Category Archives: News

The Football Project, Week 1: It Has Begun… Again

Wait, I was probably supposed to make an announcement, wasn’t I? OK, here goes:

*ahem*

I’M DOING A FOOTBALL PROJECT THIS YEAR. New song for each week for the regular season. And, if you’re good*, I’ll make a song for the S***r B**l, too! This is my third Football Project – fourth if you count the seven-track one-per-month project I did a few years ago – and it feels like the right time to bring it back. Stay tuned to this here blog – each week’s new song will be posted by 5:00pm Eastern time on Wednesday at the very latest.

NOW, on to the song! The premise is quite simple: it’s a celebration of all things football in heavy metal form (even leaving your fantasy team’s best player on the bench). Since the season’s first Sunday was September 11th – and each game contained a 9/11 patriotic ceremony – I decided to throw my patriotic hat into the fray at the end. If you know my musical habits, you can probably guess what happens… Sing along!

It Has Begun… Again

*Or not

FML Chronicles, Part 1: Making a Percussion Loop From Scratch

OK,  I’ll admit it – that “10 tracks six minutes or longer” thing didn’t happen. So what now? Well, I’m happy to report that in its place came an idea for a new album, which I think I will call “FML”. The concept behind this album will be a day in the life of that person we all know who always seems to find reasons to complain. You know, that person who, say, clogs your Facebook/Twitter feed with constant missives on how much their life sucks. It’s already shaping up to be brutally heavy, quite complex, and probably the most manic album I’ve ever made. Should be fun!

I’m planning on posting some demos here as I piece this album together. I’m still fairly early in the writing process, but there’s enough to start demoing. This particular bit is an idea for a piano driven section near the end of the album. I wanted a unique drum loop to work underneath the simple piano bit, so I got to work recording three different patterns on three objects that were never intended to be musical instruments. The “bass drum” playing quarter notes is a suitcase played with a bass drum pedal. The sound on the left is a big ol’ metal lid played in a 3/16 pattern with a rubber mallet I got with a cheap little brass gong. Lastly, the sound on the right is a “2 + 3” 5/8 pattern played with a drum stick on a thick cardboard tube used for mailing posters. The three distinct patterns came together to make what I think is a really neat loop. Last thing: This was all recorded – piano included – on Reaper with a Yeti Pro microphone. NEW TOYS!

Enjoy this little taste and let me know what you think.

FML Evening Loop

Following Up

Hello again. MORE NEWS TIME:

Bandcamp follow-up: I have posted the second album, “Bowling is Metal,” on my bandcamp site. Stream the album in full and download HERE.

Thing Two: The re-recording of “The Blendor” is going quite smoothly – so much so that tracking is nearly complete. Expect to see the final results posted here in the next week or two. From there, it’s on to other big giant long tracks, ideally posted once a month (with some extra little goodies thrown in for good measure).

Welp, that’s pretty much it. So, how are you? See you next time.

All Sorts of News

Woah. It’s been a while. Sorry, blog. So, what’s new? Plenty. Here we go:

Facebook: Yes, I finally made myself a Facebook Music Page. When I get the ability to shorten the link, I’ll post it. In the meantime, wander over to that place and search for my actual name (Ed Klingenberger) and I highly imagine you’ll find me.

Bandcamp: Yes! I have set up a Bandcamp website where you can listen/download my music! Most of which you have NOT heard on this blog! There are three big albums you will find there in the coming days/weeks, starting with 2007’s Dancing For Patriotism. Link here: http://edklingenberger.bandcamp.com

New Material: This year would be incomplete without new stuff, now, wouldn’t it? Starting in February, I will post one brand new recording once a month. Why only one a month? Simple – I’ve decided to take the opposite route from 30 Clubs in 30 Songs and concoct tracks that are 6 minutes long at the shortest. I’ve already seen what I can do when I restrict the time frame, now it’s time to see what I can do when I expand it. I will start by re-recording my oddest songwriting achievement – “The Blendor”, a series of 10 micro-songs with a somewhat cohesive and delightfully stupid plot  – from the ground up.

