Artist Bio
Influences: the winds of change.
hi! i run FAWM (mostly). i'm a science nerd and pop music junkie who grew up in the bluegrass, went to school in the tundra, and now i work in steeltown. i've been in bands in all of those places. for the 9-to-5 thing, i'm the research director at duolingo (https://research.duolingo.com).
he/him/yinz/y'all.
historically i've been a guitar-rock kind of guy. before COVID lockdown i had only one hardware synth, no MIDI cables, and no DAW plugins. over the past year i've... started a collection. so i hope to start making better use of them for FAWM this year. in particular: some dawless live-jamming and baroque-pop orchestrations. we'll see!
despite starting this thing, i've only "won" FAWM 7 times. but i did hit 14 songs in 2021 for the first time in over a decade! let's see if i can do it again in 2022...
2004 - ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▒
2005 - ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▒
2006 - ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
2007 - ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▒▒
2008 - ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
2009 - ░░
2010 - ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
2011 - ░░░░░░░
2012 - .
2013 - .
2014 - ░
2015 - ░░░░░
2016 - .
2017 - .
2018 - ░░░░░░
2019 - ░░
2020 - ░░
2021 - ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
2022 - ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▒
*** I DID IT!! ***
this is the first time since 2007 i've done more than 14 songs! and the second time since 2010 i've gone to 14. whew. gettin' my groove back...
some burr-related links:
https://www.youtube.com/burrsettles
https://soundcloud.com/burrsettles
https://deliciouspastries.bandcamp.com
this is me: 
Songs (15)
| #1 | sonic experiment #3: generative eurorack medley |
23 Feb 2022 |
|
| #2 | steal this song (i dare ya) |
23 Feb 2022 |
|
| #3 | prime euclidean |
8 Feb 2022 |
|
| #4 | stochasticity |
7 Feb 2022 |
|
| #5 | same old mistakes |
16 Feb 2022 |
|
| #6 |  help me help you |
13 Feb 2022 |
|
| #7 | synclavier man (megasynthfeast)  |
5 Feb 2022 |
|
| #8 | dx7 man (megasynthfeast) |
4 Feb 2022 |
|
| #9 | arp2600 man (megasynthfeast) |
7 Feb 2022 |
|
| #10 | cmi man (megasynthfeast2) |
3 Feb 2022 |
|
| #11 | minimoog man (megasynthfeast2) |
2 Feb 2022 |
|
| #12 | give in / give out |
14 Feb 2022 |
|
| #13 | love on two wheels (4-track tape 16) @fourtracktape |
30 Feb 2022 |
|
| #14 | wax, wane, repeat (4-track tape 15) @fourtracktape |
16 Feb 2022 |
|
| #15 | i am a nightingale (4-track tape 14) @fourtracktape |
21 Feb 2022 |
Soundboard
-
@metalfoot Mar 2022
Burr-- thanks so much for everything you do and for being the brains behind this here site. I can't tell you how important FAWM has become to me. This is awesome.
-
@looprication Mar 2022
Yo Burr - Blades! https://www.controlvoltage.net/mutable-instruments-blades.html
-
@elainedimasi Mar 2022
Congrats on the win too!
-
@kiffa Mar 2022
Just dropping in to say thank you! Most of us might still have been songwriters without FAWM, but every writer who's written a song for FAWM that otherwise wouldn't have existed owes you a debt of gratitude. What you started has brought a lot of good into the world and I hope you feel the importance of that.
-
@fireball Mar 2022
yo, burr. i spent all my fawm time making songs. and when the month ended, i had to immerse myself in study for a big exam. which i just finished. so now i'll comment more on some things, including some of the funky songs that i know you did. as always, hats off to you for keeping it going.
-
@sorby69 Mar 2022
Hey Burr! Thanks for the nice comments about our 4-track video collab "All our fears". It was a lot of fun and I'm keen to do more next time around.
