I've decided since each song on my main album page has just little tidbits of recording info, that I'd make a little "did you know" section about the songs I've finished so far.
Some songs started out very different and some were inspired by events that changed my life forever. So come check their history right here, and maybe when you get to hear the finished product, you'll appreciate the songs more.
This will also be updated quite frequently so keep on checking back here as well as for the list below.
----JUST ONE MORE DAY - This song has a big history to it. Besides the many song/music ideas that I came up with when I was in high school and even earlier, this is the second song I ever sat down and wrote with lyrics, (The first was a song called "bodyguard" which I can guarantee will never be recorded!) I wrote "Just one more day" in late 2006 during my first semester at college, and even though it had a few different lyrics, it was a great piece of music, and it opened the door for my lyric writing skills. I occasionally played this song or jammed to it over the years, and knew that with a little bit of work it could be a hit. When I finished my re-recording of the white album in August of 2008, I did two demos of original songs. "I sold out" was the first one, and this was the second. Of course, since "I sold out" took forever to record and I wrote many other new songs over the months of recording, it took 10 more months for "just one more day" to be recorded. I worked with Cisco and we made the lyrics deeper and better flowing, and in a few days, the song was finally put to tape. Since this song has such a history both in terms of lyrics and time that I kept it hidden, it's one of my personal favorites. If I ever release singles from this album, this one would probably be the headliner.
----DRIVING ROUND - The basis/title of this song comes from around 2004. I wrote the bassline/music structure for this song back then, but didn't have any lyrics for it yet, and what little guitar I wrote for the song was very bland, but it was helped by the bass. 5 years later, I went back to this gem and wrote a stronger guitar part to it which sometimes shares its melody with the vocals. The lyrics deal with looking forward on life while not knowing what lies ahead. The song is chock full of intricate vocal harmonies, and most importantly, chock full of hooks.
---I SOLD OUT - I have always hated teen pop music. Nearly all talented artists have had to rise up from the underground and have worked hard for success. A lot of the music in the charts today is made by people who have gotten corporate sponsorship (Jonas brothers, miley cyrus), or just use auto-tune on all their vocals.
I wrote this song in August of 2008, right after I finished the "weiss'd album" and originally it was a song in which I sang sarcastically from a plastic pop star's point of view "I just sold my guitar, to get some cash, I don't even play my own instruments anymore". The demo tape I made that month sounds so much different than the finished song that is on the album.
However, this song is more than just a fun, and powerful rock song, it is also what jump-started the entire album in general. I wanted to make an album that showed that I had talent, that I worked hard for success, and that I had a diverse musical background!
Until the day when we have another musical revolution where synthetic pop is thrown off the charts, this is my way of saying that rock and roll, alternative rock, and all of guitar/bass music in general will never die and will always be king.
-----MYSTERY GIRL - When I first was writing songs specifically for this album, I first came up with the idea that stuck - every song is a different genre. Back then though, I wanted the songs to go in year order, from 40's style jazz, to modern day rock. This idea did not stick, luckily, but my idea of doing a british invasion-style song did.
This song was originally called "aqua girl" when I recorded the instruments in my first session for the album in September. I wanted it to be a story that a guy meets a swimmer girl at a pool, and I debated the idea that he either wins her heart, or he doesn't. I decided that he ends up NOT winning her heart as I did not want the song to become bubble-gummy. After all, most British invasion artists were inspired by blues music.
When I wrote the lyrics, I had a better idea that changed the lyrics of the song to deal with a guy who sees a beautiful girl on the street, but misses the chance to talk to her or say hi. He laments later over this missed opportunity, and the song's moral is "don't let a good chance in life slip away".
Complete with harmony backing vocals and John Entwhistle-style bass riffs, this song fits perfect with the album, and although it has been long completed, I still consider it one of my best song-writing accomplishments.
----JAIL & BAIL - The origins of this song date to a piece of music I wrote in high school. I called it "pose", and it dealt with someone being forced to be someone they didn't want to be. However, since my lyric writing skills were not decent back then, I didn't want to use them, or the title. However, there were many elements I remembered, like the song being backed with a piano track, and the song being sung in a lower register. I re-wrote the lyrics to deal with a guy who's life has gone downhill, and he is looking for help. In the song, that someone is never mentioned. It is up to the listener to decide what that someone is. It could be his girlfriend, his family, god, or even, himself! The fact that the song that comes before this deals with someone being angry at plastic celebrity girls that have given into the destructive parts of life makes this song a good contrasting view.
-----MY AUTHORITY - Around fall of 2008, I was cleaning out my room and I discovered some music I had written over various dates from 6th grade to 10th grade. Some were just song titles and odd lyrics, others were actual music notes and chords.
This song was one of those songs from yester-year, and used to be called "I don't wanna go", and did not have much of a musical structure or good lyrics, but I decided to not let it go to waste. My early self wrote on the paper "has cowbell in chorus", and "solid beat". However, I have progressed lyrically and wanted the song to have a more punk-rock feel to it and I decided to make it deal with the conflicts that peaceful rioters face by the government. My modern day musically talented self took this incomplete song, gave it a skilled makeover, and made it a masterpiece!
