Sci-Fi Songs

The Crescent Sonata (Solo Guitar)

I was really hoping that the solo acoustic guitar version of this piece would work, but I don't think it does. Sounds a little empty to me. What do you think?

My initial thought was to have the solo guitar be the base and color it with orchestral textures. Still seems like a good way to go, but I'm open to suggestions. Any ideas that you'd like to share?

Nerds Arguing About Spaceships (Acoustic)

This has been the opening song for my live set for more than two years, yet I'm only now getting around to recording it. This acoustic version is pretty much how it sounds live. I'm currently working on adding drums, bass and electric guitar, but I'll definitely make this acoustic version available too.

1 minute of a 17 minute prog rock song

I've had an abiding love for progressive rock since my teen years. But for some reason, my own music has never reflected this. So here's my shot at composing a progressive rock piece. I ambitiously gave it the working title of 17 minute prog song, even though there's only a minute and a half of music so far.

Notice the odd, shifting time signatures (7/4, 3/4 and 4/4) and tempo changes. Right now, this is just piano and drums, but I'm guessing there's going to be some sweet analog synth lines, metal-ish guitars and the whole shebang.

I know a lot of you are prog-rock fans. What would you like to hear in a piece like this?

The Crescent Sonata (Piano Version, W.I.P)

I'm going to start sharing works in progress here. Here's a piece that I finished composing called "The Crescent Sonata." This is a bare bones piano version. The final version will be solo acoustic guitar with some added orchestral elements, I think.

Take a listen. What would you like to hear in the final version? In addition to the acoustic guitar, what types of orchestral instruments would you like to hear? Woodwinds? Brass? Strings? Do you think this piece should have some synth or electronic elements? Percussion? Electric guitars?

As I said, I'm think acoustic guitar with some slight orchestral support, but I'm curious to hear what you are hearing.

Thanks for listening and for the input!
John Anealio

Let's Share

My new year's resolution was to spend less time talking about creating and more time, you know, creating. I've been good on my promise, and I've been quite productive with my songwriting and composing. I have a process now where I make sure that I get in at least two 20 minute music creating sessions every day. It's really worked for me. The downside to this increased productivity is that my communication with you has had to take a back seat.

I've also decided that instead of releasing singles, I'm going to hold off on releasing new songs until I have 4 or 5 that fit nicely together on an E.P.

That being said, I miss talking with you!

So, I decided to share this little piece. It's not available to download yet, but you can stream it now by hitting the play button or clicking here:

The Quitter's Waltz

Now that I've shared, it's your turn!

Let me know what you are working on in the comments below.

Hope all is well with you,

John Anealio

A Composer Composes

Deep Thoughts on a Starbucks Napkin.

How Do You Listen To Music?

I've got one simple question for you this week:

How do you listen to music?

Do you purchase downloads from iTunes or Amazon MP3? Do you stream through services like Spotify and Pandora? Are you old school and listen to CDs or vinyl?

Let me know by responding in the comments below.

As a musician who frequently releases albums and E.P.s, I'd like to know more about how people consume music. Personally, I'm very happy to pay Spotify $10. a month to stream everything. I don't need to own it. But I realize that's not the case with everybody.

While we're on the topic, I wanted to let you know that I have two full length albums that can be streamed or downloaded from the various music services.

Also, if you put my name into just about any music service that you use, chances are you'll find them.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

You're a Teacher

Summer is over. I start my job as a school music teacher again this week. And no, my colleagues and students have no idea that I'm a singer/songwriter with tunes like "George R.R. Martin Is Not Your Bitch" and "Pr0nbot" to his credit.

Teachers continuously evaluate a student's understanding of the material. Mastery occurs when a student can take what they know and teach it to another student. So, one of the most effective ways to improve your skills is to teach.

Why?

Teaching forces you to examine every aspect of your craft. Clear articulation of the subject matter is crucial. And once you do that, you then have to find ten more ways to explain it. You can't learn something from a single exposure. Students need multiple auditory, visual and kinesthetic experiences in order to truly understand.

Devising a lesson plan exposes the gaps in your knowledge, and you better fill those gaps because students will ask you about the shit you don't know. That being said, saying "I don't know" may be one of the most powerful things you can say as a teacher. You aren't infallible. Say: "I don't know," research that shit after class and work your new knowledge into your next lesson.

Which is my entire point. Good teachers are constantly expanding their knowledge base. Which is why the: "Those who can't do, teach" expression is such a colossal pile of festering dog shit.

Now, becoming a school teacher isn't for everybody. But, there are so many ways that you can incorporate teaching into your creative life:

Write a blog
Record a podcast
Create an instructional YouTube video
Teach a "How-To" course at your local library

Through educationally focused blogging and podcasting, Chuck Wendig and Mur Lafferty have become two of the best genre fiction writing teachers out there.

