Calm before the storm

Though I haven't got the chance to put as much time on the solo album as I could wish for the last weeks it's moving forwards. The rhythm guitars and drums are more or less recorded by now (more or less because parts are always rewritten and changed along the road) and I believe 8 out of 12 songs are completely finished recording-wise by now, except maybe for some vocal retakes. Next week Andy and I will start recording the bass on the last tunes and I've also booked in a couple of studio-hours to work on some vocals. So despite everything things are moving in that corner.

When it comes to rehearsals and playing live I will all of a sudden find myself in the middle of a storm in a couple of days. On Monday when I'm back home to Stockholm I'll have to throw myself deep into both the Lizard Eye and the Straight Eight Diablo live sets and remain down there 24/7 for the next week and a half.

On friday (25th) Lizard Eye has the gig in Upplands Väsby and I haven't played those tunes in almost two years and we'll only have time for one night of rehearsals, so need to get myself into that. My bro and drummer Ralph Rydén has made the tough decision to leave the band due to personal reasons and we'll be doing the gig with Mr Peter Hermansson (John Norum, Talisman, 220 Volt) on the drums - which will be exiting indeed (and with only one rehearsal!). 

Straight Eight Diablo got pulled into a really exiting gig that we just couldn't turn down at the real cool medieval bar and restaurant Sjätte Tunnan in old town in Stockholm on what we in Sweden call Valborg (on april 30th). It'll be a real cool way to start off the S8D train, a bit earlier than we planned for, but we'll get it all together. I mean the last S8D gig some two years ago, the very first S8D gig ever, we hardly rehearsed at all, I mean the songs weren't even finished, so this is the real first S8D gig, the launch presenting the band, and the music as well since we haven't, and probably ever won't, record it in the traditional way in a studio - Straight Eight Diablo is a live band and that's it as it is for now. Hopefully this means that a bunch of Straight Eight Diablo live dates will follow now that the train is rolling.

Last week we also managed to squeeze in a solo band rehearsal as well - loads of fun and sounded beyond anticipation - I mean it was about two years ago since all the three of us was in the rehearsal together. We'll however be taking it slow and put the time on finishing the album, which will have Andy and Vesa on all bass and drums. But I believe we'll might be putting together a live set in the summer or in fall and then take it out live on stage, as has been the plan for a long time.

Anyway really looking forward to loads and loads of guitar playing the upcoming weeks - and singing since Fred and I split the lead vocals in S8D - and the gigs and hopefully even more gigs and getting closer to finally finish the recording of my solo album.

There's some new items in the Saari Shop at Zazzle, we're building it up as we speak, so you might want to check it out and maybe even buy stuff and support us:

Now I'll just continue chilling, well I'm actually getting some work done but taking it easy while do it, a day or two more up here in beautiful Hälsingland - what feels like the calm before the storm.

Peace

/PM

Back after setback

My precious plan of 2014 got a pretty bad start - Almost before it was put into practice it suffered a setback and was delayed some 2+ months when I managed to fall at the construction site (expanding my Beyond Dimensions Rehearsals business), smashing down from a couple of meters into the concrete floor and destroying my left shoulder, arm and hand. Resulting in not being able to play the guitar at all for 6 weeks (couldn't even feel my fingers). Now I'm somewhat back, not quite just there yet, but as rehab I've been playing loads of guitar the last weeks, I've probably played more guitar the last month than in whole 2013, and loving every minute of it.

So I'm not quite able to record guitars quite just yet, but very close and I'm trying a bit. Right now I'm working on what most likely will be the opening track of my solo album (and also the title track if I'll stick to my plan), a nylon string acoustic classical little thing (which many probably will be calling an intro). I wrote it a while ago and now when recording it in Pro Tools I'm realizing it's in a very strange meter. Don't know if I'm in some sort of strange state of mind or something, but after hours of figuring and with my knowledge of music theory I ended up with the result that the one of the two parts in it is in 11/4 (or should it be 11/8?) and the other in 13/4. But I mean, hey, it's supposed to be a progressive album so I guess it fits right in whatever it is... This happens to me every now and then, I end up with parts of songs in odd meters without having realizing it until it's being recorded, put into Pro Tools or Logic undressing it and revealing it all. All I hear when I write is melodies and the song itself, my mind never allows me to analyze it. Like the main/verse riff in "360 Degrees", it's in 7/4 (or 7/8 if you will) but I didn't realize it until it was recorded, all I heard was a melody and a riff that I liked when I wrote it. (You'll find it at my Soundcloud site: https://soundcloud.com/pmsaari).