Thanks also for your tireless efforts - and for your part in making my first FAWM so massively enjoyable. Cheers! -
@emplate Mar 2022
Ah, I had no idea posting the full thing could mess up the algorithm like that. Sorry about that! It's just that I remember myself somewhere in the past wanting to listen to the whole albums made by some members and it's been quite frustrating to jump between tracks and their profile, so I thought posting the whole thing would be helpful (not that many people would actually have the time to listen to that much material by one person during one sitting). But yeah, thanks for the comment! And yes, it was my first time "winning". Feeling quite good about that! :)
-
@samplebandit Mar 2022
hey! I'm bit late on this but thanks for listening to my #6 track :)
-
@nahlej381 Mar 2022
Congrats on the win! And I’ve already got sappy on you before but thx again for FAWM…I only discovered it 3 years ago but this community has helped me get better at the craft and given me something to look forward to…it also ruined me lol I used up all my vacation and sick time for FAWM as I had no interest in paying bills lol
Cheers from Indiana! -
@seanbrennan Mar 2022
Way, way kind of you to come and drop some love on "Bossa Teresa," the song I wrote for @lavishdude around Valentine's Day. Congrats on the "win" and I hope your FAWM was everything you wanted it to be!
-
@plushbaby Mar 2022
Haha, well unfortunately none of us are Corey Loog Brennan :) And yes good spot, the old electric and acoustic combo, nice to bring it out now and again!
-
@plushbaby Mar 2022
Hey Burr, nice work on smashing through 14! We wrote a Lemonheads song this year and thought you might dig it: https://fawm.org/songs/133524/ If Evan's not releasing songs, we can write some for him?
-
@ericdistad Mar 2022
Congrats Burr!
-
@katestantonsings Mar 2022
You WIN for 15 songs. You WIN for creating FAWM. THANK YOU!! Until next year...peace & music.
-
@sph Feb 2022
Thanks for listening. "That second bridge on the guitar" thing is really fun. Try to carve on yourself. I went the expensive (because of transport and tax) route but it should not be too hard for DIYing.
-
@sw1n3flu Feb 2022
Winner!
-
@improvyssey Feb 2022
Thanks for the comment, Burr! Yes, this is my second ever stylophone video. I'm mostly an acoustic-instrument person, but this little synth is pretty cool. I like juxtaposing it with other instruments and seeing what happens.
-
@sync Feb 2022
Hey Burr, I was wondering what it feels like to be the progenitor of this thing that is so embraced by so many people all over the world? Is there a document of it's genesis anywhere? I would enjoy knowing the details.
-
@edward9thstreet Feb 2022
Hello, thx for asking. Log in has been sketchy the last few days, especially on my phone and tablet. Just now, it worked! But didn't this morning. I'm not having any probs on other sites logins. I've tried PW reset. Using different browsers. Any known issues w Android?
-
@ofishell Feb 2022
OK, I will stop stalking your soundboard. LOL Actually, I would keep it up, but a client will be here any moment now, and I really do have to concentrate on making a living.
Thank you, as always, for getting (and keeping) FAWM together. I don't always participate in the way that I would like, but without this space, I would never have written the last two albums I got out, nor would I have met so many other amazing musicians. I appreciate you and everyone who makes FAWM what it is.
As an aside, since you work at the awesome duolingo, you might enjoy this song I wrote:
https://fawm.org/songs/134928/
For the last two years, I have taken sentences from my very first German textbook in college and set them to music. Complete nonsense. -
@elainedimasi Feb 2022
Re: counterpoint, I hadn't quite connected the chiptune relationship until hearing your piece. Harmonizing in 3rds and 6ths for chiptunes works so well because it keeps the chords present and the extra sonority really helps. Harmonizing in 3rds and 6ths is also golden rule of traditional counterpoint. Traditional counterpoint also has lots of rules for what intervals are allowed to be in melodies/ phrases. Folks often say they don't think music should be prescriptive but when a good plan is followed, the effect is noticeable for sure!
-
@cts Feb 2022
...and knowing is half the battle ;)
-
@dreamscuba Feb 2022
Thanks for your comments on I Am One With The Lunatic...Much appreciated. The sounds all came from one preset on the Quad Cortex, but there are different scenes. I toggled between them and also added a couple of other guitar layers. I may play with this idea more in future songs.
