Clay Anderson Johnson

The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada profoundly condemns Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine. We express our unwavering solidarity with the brave Ukrainian people and their elected government during this horrific time. We are concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian toll resulting from the barbaric attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine, and we pledge our resolute support to those in Russia, who at great risk are protesting military aggression against Ukraine. We pray for an immediate end to the devastation and express our condolences for the unnecessary loss of life. In Unity, Ray Hair AFM International President

I like the song itself and the vocal seemed very good since you have had problems with your voice recently. The performance overall has a jerky feel to it. The tempo is probably too fast to play smoothly. I liked the change up in the middle where it speeded the chord changes although I did not like the transition out of it at the end. It seemed a little too Peter Townsend like to fit with the rest of the song. Overall well worth pursuing further 👍🏻

Woo Hoo! Thank you! It's great to be a part of this community!

I like the music. The animal sounds are much too pronounced making them seem unnatural. The sounds themselves are not bad only too loud and intrusive. They make statements in and of themselves rather than adding to the texture. There seems to be no apparent reason for this watching the video action. I was expecting a mountain lion to walk on the scene after the roar. **** As regard to people posting Instrumentals here I have my latest, Fever Tree, on Showcase as of this morning.

That's really great! I am glad to hear it for the both of you. 👍🏻 🎵 I believe Emily to be the most talented artist on this forum. Her voice is great and her musical skill level far exceeds anyone else.🎵

My comment was on the opinion which was expressed not on songwriters in general only those who espouse that opinion. ALL of the singer songwriters whom I have worked with had record deals or I would not have been in a professional studio with them. They did not all hold this opinion. Many were good musicians and eager to learn and develop as much as possible.

Ode To Life A Short Composition In Blank Verse Any time you think NO ONE Could screw things up That is when you learn This is not true (This is meant more as humor than as cynicism.)

Since I do not know you and have never heard your work I have no idea what your actual abilities may be. However I can tell you that I have heard this same line many times before. I have known many singer songwriters who have expressed this same belief. Most have had a trunkful of dozens or even hundreds of demos no one ever bought. The main reasons for their failures are having a limited vision of themselves and the resistance to growing as a person in a professional manner. The people I have met who have had this expectation usually are very poor musicians. They are writers who play instruments only well enough to back themselves. Without professionals backing them and a major money source behind them, such as a record company, they never make it past the bar scene or out of their bedrooms. The really famous songwriters, like Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, & Stevie Wonder, who really make it big do so because they are big people who think big, dream big, and are actual musicians who can play anything or produce anything not just their special baby which is their song.

@john I got the same email from Bandcamp. I have mixed feelings as I don't know if this is a good thing, a bad thing, or simply doesn't matter. I get more plays from both SoundCloud and Spotify than from Bandcamp so the overall effect will probably be negligible.

Welcome Zack! There is a small group of friendly regular posters here with varied interests who are all pretty open minded. Read everyone's About Me in their profile to learn more about what perspective their comments are coming from. Posting and critiquing both will be the most advantageous way to participate.

Name your favorite song and include a link if possible. Mine would be I Can See For Miles by The Who. It embodies everything I love about Rock. It has raw guitar, pounding drums, and a great vocal combined with a superb performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4BBQMjbX3c

Producer George Martin said the Beatles all had weak singing voices and could only be recorded for short periods. The Eagles were known to drink lemon juice (not lemonade) in their recording sessions to keep their vocal timbre as clear as possible.

You should not be so modest Rene. You are definitely among the best acoustic guitarists here.

Beautiful performance Rene! You have real skill with acoustic guitar and an understanding of how to use it with complexity and dynamics. This is a wonderful instrument if used well as you do. Unfortunately the old saying about guitar being the easiest instrument to play but the hardest to play well rings with truth. As a general category I have found guitarists to be the least skilled of all musicians. If there were more of them more polished in their technique such as yourself the music world would be a better place.

@Mahesh This is a very beautiful song. It has a very Beatles type of melodic structure while still reflecting your Indian roots. Have you ever considered using harmony singers? You have a great voice for this, with supporting vocals this could be very powerful. I wish you well with your upcoming EP.

What makes it even funnier is these guys are all middle aged or older and noticeably fat. Not quite the image one has of a typical biker...

There is a funny coda to my story. Outside DC where I live now there is a group of apparently very wealthy professionals who ride super deluxe decked out Harleys together and wear expensive leathers. I refer to them as the Heck's Angels.

I rode bikes when I was young. Then there was a fellow biker in California who had his Harley stolen by a group of Hell's Angels. He turned them into the police and had his bike returned. The gang came to his house the next night, told him if he ever ratted them out again that they would kill him. They then beat him unconscious, broke several bones, and took the bike back. I lost my enthusiasm after that.

No need to apologize. I realize that my quote might have been considered inflammatory or offensive. I look at politics strictly as a matter of Political Science abstractions. I would never be a partisan of the world's second or third oldest profession. We all know what the first is. Whether priests preceded politicians or the reverse is uncertain 😁

It is vamping on an electric piano and I love horns, both brass and woodwinds. Almost everything I do currently has some horns in it at one point. Thank you for your kind words. As you probably realize by now I'm nothing if not eclectic.

Is this the one in Los Angeles or something else?

@john @Steve Mueske @GregB It's a little past Friday but here is the latest on Fever. Still polishing... Fever.mp3

Believe whatever you like. It is on the album Beggars Banquet and the lyrics can be found on any lyrics site on the Internet. Google is your friend.

@Greg M I totally agree with this. I am a composer and multi-instrumentalist. I begin strictly with a concept. I know what type of sound and emotional impact I want before playing an instrument. Even though I often play lead guitar I generally arrange on piano. I typically have the finished product in mind before ever playing.

@john @Steve Mueske Here is the latest. It still hasn't been mixed so has some hot spots. I will redo the lead instrument parts as they have the right general feel but basically are place holders at this point. I want better note choice. Fever.mp3