slstone

I posted this in another thread elsewhere on the forum. I don't post that often. As most of you know who have heard my stuff, I normally record all instruments myself. But back in '04 or '05, a musician friend of mine and I were working on some tunes. This one was actually written by my lovely wife, Debra. I reworked the words into a more lyrical fashion. I wrote all the music, vocal melody etc. My buddy played guitar and drums on this, I did bass guitar and vocals. However, my buddy joined me in the chorus with a really deep voice, which to us sounded like the 'Voice of God' joining us on it. One of our jokes is that when your voice sounds really rough from sleep or being sick, it's time to go record vocals again for it, lol. It's a fun party song. Enjoy http://slstonemusic.com/smtv.html (I have players there to play the song) Or you may direct download if you wish. Right click and 'save as': http://slstonemusic.com/media/JDonIce.mp3 (Or just click the link and it will play in your media player) ...I have to warn you, the hook in this tune is highly addictive. You will find yourself humming and singing it after you walk away from the computer....

Wow. First time I've ever heard of Uncle Mike. That's news to me....

I forgot about him and the whole Metallica thing. Excellent addition to the band, lol.

If I was, I'd be Queensryche's new vocalist instead of Todd La Torre. I think we should put together a band that consists of people who have bad blood with former band mates. Could be interesting: Geoff Tate: Vocals Mike Portnoy: Drums Ynwgie Malmsteen: Guitar (Just for attitude and he really needs to pick a singer and stick with one) Anyone else want to help with this fantasy band? lol Side note: Remember earlier this year when Kamelot announced their new singer after an online audition search? Tommy Karevik was chosen? Unknown factoids about me: 1. I did audition for that spot using my youtube cover of Karma as well as an additional tune I've been working on. Haven't posted it here as I needed to finish a couple of guitar tracks on but the vocals all set. As soon as I have time I will finish it and post it here... 2. I had considered auditioning for Dragonforce. Actually started to film my audition. I may post my version of the audition song, 'Long Journey Home'. I wonder if anyone here would be interested in hearing that...

I have to disagree with this analogy. Back in his prime, Bruce had a nickname in the business was 'The Siren'. And it wasn't due to the singing technique of sirens, it was because he vocally all over the place and his highs were belted so powerfully, that he was a human siren(like an ambulance or police car). I actually call a lot of what he did back in the 80's precision singing. I believe Labrie and Dickinson, though very different in tonality, are equally skilled in many areas. One can learn a lot trying to sing like them, ala singing along with the cd and trying to learn the techniques they use. Most of my skills, I developed most of my technique by singing along to Maiden, Yngwie, Stryper, Helloween, Queensryche, Dream Theater, etc. All of whom, in my humble opinion, have some of the best vocal chops in the business. So there you have it. My list of teachers. Bruce Dickinson Jeff Scott Soto, Mark Boals, Mats Leven, etc.. Michael Sweet Michael Kiske, Geoff Tate James Labrie.....and the list goes on...

I would be up for that. I am currently working on a DT song. Rather time consuming as I record everything myself and I'm only 1 person. I still haven't had time to finish my entry for the Dio cover thread, lol. Soon, though.

I say that anyone who questions his prowess is jealous because he is a successful musician. That's why I shy away from armchair critiques. Usually the people talking crap are the ones who are too lazy to develop their voices/technique to even compete at all. It makes them feel better to say someone else doesn't have the skill. That way they have a reason to not want to get better themselves. Just saying. Remember Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon? He once said that the music DT did and more particular, John Petrucci's guitar playing was "stupid". DT continue to flourish, and are still alive for people to complain about. Now, what was it that happened to Mr. Hoon? Who's stupid now? ...quietly climbs down from high horse....