-
@debrandio Feb 2022
Fleshing out lyrics used to be such a comforting thing, hard to come by these days. Life is good on the road!
-
@toms Feb 2022
Thank you for the listen and the kind comments!
-
@eargoggle Feb 2022
Love all these synth experiments! I also got the Arturia collection or whatever that is, and have disappeared down a rabbit hole with it. This one is all on the Juno-
https://fawm.org/songs/126976/
And this one I think is all on the Synclavier, but I sort of forget-
https://fawm.org/songs/130884/ -
@musicsongwriter Feb 2022
Thank you so much for your kind words on my collaboration with Kate and for your sympathy. I've lost my soulmate and it is very hard to understand why. Music and lyrics help me express it and this has some healing feel although life has definitely divided into before and after, however primitive it might sound, it is sadly true.
-
@mandolinda Feb 2022
Thank you for the lovely comment on my collab with @elesimo. That lyric was such a pleasure to put to music.
-
@nancyrost Feb 2022
I think the IYKYK explanation was intended for CTS. :-)
-
@corinnecurcio Feb 2022
Hey Burr - I don't seem able to edit the heading on my Sunday Skirmish post - I can only edit the body of the post. I think someone else had the same issue. Thanks
https://fawm.org/forums/topic/12565/ -
@metalfoot Feb 2022
Can I just say a big thank you for all that you do for this community?
-
@bamsekarhu Feb 2022
Thank you! So glad to entertain :)
-
@bradbrubaker Feb 2022
Thank you for everything and have a good FAWM!
-
@seanbrennan Feb 2022
Happy FAWM, Burr! Thank you so much for building this community into what it is. Possibly my favorite space to exist in online.
-
@rogatron Jan 2022
Duolingo too! Double awesomeness medal. I'm a student there.
-
@intoyourlight Jan 2022
Thank you for the compliment! I like your hair color on that profile pic:D
-
@intoyourlight Jan 2022
Hey thank you for FAWM :) its my first time but I already enjoy it!
-
@karlsburg25 Jan 2022
Hey Burr. Top work again and massive thanks to your brilliant self
-
@judypie Jan 2022
Hey Burr! Thank you for Fawm! :D
-
@johncrossman Jan 2022
A huge general thanks again Burr! Le hip-hop? ;)
-
@cts Jan 2022
As many have already noted, I will do the same. Thank you for making this community happen and thank you for your dedication and the work you put in to make it happen. You don't have to do this, but you do and it's very much appreciated. Happy FAWMing and thank you again, my man. February is like December when I was a little kid. This is special. Props 'n pounds to ya!
-
@adforperu Jan 2022
Hey man, humongous longshot as I feel you might be rather busy for the next two weeks, but I host a weekly radio show in Sheffield, UK and I have a weekly guest on. Fancy it? We record it over Zoom for 20/30 minutes whenever, then it'd go out live on 5th Feb. Let me know and I can give you full low down.
-
@max Jan 2022
Big thank you to the founding FAWMers !
Have fun this year. -
@mahtowin Jan 2022
Thanks for your work here and making this possible!
-
@joshbelville Jan 2022
Thanks for all your hard work on the site Burr!
-
@katestantonsings Jan 2022
Loving the typewriter aesthetic of this website! Thank you for everything. I am looking forward to hearing some lovely ambient synth creations much like I listened to on your YouTube! Peace!
-
@dreamscuba Jan 2022
I just want to say a big thank you for the dedication to this site and all the hard work, especially in migrating from one service provider to another...
And the 4-track video documentaries are mesmerizing... -
@silvermediapro Jan 2022
yooo i friggin love the 4-track documentaries you've been posting on youtube! it's super cool to see your daw-free setup, i wish i had that kind of dedication :D happy fawming!
-
@sw1n3flu Jan 2022
Bossman! Looking forward to hearing more sonic knob twiddling / dinosaur jr guitar vibes!