Shout out to @nigelharpur for buying my two songs on Bandcamp yesterday! I was having a day full of frustration and self-doubt as I work on my latest track. Thank you so much for reminding me why I do this; you made me feel like a rock star.
I used to work with this cool lady and she would always take an interest in my songwriting. Every Monday, she’d ask how the weekend jam sessions went and if I’d recorded anything new. The weird thing was, anytime I had something uploaded for her to listen to, she’d listen to it through, and then tell me that it’s “not her kind of music” which is fair enough, but it always bemused me that she would take such an interest if she didn’t like what I was making.
One day, I decided to write her a song that she’d enjoy.
Spotify and Apple Music were playing at work all the time, so I knew what sort of songs she was into. Classic Rock. Australian Pub Rock in particular. She was a single mum in her 50’s, a strong, hard woman, an Aussie battler.
I wrote Proud Woman in a weekend, and recorded it at home on borrowed equipment. A mate I regularly jammed with did the vocals for me and when it was done, I uploaded it to my SoundCloud and gave her the link when I got to work.
She liked it.
The experience taught me the value of an audience of one. Even though the recording is rough, the focus on writing a song for one person with the aim that they - that person in particular - enjoys it, I think gave me a different perspective than when I was either writing purely for my own enjoyment, or simply going with some random song idea.
It's after 10pm here on a Saturday night, and my music-finding post is finally done and posted! ⚡
I know we all find music in different ways, and I wanted to write a bit on it. These are my methods and tools. Comment away on your own methods and tools-- I'd love to see everyone else's process, too!
So I wrote Stupid in my late teens and would play it on occasion in company. The usual first response is "You don't actually think you're stupid, do you?"
I didn't really know how to respond to that. The song is about myself, yes, but I don't think I'm stupid... most of the time. Because, sometimes I was made to feel stupid, because I'd forget stuff, or be absent minded. In fact, all the verses are about how others sometimes made me feel. I didn't know it at the time - it was decades later that I made the connection - that I was writing about ADHD.... I assume... I've never gone and got diagnosed. Anyway, shut up, I'm not stupid. Here's my song I just re-recorded. If this was a new song, I'd wait till it was released before tooting it, but an old, terrible version has been up on Soundcloud for over two years. It's gone now, and this is the new updated version. I'll have to pick a date in February to release it to all the streamy places.
Edit: Date picked. Stupid will go live on all the other streamy places on the 16th February, 2024.
I was going to wait until next Wednesday for Music Women Wednesday for this one, but I need to talk about this album right now.
'Precious Dream' by Hot Garbage came out today and I just finished listening to it. It's perfect. More than likely will make my top 20 this year unless 20 other amazing albums somehow surpass it. I doubt they will. Both Juliana and Alex Carlevaris sing, they're siblings. It's like psych, garage, post punk, shoegaze? But there's also some wild bluesy and dark country-ish vibes. It's amazing fuckin SONGWRITING is what it is. This is Hot Garbage's second album, now I gotta check out their first.
Malaysia's OBSCURIAL just put out their second full length yesterday, and WHAT an album this is. 'Heretic' might be my favorite metal LP of the year so far. Some REALLY wild, unique stuff on this one.
St. Louis' STILL ANIMALS released their first self-titled LP today, and I've been waiting to hear all of this one after stumbling across them a couple months back and loving their demo.
After just listening to the whole thing, I can confirm, amazing catchy, solid garage rock songs front to back. Easily one of my favorite records of 2024 so far. Need to give this one a LOT more listens, but it's a perfect album for Bandcamp Friday - check it out!
I spotted @laamaa's post about his new album 'M8 II' on Friday but only just now had a chance to listen -- it's incredible. If you like chiptune or synthwave at ALL, this is a MUST hear (and his other stuff too). The melodies, and the dynamics, the tracks all flow so well. 🎹 🔥
If you have an #introduction toot pinned on your profile that you’d like boosted, #comment “IntroBoost” below, and I’ll give you a #boost to help you connect with the community.