Don't think that improved their writing?

They were both nominated for the Campbell Award (best new science fiction/fantasy writer) this year.

So...

Do You Teach?

How Does Teaching Help You As a Creator?

Let me know by replying in the comments below.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

Are You Using Everything You Know?

"You'll use everything you ever knew."

- Johnny Carson (to Steve Martin, from Martin's autobiography Born Standing Up)

You are unique. I know that sounds like hippie bullshit, but it's true. Your set of experiences is different than anyone else's. Instead of trying to copy someone else, why not be yourself?

Here's the rub though;

You discover who you are by copying others.

Well, not necessarily copying. Let's call it inspiration. You model yourself after the artists that excite you. As a creator, you've probably gone through a million phases. I know I have.

Here's an abbreviated list of musicians who inspired me:

Def Leppard
White Lion
Winger
Mr. Big
Queensryche
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Rush
Steve Morse
Dream Theater
Yes
King Crimson
Spock's Beard
Led Zeppelin
The Gin Blossoms
The Beatles
Crowded House
John Mayer
Jon Brion
The Grays
Butch Walker
Nick Drake
Kelly Joe Phelps
Peter Mulvey
Jeffrey Foucault
Michael Hedges
Jerry Douglas
Tim O'Brien
Planxty
Chris Thile
Bill Frisell
David Torn
Bjork
Sigur Ros
Air
Many, many more.

I've been influenced by everything from hair metal to folk, prog rock to electronica, bluegrass to The Beatles, and everything in between. I'd become obsessed with something, strive hard to play or write in that style, then move on to something else.

Every time I abandoned one of these pursuits, I would inevitably enter a period of self loathing. I'd feel like a quitter and a dilettante. Years later, I realized each one of these phases had an important impact on me as an artist.

If I never got past Def Leppard, than my music would still sound like...Def Leppard. Or I'd be in a Def Leppard cover band. Or I'd be wearing spandex, and I don't have the ass for spandex.

Consciously or not, you absorb something from every artist that inspires you. But it can't be calculated. You can't say: "I'll mix Tolkien's world building, Terry Pratchett's sense of humor and George R.R. Martin's beard into one delicious, hirsute, New York Times best selling stew. It's more subtle than that.

You have to live, experience, work and create... continuously.

Eventually, you'll figure out who you are. As Johnny Carson said, you'll use everything you ever knew... and emerge with the unique voice that the world needs you to share.

So I ask you...

Who are your influences?

What did you learn from them?

Let me know by replying in the comments below.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

Are You Analog or Digital?

"The computer is really good for editing your ideas, but it's not really good for generating ideas. There are too many opportunities to hit the delete key. We start editing ideas before we even have them...

... It wasn't until I started bringing analog tools back into my process that making things became fun again and my work started to improve." - Austin Kleon

Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist, advocates using two desks for your creative work; one "analog" and one "digital." Nothing electronic is allowed on the analog desk, only tools and materials that can be physically manipulated; pens, paper, tape, guitar, piano, etc. The digital desk houses your computer.

The idea is to switch between the two stations. Use your hands and "play" at the analog desk. When you arrive at an idea that needs further development, move to the digital desk. Once your digital efforts begin to siphon your will to live, switch back to the analog station and play.

Can you see yourself working this way?

The power of our digital tools enable us to do just about everything with greater efficiency and independence. Today, you know that musicians are able to produce and distribute professional sounding music with nothing more than a laptop and a microphone. Unfortunately, this can also drain much of the fun from the creative process.

Ten years ago, when the technology wasn't as developed, I knew that almost no one would hear my music and if they did, expectations for home recordings were low. For that reason, recording was "playing." I would just screw around; add a ton of harmony vocals, mess with trippy backwards effects, run keyboards through guitar pedals, and most notably; not care if a vocal performance was perfect.

The takeaway from this "analog" and "digital" desk idea is to get back to playing and not worry so much about being perfect.

How about you?

Are you playing enough?

Would you benefit from having an analog desk?

Let me know by replying in the comments below.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

How Much Is Too Much?

"So from now on write music constantly, post it online, every live show, keep feeding the beast. If you know exactly what resonates with your audience, you’re wrong, you must experiment to find out, and keep doing so." - Bob Lefsetz

How Much Is Too Much?

Picture the 17 year old version of yourself. What albums did you wear out? For me it was Hysteria by Def Leppard and Empire by Queensryche. I was a huge fan of both bands. Now let me ask you this:

What were the names of the albums that those bands released next?

Give up? I can't remember either, and I just said that I was a huge fan. Why?

