tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33456262011-04-22T01:02:37.910-04:00Michael Lynch Appreciation SocietyWelcome to The Michael Lynch Appreciation Society, the Blogger that keeps tabs on the going-ons of New York 1960s-influenced pop-rock singer-songwriter, Michael Lynch. Please check here frequently for updates about Michael's live performances, new recordings, and what not.michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1118893430132857372005-06-15T23:42:00.000-04:002005-06-16T01:13:14.046-04:00MY FIRST POST OF 2005!Hello...and welcome to my first Blog entry in...gulp!...HALF A YEAR! How did I let that happen? Well, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas...and a Happy New Year...and Valentine's Day...and Easter...and Memorial Day. Now we're at the doorstep of Summer, my favorite time of year. Naturally a lot has happened in the last six months...several Anything People gigs, two Shaw Nuffmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1103305217940902422004-12-17T13:36:00.000-05:002004-12-17T22:37:30.976-05:00Yes, I've let another long period of time go by without updating things here, and again there's been a lot going on. So here's a quick look at what's happened since, and what's on the horizon...as already a few interesting things are in place for 2005.INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW
I did my set at the 2004 International Pop Overthrow at The Acme Underground. That was my first gig there since michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1100008984054387612004-11-09T09:01:00.000-05:002004-11-09T23:44:53.590-05:00CREATIVITY AND THINGSLast night I practiced with that "other" band, my second time doing so. I enjoyed it more last night than I did the first time, even though my drumming on one of the songs is rather weak...haven't quite found the right beat for it yet. I also remembered too late that there's one particular song we do that totally kills my right arm, which I requested that for future practicesmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1099923872608767462004-11-08T09:21:00.000-05:002004-11-09T15:15:37.216-05:00SINCE WE LAST SPOKE
Okay, a few things have been happening since my last entry. First of all, The Anything People played the Lakeside Lounge on Saturday October 23rd. It went okay...As I told the others, I'd give the show a B. Some songs were dead on (I think it was the best "Who's Crying Now" we ever played, and a few other songs had a fine gel) but we were cut short a few songs as we slowly michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1098449864280267332004-10-22T08:55:00.000-04:002004-10-22T09:42:33.406-04:00RECENT SHOWS
Here's an update on some events I've seen recently:
Last Wednesday, the 13th at Town Hall, I saw a double bill featuring (the current lineups of) these guys...
...and these guys.
On Sunday afternoon I went to the public library of Roslyn, Long Island and saw a performance by these guys...
...and then, after dinner, went to Irving Plaza in NYC to see these guys...
...who michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1098418253206347142004-10-22T01:06:00.000-04:002004-10-22T00:10:53.206-04:00Well, we've got another gig on the horizon...We're playing at Lakeside Lounge on Saturday, October 23 at 11 PM. I haven't played Lakeside since October 2002. I enjoy it there...It's in a great area with people walking around who'll see the band in the window and hopefully come on in (there's no charge).
Here's the way we've promoted the show:
==========
Little Steven likes them. Pete Best likes michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1096379910953392392004-09-28T09:56:00.000-04:002004-09-28T10:55:13.253-04:00Wow...this is by far the longest I've let any time go by without an update. And it certainly isn't because of lack of things happening.
Here's a quick fill-in on all that's happened since then:
JULY
When last we spoke (or last *I* spoke), The Anything People were about to compete in Little Steven's Battle Of The Bands in Asbury Park. Well, the Friday night, when all bands played, was crazy...michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1089292733993204822004-07-08T09:17:00.000-04:002004-07-08T10:11:45.240-04:00BACK AGAIN...SORRY
Okay, it's been quite a while since I've updated, so here's the rundown:
* The EP still isn't finished because I've a new song on the way called "I'll Be Your Friend" which I want to include. It'll be Zombies-ish, upbeat and positive. It sounds to me like a "last song," so this will close the EP. I'm giving myself a "do or die"...or at least a "do or feel very guilty that I'mmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1084716481200433762004-05-16T09:56:00.000-04:002004-05-16T10:10:51.520-04:00ALMOST FINISHED CRYING (or THAT SYNCHS!)
Yesterday I touched up "Who's Crying Now." The first thing I had to do was transfer the stuff taped on cassette to my eight-track. This presented a challenge...pardon me if this gets overly technical...We recorded onto three tracks of the cassette...one for drums, one for the two guitars, and one for the vocal bits. However, to transfer to the eight trackmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1084629818859132002004-05-15T10:02:00.000-04:002004-05-16T09:53:25.660-04:00Last night, The Anything People (currently myself, Doug Mayer and Dave Scott), had a practice session in Brooklyn that was significant for two reasons:
1) We started work on two recordings: One was "Who's Crying Now." No, it's not the Journey song...God forbid. This is a Leaves-ish rocker with a catchy chorus I wrote and will sing lead on but with prominant vocal parts from Doug and Dave, which michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1084475838665800322004-05-13T15:16:00.000-04:002004-05-13T15:25:41.310-04:00GEAR SHIFTING
This past Saturday was the latest POP GEAR! It was a success...in some ways, anyway. It was one of our most packed nights since we kicked things off last October. Unfortunately, we were CD-less for most of the night, the club's CD player being on the fritz, and although a discman was brought in by Kittybeat so a cord could run from the headphone jack into the mixing board, the cordmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1083956491588911672004-05-07T15:01:00.000-04:002004-05-07T15:06:20.780-04:00TA-DA!
