I had a drunken lyric writing session and realized the next day that I'd written down an iteration of the candle in the wind metaphor.

I know longer trust anything that I write. I tell myself "if it sounds good, it must have been stolen."