Because there was an almost 5 year gap between albums. 5 years! Authors in the past weren't much different. What's the name of the book that Dan Brown released after The Da Vinci Code? I can't remember that either.

As a creative person, you probably realize that you need to release more material than your forerunners. But...

How Much Is Too Much?

Do you agree with Mr. Lefsetz that you need to constantly feed the beast?

Obviously, you don't want to release crap, but I think prolific, consistent output is the way to go.

If you released a new piece of visual art, a song, short story, blog post, or podcast every week, would anybody care? Would some people be turned off by the frequency? I think the answer is yes to both of those questions. But we should worry more about the folks who care and ignore the people that don't.

So what do you think?

How Much Is Too Much?

Let me know by replying in the comments below.

Now, I'm off to go listen to Def Leppard and Queensryche. By the way, those albums were Adrenalize and Promised Land, respectively. They're not nearly as good as their predecessors.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

Should You Do It Yourself?

"I think the downside today is that people think you can do this yourself, and you can do it yourself, but you'll be a much happier human being if you do it with other human beings." - Mick Fleetwood (referencing digital home recording)

This quote comes from Dave Grohl's great documentary Sound City. If you're a creative person, it's worth watching. You can stream it for free through Amazon Instant Video right now.

Should you do it yourself?

I recently wrote about how I was quitting. I wasn't enjoying recording anymore. I was doing it all by myself. With the exception of a few saxophone solos, every note that you hear on my recordings is me. For a long time, I relished that control.

Well, as Mick Fleetwood said, I could do it by myself, but I'm starting to feel like I'd be a much happier human being if I created with other human beings.

How about you?

Do you enjoy creating by yourself?

Do you prefer collaboration?

Let me know by replying in the comments below.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

My Biggest Role Model Is...

Even as adults, many of us have people that we look to for inspiration; as an example for a way to live our lives. If you reflect back upon your formative years as an artist, I'm sure you can rattle off half a dozen names that got your juices flowing; that made you want to do it.

Those influences (in my case, Def Leppard, Rush, The Beatles & Crowded House) are extremely important, but I'm talking about the folks that inspire you right now. The people that are doing the things that you want to do, that are living in a way that you want to live.

I'm going to list three names. Oddly, none of them are musicians.

Why are these three my biggest role models? What do they have in common?

Consistency

All three of these writers blog just about everyday. And it's not crap blogging either. It's useful advice, written well and often highly entertaining.

Generosity

Go ahead and look at Leo's website. Notice something? It's completely clutter free and devoid of flashing "buy my book!" widgets. All three writers give and give and give some more to their readers, without asking for much in return. Do Leo, Seth and Chuck have books to sell you? Absolutely, but they aren't in your face about it. When their new posts come up in my feed reader, I always read them. Why? Because I know that it's going to be useful and entertaining and not some bullshit, hack post trying to lure me to buy something. And you know what? I've purchased books from all three of these guys. Coincidence?

Quality

Even though they create a lot of material, they never post crap. Ever.

Community

Because they consistently release quality material that helps their audience, all three of these writers have helped to foster a community around their work. Every time that Chuck publishes a new piece, a spirited discussion always breaks out in the comments. As a reader, this adds to the value of every post that he writes.

These are qualities that I'd like to infuse into my own work. How about you?

Who are your current role models?

Let me know by responding in the comments below.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

I Quit

I've been plugging away at this particular phase of my artistic life for about 7 years now. I've spent the majority of this time trying to write good songs and to get people to listen to them.

Songs like George R.R. Martin Is Not Your Bitch, The Millennium Falcon For Christmas, Summer Glau & Steampunk Girl found niche audiences and helped me to obtain whatever notoriety that I have. It's been great. Those songs are the reason that I'm able to communicate with you right now, and I couldn't be more grateful.

But there's a dark side...

For every song that got a lot of attention, for every write-up on Tor.com or io9, for every opportunity to open for Paul & Storm and Molly Lewis, it left me wanting more. It left me feeling like I deserved more. That's a dark place to be.

So, after months of consideration, I've come to a conclusion:

I'm quitting.

Let me clarify. I'm not going to stop composing and performing music. I'm quitting the race. I'm getting off the nerd music ladder. I just don't want to be in that head space anymore.

I've come to the realization that in regards to my artistic life, there are only two things that matter to me:

1. Enjoying the act of making new music

2. Talking to you about the creative process

That's it. I've gotten so much out of all of the little conversations that we've had via e-mail/Twitter/Facebook. I want to focus on that as much as my music. I'm almost more proud of the fact that I've helped to facilitate conversations about creativity in this community, then I am about my music.

With that being said...

Where are you at in your own creative life?

