williamjames 14

@williamjames

Kajaani FI   Feb 2016


Artist Bio

Influences:   Edgar Allan Poe, early 70's punk, delta blues, cigarbox guitar music

Quite a while since last fawm. But back this year with the firm trust that I will finish. This year I was thinking that I would use my lowebow instrument, but that might prove too difficult...

This FAWM was 14 songs and barely all I could manage. A pretty incoherent mess of songs, but I did discover that I can actually make some pretty passable gothic rock! So I will maybe start I project with that material....

Check out my bands youtube if you want:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC21dOvDBr7hTUfl2UWvNygw

Soundboard

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  • @wrenarcher  Mar 2022

    Hi William.
    Thanks for taking the time to listen to my song “Time to Say Goodbye”. And thank you so very much for the kind words in your comment.

    For you to say, “You have such a warm smoky tone to your voice, very pleasant and mystical to listen to” is unbelievably kind. I can’t tell how much it means to me to read those words because the fact is, I’m very self conscious about my voice. So thank you, so very much.

  • @audrey  Mar 2022

    Thanks for listening and for the kind comments.

  • @nadine Mar 2022

    So happy I'm not the only one :)

  • @nadine Mar 2022

    I can relate so much! Last FAWM I had the strong urge to revive Nu Metal and Symphonic Metal though I didn't listen for years. This year has been Prog. Who knows what genre it may be next year?! I start feeling old cause I do not enjoy today's music and stuck in between 1998 - 2015.

  • @nadine Mar 2022

    No worries. I grew up with goth music so it's nice to listen to your songs and jump back into my youth. Don't know how many FAWMers dig this...

  • @nadine Mar 2022

    Thanks a lot for your comment on "Good Morning Blues". I'm happy you enjoyed. :)
    What do you mean with original version? The sheet I uploaded onto the forums? @deadhead unmastered version?

    My ears have rested a bit. I can listen to your songs asap. Any particular I should listen to?

  • @wolfkier Mar 2022

    ha, I'm kinda flattered that someone could even formulate such a question. Thank you. Sometime I wish I played live again, but apart from any difficulties with my memory issues - by the time I paid for the 24 dancers, lion tamers (and lions), pyrotechnics (inside and outside the venue), laser and drone light show, Security and hospital and legal bills (I"m notoriously impossible to work with), all that would be left of the budget is me doing kareoke with a (small) bluetooth speaker. I suppose I I could do the lion taming, in a pinch, it is show business after all, and use that money to hire a great drummer (I love drummers and they love me, strange?) . But then drummers not only eat and drink too much, the combination of me and a good drummer (partying aftershow) would only add unnecessary choas and mayhem to the world (and increase associated medical, legal, and "refreshment" bills). .
    Short answer: I would if I could just show up after the gig and go party with the drummer. LOL.
    If you knew Wolfie, like I knew Wolfie! :)

  • @marthie Mar 2022

    Thank you for listening

  • @nadine Mar 2022

    Thanks a lot for your encouraging comment on "She's Contemplating". Yes, sometimes limitations work, but recording with a smartphone not having your DAW open felt like an impendiment. When I'm able to play a bit better, I'll invest in proper microphones, but I'm not there yet (and I lack of space). I will rerecord this song with @wacha later the year, who is a way better singer and guitarist.

  • @franniezest  Mar 2022

    Thanks so much for your kind comment!

  • @psyt Mar 2022

    Thanks for the comment on The Only One Who Knows. :)

  • @nadine Mar 2022

    Sorry I cannot guarantee cause I still have a long list of the #tit4tat club (see forums). Why don't you join? There are plenty people who are willing to comment.

  • @nadine Mar 2022

    Thanks a lot for your comments! I love writing epic stuff but it takes a lot of time and it's hard to convince people listening to a lengthy song xD so glad you did!

  • @speed0doyle Mar 2022

    Hi, thanks for your comment on my song Balm. I'm a bit of a newbie on piano, so I'm glad you liked that little motif at the end there. This song became the lead single on my FAWM album, so I am glad to see some love for it here :-)

  • @nadine Mar 2022

    Thanks for your comments on my jazzy and bluesy songs. It's the first time to try something in this direction. I played the piano on both songs on MIDI, guitars and drums are programmed. Basically you roughly have to know how to play and hit the corresponding notes and keyswitches.