Other: I have started recording an album with Dan Ball Jr. This is really my first opportunity to play producer and I’m really excited about it. Check out his music here.

Wow, that’s a lot. Thanks for hanging out and Stay tuned – this is gonna be fun.

On This Day Last Year…

…I started this blog. One year, 82 posts (this is post 83), and one big honkin’ baseball project later, Ed Makes Things is officially one year old! To celebrate, I’ve concocted a generic birthday song recording. No specific person/place/thing is sung, so this recording can be used for any occasion! AND it’s complete with the tuneless hacks, loud morons, and complete jerkfaces that ruin any birthday singing occasion (full disclosure: I’m usually a jerkface)! Enjoy this useless and totally self-indulgent piece of chaos.

Generic Birthday

Programming note: The next Christmas tune will be posted on Thursday as scheduled. And, for the record: The best day of traffic this blog received, as of the writing of this post, was October 21st… the day I posted THIS.

Announcing: Christmas In 7 Minutes (And 40 Seconds)

It’s the Monday after (American) Thanksgiving Are you ready for some Christmas music?! Probably not. BUT…

As my friends and relatives know, I have made Christmas music each of the last three years (which you can hear HERE (2007), HERE (2008), and HERE (2009)). SO… if some is good, more is better, right? I dove into some sacred fare this year, but it’s still the same punk rock goodness that my holiday work has been since I started.

HOW THIS WILL WORK: I will be posting the four new tracks one at a time every Thursday in December before the holiday, starting this week (December 2nd). If you can’t wait, send me an email asking for the tracks and I will oblige. Otherwise, I’ll see you here Thursday with “Angels We Have Heard On High.”

I Got A Gig? I Got A Gig!

Yes, people, it’s true. I got a gig THIS SATURDAY, October 16th. I’ll be playing a happy hour from 5-8pm at the Strathallan Bar & Grill in Rochester, NY (550 East Ave., 14607). Hopefully, this will be the first of many, but gotta have the first gig first, right? This should be a fun time. If you’re in the area, stop by and say Hi, have a drink or some food, and watch me play the piano and be an idiot! I’ll take requests – just don’t be surprised if I butcher the song completely or don’t play the entire song and we’ll be cool.

New song or two up next week. PROMISE!

A Sort of Announcement

Hello again. Well, time has passed since the completion of 30 Clubs in 30 Songs. So, what to do with it? What I’m thinking is pressing and releasing it in a physical form! Progress is slow but sure, but I hope to get it out there before the end of the postseason. Here’s the probably final album cover:

Cover?

The music will not be mere replications of the original posts on this blog. Rather, I remastered all 31 tracks (boosting the volume) and fixed a bunch of the mixes. You won’t have to turn up your speakers so much AND you’ll be able to understand far more of the words! Win-Win! Here’s a sample of what I’ve done. Enjoy! And stay tuned for further updates on this process.

30 in 30 Sampler

Story Time

No music today, just one of them good ol’ Tales From The Road too strange to not share. BIG LARGE MUSIC ANNOUNCEMENT COMING NEXT WEEK! STAY TUNED TO THIS HERE BLOG!

Yesterday afternoon, my buddy Daniel Ball Jr. and I set out to play the Utica Music and Arts Fest in Central New York state. It’s a three-day affair with plenty of bands and alcohol for everybody. Wandering around after our set, I could definitely see the big potential with this festival. It’s a great idea for a town that needs at least a few more. Continue reading

Join The Fun!

Hey all, I got an idea for a Track 31 to 30 Clubs in 30 Songs. The idea is simple: Wouldn’t it be awesome if I did a very well-known baseball song and got as many people as possible in on it? This is where  you, the reader, come into play. Can you sing? Doesn’t matter. If you want to join in on the fun, make the jump and I’ll tell you how.

Continue reading