I mentioned this album on Wednesday, but now that it's out and I just listened to all of it, I can confirm that 'The Future is the Pits' is a certified banger. SEVERAL times as I was listening, I was like, DAMN this is catchy! The WHOLE thing is.
If you like fun, raucous bluesy garage rock/punk, Australia's Sick Fizz are definitely for you. What an ALBUM. Another serious contender for my top 20 that I can't currently see something knocking off the list.
If you have an #introduction toot pinned on your profile that you’d like boosted, #comment “IntroBoost” below, and I’ll give you a #boost to help you connect with the community.
Albums I have my eye on that are coming out this month or next:
Afterbirth - In But Not Of - Oct 20
Autopsy - Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts - Oct 27
R.M.F.C - Club Hits - Nov 3
Suffocation - Hymns from the Apocrypha - Nov 3
Scream - DC Special - Nov 10
The Dwarves - Concept Album - Nov 17
The Judges - Judgment Day - Nov 24
As always, apologies to those who don't like gross death metal (keep scrolling!) but for those who DO like gross death metal, I somehow missed this LP from GORUPTED (a one man band/project from France) last year. No idea how.
This might've made my favorite albums list from last year, had I heard it. It's THAT good of gross death metal.
Okay. I am more aware and have learned much.
Firstly, I do have the most amazing followers. Y’all continue to show why this community is different to any other social network.
As I’ve said before, my account is not one dimensional, so I end up being followed for different reasons. Recycled dad jokes, music - mine, other indie artists on Mastodon, or whatever I’m randomly listening to, silly memes, absurd recipes, Oxford commas, pics of Tora, Greek mythology… anyway, I’m a person, not a brand, and Dgar is my music project, not a business. I’ll endeavour to make better use of hashtags to separate some of my different “series”, in particular the music posts. So “For Your Information” I’ll try to remember to use the following hashtags.
Something's in the water in Australia that makes great rock and roll. PLEASANTS is the new solo effort of Al Uminium (Dennis Cometti, Aborted Tortoises, Ghoulies) and it's catchy, rough, raw, fun, and synthy.
If you're into catchy garage synth punk-ish stuff, you're gonna dig. Even has some kinda 60s garage feel or 70s punk feel to it sometimes.
Recommended, and might be a contender for my favorite albums of 2024.
I have 2 new Spotify playlists that I'd love to add your track to:
Meditative Moods (prayerful, contemplative tracks - precedence given to instrumentals) and
Moved By Music (something to make people tap their toes, but with something out of the ordinary - precedence given to "world" influenced tracks).
So I'm starting up the #BandCamp recommendations thread.
Please feel free to recommend your own work, your friends work or just something cool you would like to share. If it's on BandCamp it's welcome in the thread.
The 4th Annual Fedivision Song Contest has concluded. What an incredible event, and indeed, an amazing achievement by the organisers of the event. 🎉
Shoutout to the face of Fedivision 2024, the winner of Fedivision 2023, @futzle for the incredible effort they’ve put into putting this together and keeping it running! 👏
Congratulations to every single person who entered their music! It’s been so much fun listening to your tracks. All of them!! 🫶
Shout out to Radio Free Fedi (@radiofreefedi) for hosting the pop-up channel for the event! They’ve done an amazing job! 👍
Congratulations to our winner, @keefmarshall for their incredible piece “Misaligned Aardvarks”! 🏆
Congrats to our runner up @negativeplayers for their amazing song “The New Rage”! ✌️
Big love to everyone who voted “All Zombies Go To Heaven” into 3rd place. Out of 72 entries, you humble me. Thank you. ☺️
I’m honoured to share the top ten with all the excellent artists who got a shoutout from the Fedivision Vote Bot. The entire selection is an amazing collection of impressive works!! 🥂
I want to thank my Wife, and Mom & Dad, and…
*#Dgar is forcibly escorted from the podium while continuously trying to thank everyone they can think of…
Airlock is a sci-fi themed song set in the Space Pop universe. It’s the first song I released this year, and the first song I had released after having a break for two years or so.
Anyway, I don’t think you’ve heard it yet. Wanna give it a listen?