I also finished up another odd song that doesn't fit. A very special one, a really, really hard one for me to get right. It's a real sweet, nice and stripped down little nylon string acoustic lullaby kind of piece that I wrote about a year ago when my daughter was born. I simply wanted to write a song and get that very feeling into it, which was easy, but playing it to be recorded was everything but. Had a real hard time getting the right vibes into this very naked and primitive little piece. It's not at all about being flawlessly performed and tight (it most certainly is not), nor about the clearest and perfect recording, but solely trying to catch that feeling intended when writing it, pure and unforced. This is how it turned out, "Song for Astrid".

  

My hand and arm are more or less now well enough to rehearse so we've continued the Straight Eight Diablo rehearsals where we left off some two months ago. Hopefully we'll get it all together in the spring so we can get the S8D machinery where it truly belongs - live on stage. The plan is to also start rehearsing with the other bands and project soon.

We had some arranging and writing rehearsals with Lizard Eye a couple of weeks ago. Loads of fun indeed. Yet there's some things in the happening in the Lizard Eye camp so need to be on hold for a while but some news are coming. I believe we have a live gig or two coming up however. Check out the official Lizard Eye website for updates and news on the band: http://www.lizardeye.se/

Next time I'll have some more fleshy info on the solo album, which should be more or less recorded by then.

See ya.

/ PM

Enter 2014

So a new year is upon us again. 2014! What happened? Where did 2013 go? Time truly seems to fly more and more every year... Though loads of real cool and fun gigging in 2013 it wasn't a too productive year for me music- or art-wise (however in other sense it was a very productive year indeed, probably the most productive ever!) but at least I managed to squeeze out a deep seated odd song, or two, finish up a hand-full of new Inagone tunes and write some new killer Lizard Eye material. So sure could've been worse but I sure expect more out of 2014 because I really, really have some stuff that I need to get out of me. 

I've decided to really try to approach 2014 more focused and structured, with a more strict planned timetable to be able to fit in the music, and my visual art as well - and hoping to keep it that way all the way through, but that remains to be seen, we'll see what life's got waiting around corner...

We've just started to rehearse a full Straight Eight Diablo live set and will hopefully take it live on stage for real in first quarter of 2014. In february we'll start rehearsing the new Lizard Eye material into final ready-to-be-recorded shape and the plan is also to book some Lizard Eye live dates in first half of 2014 as well. I also believe we'll pick up and continue to finish the Inagone recordings in the second half of 2014 or something, maybe even take Inagone live. Last but not least I'll hopefully get to finally finish my solo album in 2014. Also start jamming with the boys again.

...and then there's a handful of other pretty exiting music-stuff on the roll that might, or might not, be happening in 2014, we'll just have to wait and see...

Though all the hard work and hi-tech planning this all will require I'm really looking forward to all this, bring it on 2014!

Exit 2013.

Peace.
/ PM

Finally closing this chapter

Finally managed to squeeze in the next "odd song that doesn't really fit anywhere", it's called "Closing Another Chapter" and is a one that I just needed to get out of my system. A pretty dark little thing, but it's solely a reflection of what went through in my life at the time when I wrote it some years ago. It relates the seasons, the different parts or stages of life as chapters in a book (that would be life itself) and the fact that you sometimes stop for a while and wonder what will happen in the next chapter of your book, will things get better or worse and sometimes even if there even one at all, if this is it? I've written the lyrics and music, and produced, recorded and mixed it, and for the first time in a very long time I'm performing everything on it myself, all the instruments and the vocals. It's very clean, simple and straight forward, probably the most so arrangement and production-wise I've ever done. I had to work pretty hard to keep it all back, to keep it as clean and pure as I possibly could, it sure wasn't easy (I mean there's not a single guitar fill there!) and I can assure you that the naked and disclosure mix with almost complete focus on my vocals didn't exactly make the quite personal openness of it feel any more comfortable, very much the contrary - The most uncomfortable song I've ever done for sure, but such a challenge which made me absolutely wanting to do it and I'm pretty content with the outcome. Hope you'll enjoy it...