Or you can also do what is called the "poor man's copyright". You mail a copy of your work to yourself. When you get it back, keep it sealed, do not open it. The post date that gets stamped on it is then proof of date when taken into court(if needed). Otherwise it's $30 per song, or $30 for a collection of songs, but not each song individually. However, nowdays, uploading your stuff is another cheap way of copyrights of a sort. Whenever you upload a song, a time and date is encoded into the data for your upload. Also, just about everyone here can count themselves in the elite club of being published musicians. The definition of a published musician is that your own music is heard by others in a public format. This site fits that format. Also another point in copyright law is this. Assuming you don't have the money to copyright your music, band name, etc. That's ok. Find ways to denote when you started and keep track of things. When it comes to a lawsuit, and none of the parties have anything copyrighted, it comes down to length of time someone has been using it. For instance, you choose a band name. 2 years down the road, another band with the same name sues you for infringement. In court, a judge will look at who has been using the name longer, and will award that person or group with the rights to use that name. If you guys remember back in 2006, there was a short lived contest show called: Supernova. It consisted of Jason Newsted, Tommy Lee, and Gilby Clark looking for a vocalist. It was done like American Idol. After the show ended, while they were recording and getting ready to tour, they were sued by another band who had been using the name Supernova for many years(you would think they would have done their homework). So the band from the TV show changed it to Rockstar Supernova.

p.s. more useless knowledge. Trans Siberian Orchestra is named after the longest train route in Russia and is made up from the members of the Hard Rock/Metal band Savatage plus a full orchestra, and Manheim Steamroller is founded by Chip Davis, who is the original artist from the 70's and early 80's country band, C.W. McCall( yes it was a band name, not the vocalist's name). Remember the song 'Convoy'? More interesting tidbits to come....

Time to jump in as I have tons of knowledge in the copyright department. Felipe is correct about the fair use clause. But more to the point. Posting covers on youtube is ok in most circumstances. For instance. I have posted on my youtube channel, 2 cover songs that were done in collaboration with some online friends. One is a Kamelot song, the other Stratovarius. It helps to post a disclaimer in your description. Mine states that no monies were made, that the songs were done purely for enjoyment and that copyrights belong to original artists. Also I don't have either of them monetized on youtube. What that means is that you opt to monetize a video which then allows youtube to run an ad prior to your video streaming and any monies made from someone clicking on it go to you, but the rules state that you must be the sole copyright recipient to do that. Now if I posted those songs, and posted a link in my description that would send you somewhere to buy a cd with me performance on it with the purpose of me making money, then I would need to obtain and pay for a mechanical license to the current copyright holder(not always original artist(for a long time Michael Jackson had owned the entire Beatles catalogue.)) The mechanical license would state how many copies you intend to produce and sell and have an agreed upon price per CD/download that copyright owner expects to receive. You can do these through musician unions as well such as ASCAP, etc...there you pay a one time fee. It can be a bit pricey as you pay end up paying hundreds or more to license a song. But it is not an infringement on youtube as long as you don't make any money doing it, aren't selling copies of you performing it, etc. Just as a side note to this issue. There are some songs that do not fall under copyright law due to the type of song and when it was written. Example: patriotic songs such as the star spangled banner, old church hymns, and most Christmas songs. That's why bands such as Manheim Steamroller and Trans Siberian Orchestra do Christmas songs or rock up some Beethoven. No royalties to pay out, no licensing etc. Now I'm talking old ones like Silent Night etc. Not the modern stuff from the 50's and 60' and newer. For instance, you could do Oh Holy Night, but not Rocking around the Christmas tree, sell as many copies as you want and not infringe on copyrights. If you want to know if it's doable, just do a search on copyright owners of a particular song. So I hope I have helped and not confused the issue any more than it already is, lol.

Original post...style reminds me of a cross between Iron Maiden and Dragonforce...

I might join in this challenge, as I have been working on a Dio song for a while. I've already recorded all of the music for it, and I may actually have time soon for my studio, lol. Now if I can have a day where my voice isn't hoarse, it would be awesome. However, I won't tell you yet which song it is.