Last night I completed the recording of "I Don't Want My Baby." I did another take of the harmony part for one of the vocal tracks for the whole song, but in the end only used the outro portion of this new take. I mixed all the vocal tracks together, adding some reverb juice, and tonight I'll mix the vocals and instruments for the master version. And then...off it goes to Bashville, michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1083851371949620252004-05-06T09:48:00.000-04:002004-05-10T14:08:32.870-04:00FINISHED?
George Carlin once said he was disgusted by America treating Mickey Mouse's birthday like it was some kind of major event: "No wonder no one in the world takes our country seriously; we waste valuable television time informing our citizens of the age of an imaginary rodent!"
Well, that's exactly how I feel about all the hype over tonight's finale of 'Friends.' Good Lord.
Okay, michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1083767888353050022004-05-05T10:37:00.000-04:002004-05-05T10:48:05.106-04:00OH BABY!
The deadline for "I Don't Want My Baby," the track I'm submitting for the International Pop Overthrow CD is next week, so tonight I'm going to complete it regardless. Just need to add vocals and mix it all down. Last night I added some rough vocal parts just for an idea of how the harmonies I imagined for the song would sound. And the answer...not as good as I hoped...Some notes I had michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1083691676472979422004-05-04T13:25:00.000-04:002004-05-05T08:33:49.716-04:00THE LATEST:
Another delay in posting. Sorry. I'm sure you got by.
So what have I been up to on the music front? Well...
Last Friday I saw these fine folks...
...at The Knitting Factory. Well, actually I only saw three of those folks, as the folk at top right has since been weedwhacked. Anyway, these are The Grip Weeds, a fantastic New Jersey power-pop combo who record for Rainbow Quartz michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1083073402647291932004-04-27T09:42:00.000-04:002004-04-28T09:55:00.576-04:00HOLD THAT POSE!
Yesterday I planned to add tambourine to "My Little Girl," and then begin work on recording "I Don't Want My Baby." But after adding that tambourine part, I fell victim to something that happens quite often: While playing back all the tracks, I decided the blend I had that particular moment sounded better than any I had previously gotten for that song, and I didn't want to touch michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1082989057338494842004-04-26T10:13:00.000-04:002004-04-26T10:28:22.420-04:00I DON'T WANT MY BABY
No, this isn't a post about unplanned parenthood...if you want to read about that, go HERE. But I've promised you some updates on my musical activities, so here they are:
"I Don't Want My Baby" is a new song of mine. Haven't finished writing it yet, though the chord structure is almost complete. No lyrics have been jotted down yet but the general concept and a good number michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1082741121865677782004-04-23T13:24:00.000-04:002004-04-23T14:29:06.826-04:00BE TRUDEAU YOUR SCHOOL
Music updates soon...there are several things worth mentioning.
But on a non-musical note...Today's 'Doonesbury' strip is perhaps the most brilliant one ever drawn. It's strong, serious, and hilarious at the same time in its anti-war stance. Word has it that several newspapers are NOT printing it today, while others (such as 'New York Newsday') are censoring it...so here michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1081884114477377452004-04-13T15:20:00.000-04:002004-04-14T09:31:18.420-04:00IN GEAR
This past Saturday, my partners in mod-ness Kittybeat and Dawn Eden and myself had our April POP GEAR! This one was one of our biggest yet, if not THE biggest. At times the room was very crowded, and while it thinned out a bit after we announced the raffle winners, it had a second wind for the last hour, when the place was jumping once more, at which time I played all the fast tempo michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1081349449903690132004-04-07T10:49:00.000-04:002004-04-07T10:57:03.060-04:00
OUT OF LIMITS
It's been a few days since I've blogged, and there are several things worth mentioning.
Firstly, I only found out last night that Paul Atkinson (above), guitarist for The Zombies died last week. It had been known for some time that he was terminally ill, so the news of his passing is not a surprise, but still quite sad. He shall be remembered fondly.