The song deals with someone not wanting to back down and it is about standing up for your rights.
----DASHBOARD DAN - This song's origin, recording and completion took me all of July to do, and for such a short amount of time, it came out better than I expected. Me and Cisco wrote the lyrics to the song at the beginning of the month before the music and wanted to make the song a fun sounding song with a chorus that I imagined to be a singalong at parties. It deals with a kid who loves the underground music scene and wants to be a radio DJ so he can broadcast New York City his favorite music. He ends up hopping into an empty cop car and drives through the city playing the tunes over the car's broadcast radio. He ends up getting caught but he feels he has done no wrong, and feels he did all he ever wanted to do. The song is my most successful attempt at reggae, as the previous 3 songs I tried never came to be as I didn't have lyrics for them or a clear idea. These songs were: an untitled ska song which was one of the first things I recorded for the album, "make noise", and "do something about it" (which wasn't a reggae song to begin with). However, the idea of the singalong chorus comes from the idea I came up with for "make noise", and I feel that's one of the song's hooks. Either way, from the deep powerful bass line, and the bright trumpets, this song is me at my finest!
----ALL OVER. Now this song has an even MORE interesting backstory to it...
I woke up one morning in 6th grade with a melody stuck in my head. It was a haunting melody, that went from the notes B flat to A in a minor key and back again over and over. I wrote these notes down, and on the spot, I wrote a few lines like "baby take a look all over", and "I see it in your eyes". I also gave the song a chorus with the intention that this part was going to be a middle of the song interlude. I then forgot about this song for many years.
This song was nearly lost forever as I came across it last when I was digging out my drawer. The song had the title "all over", and I suddenly remembered the haunting melody I had created 10 years ago! I knew this song HAD to be put to tape one way or another.
It took me two weeks worth of sessions and four months worth of planning it out before I finished it. I wrote lyrics to go around the basic ideas I had, but once I recorded them, I hated them. The lyrics were a cross between a love song, and an anti-war song, and they were terrible. I decided to re-write the song as a post-bush era song and modified the lyrics, and the song became a very powerful statement. It also goes from an acoustic song to a borderline metal song by the end. And when I put this song out to be sampled, for those who wonder, the part I created all those years ago is in the middle of the song, and starts, with mostly modified lyrics, just before I say "you should take a look all over".
-----(END OF THE) COMMON MAN - This song was not part of the original tracklist for this album, and was actually added once I dropped a few older songs that weren't working out. However, the song's basic chord structure stems from a fast paced song called "desperado" that I wrote as a guitar solo/improv piece in my old garage band. I decided around May to re-write that melody into a full fledged song that deals with cops and robbers. The song is sung both from the narrator's point of view as well as the cop's view. And there are many surprises in the song (which I won't mention, you'll have to find out yourself!), that give the song some character.
......GROW - Another song with a great background. It also is a co-written song as you'll find out.
Back in 2006 on the first day I was in my band, Sean came in with a song called "grow", it was strictly lyrics-only and still needed music. Lyrically, it was really great, and one line struck out to me "if there's one thing you should remember it is this, you must never forget your childhood bliss". Since we mostly played covers, nothing came of this song just yet.
However, soon Josh played a guitar riff he came up with, and I got an instant idea for a musical melody off of that song. I gave everyone parts to play, and we started to play that song. However, we had not really worked out vocals, so for the whole time I was in the band, we played this as an instrumental, my part I wrote off of Josh's riff. Then of course, I left and the song was put on hold.
I knew that this song was going to have to be completed, and I also knew that this was the first instance where I had a co-credit. I spent time working on the music. I re-wrote the chorus music, and worked out a solo, which made this song have a very unique sound that even involved some trumpet flourishes. It had grown far from the song it used to be. I wrote mostly new lyrics to fit the new theme of it, while still keeping some of Sean's lyrics. It deals with looking "glass half full" on life and tells the listener to spend time with the people you know cause that will make your life worthwhile. As a result, the song is credited - Music - Weiss, Boos, and Lyrics - Weiss, Poulin.
Without those guys great ideas, this song would have never been the way it is now. Thanks guys!
----FIRE & SPICE - I wrote this song in June and originally planned to have it centered around a magic theme, of sorts. I changed it to deal with a girl who looks sweet on the outside, but in reality is a nasty person. The working title I gave this song was "inside and out" but I settled on "fire and spice", since I love how both are the yin and yang's of each other. Fire can be either warm or hellish, and spice can be spicy in a nice way or dangerously spicy. Most of the music was written by me and Cisco came up with some of the riffs, while the lyrics were entirely 50/50 and I feel that it's one of the best collaboration songs I've ever written. It's catchy, has great hooks, and even some experimental "instruments" (matchbox striking!). Enjoy!
----GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE - This song has a long and frustrating history from its very incomplete start to its glorious finish. This was actually the third song I recorded back in October ("Mystery Girl", and "The Waves of Blue" being the first/second respectively). I called this song, "fire and spice" and I wrote down a few lyrics to it. So I spent a couple of days recording some drum parts and a LOT of organ. However, as I went along, I realized it would be hard to find a place to put lyrics in this song. So I decided to put the song away for the time being and concentrate on another song that would turn out to take forever ("I sold out"). The song sat in my recording file literally only about a third or so recorded, and missing several key instruments like bass. I occasionally came back to the song and either extended some organ parts, or changed the organ sounds. Honestly, as late as June, I was considering getting rid of the song as I just couldn't fit lyrics into it. Then finally the song's saving grace came along. I recorded another song that I gave the title "Fire & Spice" (see up above). I realized that this old song should be an instrumental and it should have a different title. Since the song had so many ghostly organ parts in it and it was such an old recording of mine, I titled it "Ghosts in the Machine" and in just one day, I finished the song, including the rest of the many organ/drum parts, all the bass, and a guitar solo. Now that it is done, I am actually relieved I didn't get rid of it, since it sounds amazing, and is a musical ride complete with some of the most intricate organ parts and solos I have ever done. Plus the bass in this song, which I fed through a Moog synthesizer sound effect box sounds great as well. Another highlight for me, and another completed song for the album.
-----3018 RHAPSODY - When I decided to do separate sides to the album, one of the first ideas I had was to make an extravagant opener to side 3 (the experimental side). Towards the end of 2008, I wrote some of the structure of this song. I wanted it to be a song that took place in the future, and I wanted the guitar parts to come in when the listener least expected it. I had been working on the lyrics and more ideas all since then, and the final product is, well, mind blowing! It deals with looking toward the distant future, and features some of the most intricate guitar work I've done. I also gave it a late 60's psychedelic vibe that I think is what makes the song a cut above the rest.
-----G.O.M.D - This song has an unusual origin. I had to make a video with a 2 other people for my french class in my fall 08 semester. The video ended up being a breakfast club parody, but with different genres of people. One guy was a nerd, one was a jock, and I was a hippie. I made up an incomplete song (in french) about a girl named Emile. The song was rather funny sounding (on purpose), but I liked a few of the musical lines in the song and the way that the name of the girl was sung in a drawn out way.
I wanted to make the song complete, but also good sounding. So I spent most of April working it out into an all acoustic song that had vocal harmony. It was also the only song so far that I wrote the lyrics before I had music.
What amazes me though was the day that I recorded the vocals. I devoted an entire day to completing the vocals as I wanted them to sound very smooth and melodic. I came up with the harmonies mostly on the spot (due to 2+ years of music theory training) and I was SHOCKED when I heard the three voices of me being played back. I couldn't believe how in tune, and melodic my vocals sounded. Even the falsetto notes I sang for the high part sounded actually in tune. So far, these are my best vocals I have ever done and I am amazed that I sang that good whenever I play this tape back.
The singer in the song sings about a girl named "melody", and the lyrics are very complex and mature. I like that it can also stand for a "song melody" being really wonderful as well, which in this case, it is!
....THE WAVES OF BLUE - This song dates back to 2006. I was the rhythm guitarist and music writer in a band with Cisco, Josh, Sean, Andrew, and Miles. We mostly played cover songs since at that point, I could not write lyrics well, and I was still progressing in songwriting. However, Sean one day came up with a fun song called "the irony song", which consisted of some funny dialogue over instrumental music. I nearly came up with the music on the spot, and it was a surf beat with song pauses for the dialogue to be said. However, I left the band in the summer since I had to go to college, and many pieces of music I had written were put on ice.
Come 2007, we got an apple computer in my house. I spent this year fiddling around with the apple music recording program - garage band, which I had never used before. This was long before I recorded the "weiss'd album" in the first half of 2008, and of course, my current project. One of the songs I tried doing in my experiments with garage band was "the irony song". However, this was just an instrumental and it was not finished. Most of these early recordings, such as this song are lost.
A few weeks after I recorded "mystery girl", I decided, enough was enough, and I had to put this song to tape. It was too catchy to lose. I renamed it soon "the waves of blue", as it was becoming a surf instrumental, and it was finished in four days. It was the first song on the album to be finished as well, and I'm glad that it has been put to tape finally after 2 years.
.....SCHOOLDESKS AND FERRISWHEELS - This song came from my viewing of the one act play "home free". It is a dark dramatic play, with a few comedic bits, but the acting and directing of it impressed me, and I thought to myself "what if this was made into a song, what would it sound like?"
That December, right about the turn of the year, I started work on this song, I had mostly music, and all the lyrics and I recorded a few ideas down. Then, on new years day, I had Cisco over so he could record his vocals for "I sold out". I played him this song, and he improvised some amazing harmony vocals (that weren't originally part of the song), on the spot. I promptly got stuck into finishing this song, and worked out the rest of the song within a few days.
This was my first moment on the album when I realized I could record a darker and more lyrically-mature song, and I was amazed about how epic this song has turned out. It just shows how one small idea can grow into one epic masterpiece!
to be continued.......
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