So I've got my ass down, or rather managed to force in some time into my pretty tight schedule, and started hammering down some studio hours. I've finally picked up the work on what will be my first solo album, hopefully I'll get the chance to ride it out all the way this round, I'd really need to get that one out of me, also finishing up some of the stuff that doesn't really fit anywhere, some pretty exiting things going on there (if strange and something totally different it exiting that is).

Lasse and I have now finished writing the vocal melodies, the guitars and the main arrangements of 15 new Lizard Eye songs and we've managed to do the hard decision of picking six of them out to continue working with. Up next is to write them some lyrics and the plan is to release these six songs one or two at the time, but we'll see. The coolest thing is that all these six songs are smoking brand new, it's stuff he and I have come up with in our studio jam sessions the last months so it couldn't get any fresher and I don't probably need to tell you that it's all Lizard Eye hi-quality material in the true spirit of 1970-1980's heavy metal in genuine Lizard Eye vein. 

The Inagone recording is, once again, put on hold due to family reasons, happy ones, so we'll jump right on and finish it when all involved are ready to roll again.

For various reasons there hasn't been any rehearsal and jamming lately and I really, really need to have that! Hopefully the close future will hold some sessions at the bunker with my rhythm bros, both Vesa and Drake (solo stuff, Inagone etc.) as well as Pata and Fred (S8D), missing that A LOT.

Over and out. See ya.

/ PM

Such a shame - A reflection

The other day me and my bro (and drummer) Mr Kallio went to a concert we both had been waiting for exited like little girls the day before christmas - the reborn Queensryche (the one with the band and Todd LaTorre, who by the the way did an excellent job (and not an easy one at all) replacing Geoff Tate on vocals - I love Geoff Tate, but sorry, that is Queensryche). Our anticipation was beyond high since they've always delivered 100% live on stage no matter in what metamorphosis the band might have been in at the time. This time was no exception, it was totally amazing, adding the newfound energy and hunger to the standard Queensryche hi-quality deliverance of their truly awesome repertoire. Sounded great and the setlist was beyond belief, I mean opening with "Queen of the reich", what an explosion! Also never seen a band perform progressive music with such kick-ass attitude all in perfect harmony. Met various people at the venue and everyone was totally ran-over and overwhelmed by the great performance, as was I obviously.

...but, here's the thing - the place was half-full. I mean, what the f**k?! It truly was one of the best concerts I've been to, such high standard, such perfection and high quality all the way through in all aspects, kick-ass entertainment not boring a single second, but nevertheless this poor attendance -  so unfair, such a shame really. This was the case when we saw Lynch Mob in Västerås some years ago as well - a stunning band, every member truly amazing top of the art performers and musicians in perfect symbiosis delivering above comprehension, great sound, great material, looking great and a pretty rare event (I mean Lynch Mob with Brian Tichy on drums in Sweden, come on!) - simply the best of the best, this goes for both of these shows, the venues not at all over-dimensioned if you ask me, but still: half-full - don't know where the problem is, probably on many levels, but something's really wrong here and it's really sad for the art's survival. For one these uncommercial bands and artist, that has stayed true to their art and what they do and not sold out, doesn't get a dime out of record-sales, if there even are any nowadays, so they more or less have to live on touring. The musicians I talk about shouldn't have to work and suffer their asses off for nothing through total disrespect (also they've already done that when they started out), they're the best that there is, they deserve and have earned the respect - and that now while they live and not when they're gone. To me the music-business today seems to have become an evil circle. Is it a downward spiral to the end of the true artist, even the masters? Is this the beginning of the extinction of this art-form?!

Anyway, besides everything else that was totally awesome with that Queensryche show, I was truly impressed by Michael Wiltons guitar sound, it was right up my alley and might be the best live (guitar) sound I've ever heard. Feels good since in my opinion most guitar sounds I hear live nowadays sucks, to me there's way too much gain, distortion and hi-eq (and lo, for that matter - let the bass be the bass) going on everywhere.

Anyway it's awesome to finally witness a great metal/hardrock live concert, to be impressed and satisfied for once, it sure was a while ago in these, what I see, dry days of the hard rock and heavy metal live scene.

Well, now I'm off to make a blitzkrieg attack at my calendar to force in some jam-sessions and studio time! - Really need to get some shit out of my system!

Talk to you soon with some Saari music news.

Cheers.

/ PM