I don't critique other people's singing, as everyone knows, for many reasons. But I want to add my 2 cents to some things others have said. In agreement with my brother, Ron, I don't care if people try to sound like the original or not. What I look for when listening is technique and pitch. Proper breathing helps, too, lest one suck in a breath on an odd place. I also have an affinity for '2 Minutes to Midnight' as it is the first 'Metal' song I learned to play back in the 80's and one of the first songs I cut my teeth on singing. I have been a die hard Maiden fan for about 25 years. Been a Queensryche fan just as long. Side note: awesome concert I went to back in 2000. Was still living in NH before moving to Maine. Concert was in Portland, Maine. First opener was Rob Halford when he went solo for his album 'Resurrection'. Next up was Queensryche(Obviously Geoff still singing). I've loved Queensryche since the original MindCrime album. Still my fave album, too, and from what I hear, most Queensryche fans hold that album as their favorite as well. And headlinging the show was Maiden(about the 6th time I had seen them, lol). Definitely got my money's worth in the ticket. I took my lovely wife, Debra, with me. At the time we were dating. We married later that year. And of course, who doesn't like Dio? I haven't spent much time in my studio lately. Been doing a lot of fixing up of the house and cleaning out crap while the weather is good. Here in Maine, its cold for 9 months of the year. But I have been working on a Dio song that I will post when completed(all the music is done(all played by me as usual)). Just need to do vocals. When I have time, need the right day(friggin hoarse voice all the time doesn't help). But as another note, those 3 vocalists(Dio, Tate and Dickinson) are considered some of the absolute best in the business. They are not easy to follow. And there's my 2 cents worth. Anyone want their change back? lol

That's ok. His name is Roy, lol.

Before Shannon Hoon died(vocalist for blind melon), he once made a reference to Dream Theater and had stated that the way John Petrucci plays guitar is stupid or something similar, in essence, disrespecting progressive music. I am with you on this as anyone who listens to my CD can hear alot of prog influence.... I am also a lifelong Kansas fan, especially thanks to my bro for letting me borrow Two for the Show so many times when we were kids...I was also thinking of covering that tune, but I have many on the burner already and no time to record. Almost spring here and lots of house fixing things to do...after that...I will have many tunes to pump out.

Hey bro, that's what I refer to as Recording Syndrome. I have had quite a few friends who are afflicted with it. They could play a song flawlessly many times...until they record, then they make every mistake known to man and then invent new ones. What happens is that one thinks, oh crap, I am recording now, can't screw up. So therefore, we screw up. What you have to do is remember one thing. That's why they invented to rewind button. If you get frustrated after doing it a few times and messing up, then you need to learn some patience. Remember that even the well known pros make mistakes, otherwise a band could go in and record an hour of music in one hour. Have you ever seen the documentary, 'A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica'? it was filmed while they were making the black album. Take a wild guess on why the title is what it is. That's why I make the point of taking the extra time to show people what you can do when you work hard on something, not just throw out the first thing. Also remember, if it was easy, then everyone could do it. And the other point was also right. Performance while recording. Your developed technique mixed with your audio performance to give you track its awesomeness. What my wife and I do when we listen back to my stuff, we ask a simple question. Is it good enough? if the answer is yes, then it really isn't good enough, it's average. We don't settle for anything less than the wow factor. I had this debate with a couple others last year, and was told I was wrong. It's just that I don't settle for mediocrity. Hope I don't insult anyone, just stating my opinions.

http://slstonemusic.com https://www.etsy.com/listing/125312813/sl-stone-book-of-shadows-full-length By popular demand, here are the only links on the entire internet where you can purchase an autographed copy of my new CD. p.s. Many thanks to my brother, ronws, and to our wonderful site administrator Adolph, for not only the idea of setting up a place for special requests, but also for Adolph's leniency and permission allowing me to advertise my CD(yes, I did ask permission first before ever starting this thread.) The link it takes you to is my lovely wife, Debra's, online shop, where my CD can be directly ordered from me. Anywhere else you purchase, you get the stock I sent them. And many thanks to everyone for the support and wonderful comments. S.L.