Second, last Sunday saw themichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1081053394206164642004-04-03T23:34:00.000-05:002004-04-03T23:39:14.496-05:00I'VE GOT THE SHINGLES
Well, "My Little Girl" and "Since You've Been Gone" are starting to take some decent shape. One analogy I've often used to describe the recording process is that creating these tracks is a bit like building a house. You start with the foundation, and some wooden frames, and it doesn't look anything like a house...but eventually, as you add the siding and shingles you start michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1080932347834087952004-04-02T13:56:00.000-05:002004-04-02T14:28:45.983-05:00As you can see by the new selection of colors, I did some painting in here. The paint is still drying so please do not touch the walls. Thank you.
MERCY MERCY ME
It occurred to me that yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of the death of Marvin Gaye. I remember hearing the news...I seem to remember it was a weekend, and that the news broke around dinner time. In fact, I think it may have michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1080834659911778412004-04-01T10:23:00.000-05:002004-04-01T10:53:38.216-05:00MAKING SACRIFICES FOR MY MUSIC
Hooray, it's April. April is a great month because even though March brings Spring, April is the month where things begin to look like Spring.
Well, despite what I said in yesterday's post, I ended up not doing any recording last night. Turns out I don't have as much tape as I need. The tape I use is expensive and anyway has to be ordered, so last night I insteadmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1080741612906318512004-03-31T08:58:00.000-05:002004-03-31T09:02:50.043-05:00BEWARE OF SKELETONS!!!
Last night work re-began on the new EP by doing two "skeleton" tracks. Skeleton tracks are what I call the basic foundational elements that may or may not be part of the final mix but serve as a basic structure of the song to follow along with when adding all the other instruments. Skeleton tracks usually consist of just click track and acoustic guitar...they set up the michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1080654818396466692004-03-30T08:52:00.001-05:002004-03-30T09:11:16.450-05:00MINDBENDING SOUNDS
Okay, here's an update on the next EP of mine...Previous attempts of the songs are being scrapped, and all songs will be done afresh, working beginning tonight. I'm keen to get started, but here I am at my job. Oh well. Anyway, progress report tomorrow.
In the meantime, make sure you watch 'The Sopranos' this coming Sunday. Why? Because ultra-cool garage revivalists The michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1079629026652427132004-03-18T11:48:00.000-05:002004-03-18T12:01:15.030-05:00POP GEAR!
This past Saturday was the latest POP GEAR!, the monthly night I co-host with Kittybeat and Dawn Eden at Rififi/Cinema Classics, where we spin five and a half hours of 1960s music, mixing Garage, Pop, Psych, British Invasion, Soul, Surf, Worldbeat and everything in between. As we like to say, if it's from the 1960s and it's good for dancing, it's fair game.
POP GEAR! is always the michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1074293316394829792004-01-16T17:46:00.000-05:002004-01-16T17:53:26.090-05:00Goals...And Pickup Lines
Goal for this weekend...Record/complete a backing track for "My Little Girl." Will I see my goal through? Check back next week to see.
Actually a more immediate goal should be to put fresh strings on my acoustic guitar. I hate the time-consuming task of restringing an entire guitar, especially that one, but I've left that guitar out of the case for months, so those michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1074104603552289722004-01-14T13:20:00.000-05:002004-01-14T13:27:02.700-05:00PAZZED AND JOPPED
It's been a over a week since I've added anything. Sorry. As a way of getting back in the swing of things, let me start with some pleasant news:
Noted music journalist Dawn Eden very kindly included me on her submission to The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop poll of the best albums and singles of the year. (Thanks, Dawn!) Dawn chose the kickoff track of my 2003 Christmas EP,michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1073414928820286062004-01-06T13:47:00.000-05:002004-01-06T14:09:25.373-05:00GOD SAVE THE KINK!
Ray Davies: "Americans (are) a lot more casual."
Jonathan Cott: "Sometimes they shoot you."
- From Rolling Stone interview with Ray Davies, published November 1969.
I hoped there'd be more mention on the news yesterday about Ray Davies being shot in the leg in New Orleans, but naturally they'd rather keep talking about Britney's marriage and annulment, and michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1073275556326330192004-01-04T22:48:00.000-05:002004-01-04T23:08:50.013-05:00THE PRIVILEGED FEW
Didn't write or record any new music today, but still had a music-minded day. After a very pleasant "business lunch" downtown with Dawn Eden and Kittybeat discussing Pop Gear! (more on that to come soon), Kitty and I went uptown to the Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center to see Privilege, a scarcely seen cult classic rock movie released in 1967 (but filmed in Autumn 1966)michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3345626.post-1073185209758953472004-01-03T21:51:00.000-05:002004-01-04T09:47:55.060-05:00LET'S GET THIS BLOG STARTED!
Hello everyone. Well, we've just begun a new year, and ended one that I will look back on as a very positive one. I thank all those of you who made it that way.
The groovy things that happened in 2003 have given me tremendous incentive to dive into more writing and recording and musical adventures in general in 2004. This blog will be a progress report of such michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01705646474609595829noreply@blogger.com