Steve Mueske

Emily messaged me that there was a problem with the cello. I discovered that the cello stems for this file were dual mono and I had assumed they were stereo (the second mono track was too low to hear). I have created a new render of the file at the reel linked below. I sent the previous version to Greg Reierson, who I consider a friend and possibly the best mastering engineer in the world, for feedback. The corrected audio is now live (bearing in mind that Greg is providing feedback on a version that does not include the fixed files.) This is live, you know what I mean? Warts and all. https://play.reelcrafter.com/whoisthemuesk/musicistheriver

@johnYour style of singing reminds me, stylistically, of Thom Yorke. You don't have the same tone, but there is a similar quirkiness that feels deeply vulnerable and honest.

Thanks for posting! Your voice reminds me a lot of Thom York. I especially like the transition to the fast chords about 2/3 of the way through. The song feels too fast right now. Obviously still an early sketch and you know best what the vibe is supposed to be. Like, the speed is a kind of freedom that fuels the theme. I get that. But it feels on the edge of control and perhaps reining it back just a tad will help you find the missing pieces.

I will later. The audio system in my studio always trashes the sound over the Internet after I've been working (it's a bug with many ASIO interfaces). I'll either have to restart my computer or run my phone through my Kilpsch personal system later. Meanwhile, would love to hear your thoughts on my mix of "Here."

My buddy @geographyhorse has been listening. Let's go! Backchannel me if you need to. This is a thing. We can make this a thing. I will always listen. Always.

I'm working with @Emily Quinn and am privileged to do so. I have so many things going. I'm so excited. Something has to bear fruit. I am here, listening...

This yawning into the void gets old, doesn't it? My latest stuff is always here. https://play.reelcrafter.com/whoisthemuesk/musicistheriver

My bad. I went back and reread the message (and edited the post). The panel will be in May for Microtonal Adventures Fest, sometime on the 14th or 15th.

Every year there are a couple of major microtonal festivals. Today I was asked to be a panelist (among several of my idols) for a 90-minute discussion on the practice of xenharmonic music at Microtonal Adventures Fest. Excited & terrified both!

Amen.

Clay, the drums feel pretty solid, but the bass doesn't sound like it's in the pocket yet.

I worked on a few things this week, but I returned to the piece I started for NMF 1. This is still way too hot, but I like how it is developing from a sound design standpoint. It still needs a lot of work. https://play.reelcrafter.com/whoisthemuesk/musicistheriver Edit: I had created a reel specific for that track earlier. Upon reflection I decided to swap it out for my master "working" reel. This is everything I am working on (and for which I welcome feedback in any form), but the specific track I am referencing for this week is Sequences, which is second in the list. I also did an end to end version of "Bereft" (formally titled "The Death of Love") and a first pass on another track called "Here" by Emily Quinn. This is where I am working. Sessions are updated daily on this reel. It's live but not publicized.

This is a great song, John. Looking forward to hearing it develop.

Did you see that James Richardson released a song on YouTube with Tim Henson?

I will post something I am not comfortable with (to be deleted later) if others will join in.

Those of you who know me know about my long-standing war with self-promotion. I have tried various strategies to keep myself motivated and ultimately these decisions change. So, I've created a reel of everything I've been working on this past year or two, completely unreleased, 90% of which I am still in the process of futzing with or may eventually abandon. The reel is live, but I'm not promoting it; it's a way for me to get work out to people who might be interested long before the public becomes aware of it. In other news, In the next few weeks I will be swapping out 1 track and adding two new ones to Look. I've decided it will become a living digital release because why not? The top track on the linked reel below is my newest obsession, a piece that began in Songstuff's New Music Friday and sort of took over. It's called "The Death of Love." A little backstory: I was hospitalized for suicidal ideation last April (following the release of Look), then lost my job, my house, & ultimately my wife. I relocated 1200 miles away and am living in a beautiful loft working a job I hate to keep myself afloat until something, anything, happens. This song, musically, is an attempt to express how I am feeling right now. The title is just a working title, but I don't have anything better yet. It's only the first section of something dramatically longer. https://play.reelcrafter.com/whoisthemuesk/musicistheriver

I adore everything about this. It's a privilege to get a peek into your process.

Thank you for carrying this forward, @john Although I will not be posting music for awhile, I will be listening and commenting.

Ha! I love the placeholder lyrics. This is clipping quite a bit, but I'm sure you know that already. Cool idea!

They're doing well! Going to record an EP soon, gigging a lot at small venues. They've built up a remarkable following in a few short months. I honestly think next year at this time they'll be signed somewhere.

My daughter Tess's band is Girlfriend on the Moon. This is their second single. I didn't know where to post this, since she's not a member here, but wanted a few folks to hear her sing. https://gfonthemoon.bandcamp.com/

I like it. I think any time a common cadence is employed there will be feelings of "I've heard this before." We've had 500 years of Western music, 12 equal, with a strong tonal center in a major or minor key. I don't think it's anything to worry about unless the melody becomes immediately identifiable; in any case songs are malleable. I enjoyed this and look forward to hearing more.

TY!

I've been thinking about this all week. I've decided to withdraw for awhile and experiment. I hope NMF continues, but I won't be driving it. I need time to work on my sound. I'll be around.

I meant specifically pulling music. He's done that before and then "quietly" reinstated it. I'm not saying it's a bad thing in this case. I'm saying that ultimately it does nothing to address the problem. Unless he has an in-depth review of all platforms that aggregate music, is joined by others to raise awareness, and there is some sort of punitive response for disinformation system-wide, it's just a news byte. I sincerely admire a principled stance. I do. But, I don't think, ultimately, it matters. Business is business. It will always be this way. I subscribe to Tidal, which I feel is a much better platform. Spotify is just the most visible. What we need, I believe, is oversight from the FCC, like any other form of public communication.