Due to popular demand, tomorrow I will put a link up so that those of you who wish to purchase an autographed copy may do so as CD Baby does not have any autographed copies. Wonder if I should reserve an autographed copy for Mr. Lunte as well...

hey bro, the challenge is, can I play them all at the same time...let me channel Michael Angelo Batio...2 guitar necks, playing rhythm and soloing at the same time....wait give me a bass drum to kick, smack a cymbal with my head, see if I can play the keys with other foot.

Thank you and it is officially up and for sale: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/slstone or http://slstonemusic.com p.s. had to edit...for those who prefer iTunes as your source, I am already up there as well: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/book-of-shadows/id611487291 Thanks to everyone for the kind words...

Thanks.

just for notes of interest, inspiration for each track of my CD: River Of Pain: I was listening to Supremacy, Our Kind from Pagan's Mind. Vision: Nothing Specific, my first venture into writing power/prog metal. Book of Shadows: believe it or not, inspiration was 'A Touch of Blessing' by Evergrey. Voices: inspired by work(day job in mental health, I work in a group home for retarded adults) Relentess: Obvious. I am a die hard Iron Maiden fan. Rage: riff cross between 'I Wish I Had an Angel' from Nightwish and 'Dr. Feelgood' from Motley Crue. (it was my old drummer buddy who had the idea of the drums sounding almost disco-ish whilst guitars are gritty) Memory: main inspiration...my ex-wife whom I divorced 17 years ago. been with my current wife for 13) Sands of Time: my 2nd foray in writing power/prog. especially in the long version during the extended instrumental part had an odd time signature for awhile. A lot of time and revising went into each of the songs. Had you heard them in their origianl inceptions, some would be unrecognizable. And yes, bro, many layers. That's the way I write. I love lushness when it come to music. I have a nasty habit of writing completely differing parts that seem to blend whilst playing them together. It's a knack I have. The trick came later when I learn to play all my songs and my guitar and sing them at the same time. Anyway, just wanted to add a little interesting side notes.... Anyway, bro, let me know, I will send one this weekend.

lol, just in case I become famous, lol. If you wouldn't mind a little anecdote: As you know, there is always some sort of fly in the ointment in any kind of progress. I had actually printed the first 5 jewel inserts some months ago. Since that time, I had changed the track order. Thankfully, there were only those 5 misprints. 3 have been given away, leaving only 2. The others are printed correctly. Question becomes, do those 5 become valuable, being the only 5 cd's with misprinted jewel inserts in existence? or merely a mistake that was caught prior to mailing out.... So, bro, would you prefer one of the 'limited collector's edition'(i.e. the misprinted one), or a regular, correctly printed edition? FYI, track listing on the CD itself is correct.(now that I finally got the dang printer working correctly). I have a special printer that prints directly on the CD. So it's not a cd label from a package at walmart, which I don't like anyway, as those kind usually get stuck in the CD player in the vehicle. One more day, and CD Baby needs to get their crap together and hurry up and approve my new cover art. It's not difficult as it is the same picture, just different tinting. Anyway, thanks for the kind words, bro, and you, too, George. Yes I agree on your assessment of the guitar mix. Just a note. I have had no formal training in recording and mixing. I have learned it all on my own by doing it. Some of the things I am recording now are coming out much better. I would re record everything on this CD, but I would actually like to start on new material. Being my own band and vocal department, I am sure you can understand the challenge of writing, recording and mixing all on one's own....main phrase: time consuming. Anyway, CD #2 is going to be much more epic and bigger sounding. Kind of like Nightwish meets Kamelot meets Iron Maiden meets Pagan's Mind.

2 more days to release. CD Baby has it all set, just finalizing a few things. It will be available for sale initially at CD Baby as both CD and digital download(mp3). It will be distributed digitally to a million other places, timing may vary on when they have it. I will leave the url of my album so that you may check to see when it is available. I am excited to say the least. This had been a long time coming. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/slstone

I'm thinking the Type O Negative cover of Cinnamon Girl...lol.