    For drums I think a lot about which arm plays what to avoid beats where you need 4 arms and 3 feet. I look up a lot of real techniques to get my fills straight, but sometimes Im lazy and use MIDI mappings that were played on e drums and modify from there.
    For guitars I look up tabs, imagine how to play the rhythms and program the up down mute strum strokes or the number of string in arpeggio.
    Its a rabbit hole I'm doing for 15 years because I don't play these instruments. Funnily my programming helps me a lot to learn guitar for real cause I can read tabs and know some easy voicings for certain chords xD

  • @jayjay  Mar 2022

    Thank you for your kind comments. :)

  • @nadine Feb 2022

    Thanks a lot for listening to our "Disco Blues". Your comments mean a lot to me cause I identify myself as arranger the most.

  • @mikeb  Feb 2022

    Thanks for the comment on 'Something Wicked'! I have 2 other rock opera songs (https://fawm.org/songs/126834/ https://fawm.org/songs/129621/) done for this year's FAWM and trying to complete one more this week. That makes a total of 10, including the 6 from last year's FAWM.

  • @mikeb  Feb 2022

    Thanksfor the listen and comment on 'Selfish'!

  • @berni1954  Feb 2022

    I am glad you said the instrument I used on "Over the Hills" was a bagpipe. Because that's what I was aiming at. But curiously, it is actually a sample of a Chinese (or Japanese) fiddle. :-)

  • @mikeb  Feb 2022

    Thanks for the comments on 'Madness'!

  • @nadine Feb 2022

    No worries you'll fund your way. I'm a DAW nerd but a freshman on instruments. Music is such a big playground, there's plenty to learn and you just can't nail everything at a time. Its more important to enjoy.

  • @nadine Feb 2022

    On singing.... I'm neither single nor coach but it sounds like your problem is breathing and finding your comfortable range. I hear it when the voice drops off or sounds pressed. If you sing in your comfort zone you can easily play with dynamics and have a natural relaxed vibrato. Lessons can help on breathing etc.

    My technique is not good either, I tend to push the registers instead of mixing. I don't care cause I don't have plans to record my vocals for real and I do not even train. If I would, I'd adapt my songs to a completely different key and range. My sketches are more about arrangement, phrasing and finding a comfy key for instruments. When I sing along I know the type of vocalist I need. And I check the flow of the lyrics. Completely different perspective!

  • @nadine Feb 2022

    Thanks a lot for your comments! I'm glad you enjoyed the visit on my profile so far.

    Yes I write plenty of genres. But singing and instrumental playing are my weaknesses. I just upload some rough midi sketches in hope some people join for collabs to do real crazy full band production stuff after FAWM (see YouTube or Soundcloud). Thus I feel more composer, arranger, producer and you never hear a song with me singing (I don't even own proper recording gear).

    I'll listen to more of your stuff next week. Too many unfinished collabs on the plate...

  • @liz561  Feb 2022

    Thanks so much on your kind words about Come Away With Me, my English ballad challenge song.

  • @mandolinda  Feb 2022

    Thank you for very nice comments on my song Slice of Pie. I like making kind of folksy songs on my mandolin. And FAWM /making music sure is a great way to pass a pandemic.

  • @lissielou79  Feb 2022

    Thank you very much for your valuable feedback on, 'Dancing with my shadow' and 'Don't be Shy' much appreciated.

  • @nadine Feb 2022

    Wow, thanks for your comment on "Dorian Gray". This means a lot to me! I guess the final version will be a lot heavier than my sketch. I'm looking forward to this happening!

  • @ferry0123 Feb 2022

    Thanks. Being a teenager in the nineties listening to lots of British bands must have left its marks and I can't complain for I love the guitar sound of British bands most.

  • @berni1954  Feb 2022

    Glad you liked my "Leonard Cohen influenced" take on Liz (Kahlo)'s lyrics.

  • @sunnymae  Feb 2022

    Hey James!
    Thanks for the listen to The Heartbreaker and the Broken. Here's a link to the forum explaining the Morph Chain where one person starts a song and sends it to the 2nd person, who changes the song by 50%, passes it on to the next person until the list of folks on the chain is finished! It's a great exercise and fun to listen back to how the original song sounded. To read more and I think there are still a few spots open, check it out here. https://fawm.org/forums/topic/12466/

  • @berni1954  Feb 2022

    Glad you liked my Gretel & Hansel. Off to give something of yours a spin.

  • @sbs2018  Feb 2022

    Thanks so much for sharing your response to “Where You Are.” Always interesting to hear it.

  • @sjbatavia  Feb 2022

    Thanks for listening and the kind words.

  • @cloudhopper Feb 2022

    thank you for your kind comment on my song : the irony of dreaming
    I bought both my long neck and short neck bağlamas from a company in Germany