Please share your thoughts by replying in the comments below.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

Download "I'll Be Your Thor"... For Free!

My wife had zero interest in the Marvel movies... until Chris Hemsworth took off his shirt. Now she's an expert in Norse mythology.

I'll Be Your Thor is a love song dedicated to my wife Beth.

You can click here to listen and download it for free:

I'll Be Your Thor

I normally release my songs as pay what you want, but this one is completely free. Why? I really want you to share it with your friends. You can "pay" me by sharing the song on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, podcast, etc. It would mean a lot to me.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

PS: The sweet caricature of me as Thor was created by the amazing Scott Johnson.

Are You Enjoying The Journey?

Not the band Journey, who we can all agree are awesome, but your own personal artistic journey.

It's Not The Destination, But The Journey That Matters Most

You don't read statements much more cliched than that, but cliches become cliches for a reason.

"And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived." -From The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I came across this passage while reading this week and it knocked me on my ass. We focus too much on accomplishments. We set goals and work hard at achieving them. The downside to this mindset is that we rarely feel satisfied or happy when we accomplish a goal. We're always looking ahead to the next thing that is supposed to make us feel fulfilled, but we never get there.

I've been recording a fan favorite song that folks have been bugging me to record for months. I haven't been enjoying the process. I've been afraid that I'm not doing the song justice, or that people aren't going to like it. I've been too focused on the destination, not the journey.

Coming across that Brandon Sanderson passage has helped me to change my mindset and focus on the joy of creating, not on the product.

Tell me about your own journey by replying in the comments below.

Now I'm off to form a new band called Destination. We're going to sing songs about small town girls and city boys.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

5 Reasons Why Every Dork Plays The Guitar

The guitar is the most popular instrument by far. Yeah, the guitar is synonymous with cool, but why? What are the reasons behind the guitar's prominence? The piano is pretty dope too, but there are far more guitarists than pianists* these days. Let's get to the bottom of this.

1. Chords

When two or more notes are sounded simultaneously, a chord is created. Chords and chord progressions form the backbone of most music that we listen to. Most songs you hear will have someone singing over an instrument(s) playing a series of chords. You can't play chords on a single flute or clarinet, but you can on the guitar.

2. Singing

You create sound on the guitar with your hands, therefore your mouth parts are free to sing. Unless you go all Hendrix on it and pick with your teeth. Sometimes, I just don't understand the 60's.

3. Portability

Now, a piano can play chords too. Pianos sound beautiful, but try carrying one to the park, or band rehearsal, or that cute girl/boy's house.

4. Affordability

You can get a fairly decent, low-end acoustic guitar for as little as $100. The guitar is simply available to many more people than a lot of other instruments.

5. Expression

John Mayer's orgasm-ing guitar face aside, the electric guitar grew into the expressive instrument that it is today because you can put your hands directly on the strings and bend the shit out of them. When channeled through a raging Marshall amp, the resulting howl makes the hair on the back of our neck stick up. Coincidentally, most John Mayer fans have really hairy necks.

Well, there you have it. Turns out the guitar really isn't that cool at all. It just happens to be the one instrument that cheap dudes and dude-ettes can carry to their crush's house so they can impress them by playing chords while they sing John Mayer songs.

* this is an unfortunate word

Download "Zombinista"... For Free!

I've got a brand new instrumental to share with you this week that's part surf rock, part rockabilly and part horror movie soundtrack . It's called "Zombinista."

You can click here to listen and download it for free:

Zombinista

This piece was commissioned by Kim Price of the Ladies of Leet Podcast for her Zombinista blog and video series. Check it out!

Do you make indie films, documentaries or web shows? If you or someone you know needs a score for a project, contact me via e-mail at 27summers@gmail.com or by messaging me on Twitter or Facebook.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

What Are You Creating This Week?

It's all about you this week! I want you to tell me what you're working on, even if it isn't part of the "23 in '13" Challenge. So...

What are you creating this week?

Are you writing short stories or songs? Are you painting landscapes or drawing comics? Are you blogging or podcasting? I want to know!

Tell me what you're creating by replying in the comments below.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

BTW: The fantastic artwork above is by the amazing Natalie Metzger.

Download "Hoptimus Prime"... For Free!

I've got a brand new instrumental to share with you this week. It's a folky piece that features Irish Bouzouki, Lap Steel and Piano. It's called "Hoptimus Prime."

You can click here to listen and download it for free:

Hoptimus Prime

This piece was commissioned by the producers of Hopstories, a great webseries about small breweries. You can view the episode that features my score here.

Do you make indie films or documentaries? If you or someone you know needs a score for a project, contact me by replying to this e-mail (27summers@gmail.com) or by messaging me on Twitter or Facebook.

Have a great week!

John Anealio