TINY CROOKED OPINIONS http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm Wed, 16 May 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://bandzoogle.com Release 10: 33 http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=2083202 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 10: May 14, 2012 33 &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/33"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;33 by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/33-single/id527456687?uo=4" target="_new">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/33">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; _________________________________________________________________________________________ &nbsp;It's all true and not a word of a lie, I turned 33 at the start of May. I ate Tibetan food (awesome) with my girlfriend, ploughed through a bottle of wine and, hey presto, death became one notch closer. I must admit that I have a twinge of doubt admitting it. Do you feel that? Is it just me or did society just turn it's reproachful gaze onto me. &ldquo;WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? AT 33??? STILL FUCKING AROUND BEING A SONG-WRITER??? THERE ARE HOUSES TO BE BOUGHT AND JOBS TO BE FILLED AND CHILDREN TO BEAR. AND YOU HAVEN'T ONCE TRIED OUT FOR &ldquo;X-FACTOR&rdquo; OR &ldquo;THE VOICE&rdquo;. .. blah blah fucketty blah (reproachful society only speaks in capital letters, excessive caps-lock usage is the sure sign of a real twat). So this is a song about getting older and how not really all that much changes. You don't feel all that different. The world doesn't make all that much more sense. Oh and yes, you definitely do keep on fucking up (or maybe that's just me as well). Also, this week's release is song number 10 for FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA, something a milestone. &ldquo;33&rdquo; marks the start of a group of songs which I hope will appear to be somewhat connected. I'm conscious that this method of releasing songs, one at a time, may appear to be a bit 'scattergun'. One of the things I enjoy about album releases is the concise statement that a 10 to 12 song work can create. Over the course of the next 4 or 5 songs I'm going to attempt something similar to see if it can be achieved within this method of releasing songs. I may even create a sub-title for this group, though in addition to the lengthy project title and sometimes lengthy song titles, this may cover the graphics in an ungainly and annoying fashion. Anyway, the next release will be called &ldquo;Mind Games&rdquo;. Until then, lovers, keep ageing disgracefully (as they say)...
 
    
Release 10: May 14, 2012
33
   
   BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
Fronz Arp - Rails - Single                                                

_________________________________________________________________________________________
 It's all true and not a word of a lie, I turned 33 at the start of May. I ate Tibetan food (awesome) with my girlfriend, ploughed through a bottle of wine and, hey presto, death became one notch closer. I must admit that I have a twinge of doubt admitting it. Do you feel that? Is it just me or did society just turn it's reproachful gaze onto me. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? AT 33??? STILL FUCKING AROUND BEING A SONG-WRITER??? THERE ARE HOUSES TO BE BOUGHT AND JOBS TO BE FILLED AND CHILDREN TO BEAR. AND YOU HAVEN'T ONCE TRIED OUT FOR “X-FACTOR” OR “THE VOICE”. .. blah blah fucketty blah (reproachful society only speaks in capital letters, excessive caps-lock usage is the sure sign of a real twat).

So this is a song about getting older and how not really all that much changes. You don't feel all that different. The world doesn't make all that much more sense. Oh and yes, you definitely do keep on fucking up (or maybe that's just me as well).

Also, this week's release is song number 10 for FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA, something a milestone. “33” marks the start of a group of songs which I hope will appear to be somewhat connected. I'm conscious that this method of releasing songs, one at a time, may appear to be a bit 'scattergun'. One of the things I enjoy about album releases is the concise statement that a 10 to 12 song work can create. Over the course of the next 4 or 5 songs I'm going to attempt something similar to see if it can be achieved within this method of releasing songs. I may even create a sub-title for this group, though in addition to the lengthy project title and sometimes lengthy song titles, this may cover the graphics in an ungainly and annoying fashion.

Anyway, the next release will be called “Mind Games”. Until then, lovers, keep ageing disgracefully (as they say)...]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 10:05:00 GMT 33A150E00FF1D19C32C7374A1DAE349E Release 9: Never Let Me Go http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=2043543 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 9: Apr 30, 2012 NEVER LET ME GO &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/never-let-me-go"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Never Let Me Go by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/never-let-me-go-single/id523774032?uo=4">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/never-let-me-go">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; _________________________________________________________________________________________ Honesty is profound simplicity, often buried beneath the complexities of truths and reasons and waiting to be teased to the surface. Or sometimes to just appear from thin air as if it were dangling in front of your face the whole time. Honesty is much harder to bottle then truth or intelligence because it emerges from an apparent chaos and makes sense of it in a heartbeat, like a mathematical equation that draws the mysteries of some universal phenomena into a concise statement. 'Never Let Me Go', a very simple idea, was almost fully formed during a session while I was messing around with my guitar. So simple that I was convinced it wasn't good enough at the time. So I pulled it apart, put it back together and extended it several times before going back to its embryonic state. Sometimes its hardest to know when NOT to mess with an idea, as its so easy to build on something. The only addition to the songs initial two verses and choruses are, of course, the strings that enter in the 2nd pre-chorus. While I would love to be able to play violin (though I no longer possess the required patience for such activities) and have done a few string arrangements in my time, this string part was built from the sampled remains of a project I did a few years back. So there we go. My lesson for this week is that, ironically, simplicity is something I need to work on xx
 
    
Release 9: Apr 30, 2012
NEVER LET ME GO
   
   BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
Fronz Arp - Rails - Single                                               


_________________________________________________________________________________________
Honesty is profound simplicity, often buried beneath the complexities of truths and reasons and waiting to be teased to the surface. Or sometimes to just appear from thin air as if it were dangling in front of your face the whole time. Honesty is much harder to bottle then truth or intelligence because it emerges from an apparent chaos and makes sense of it in a heartbeat, like a mathematical equation that draws the mysteries of some universal phenomena into a concise statement.

'Never Let Me Go', a very simple idea, was almost fully formed during a session while I was messing around with my guitar. So simple that I was convinced it wasn't good enough at the time. So I pulled it apart, put it back together and extended it several times before going back to its embryonic state. Sometimes its hardest to know when NOT to mess with an idea, as its so easy to build on something.

The only addition to the songs initial two verses and choruses are, of course, the strings that enter in the 2nd pre-chorus. While I would love to be able to play violin (though I no longer possess the required patience for such activities) and have done a few string arrangements in my time, this string part was built from the sampled remains of a project I did a few years back.

So there we go. My lesson for this week is that, ironically, simplicity is something I need to work on xx]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 13:25:00 GMT B228BC0399BF9B5ED6E1EFD93E133598 Release 8: Rails http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1996403 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 8: Apr 16, 2012 RAILS &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/rails"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Rails by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rails/id519946903?i=519946907&amp;uo=4">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/rails">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; _________________________________________________________________________________________ My life is a jumble of lyrics scrawled in notepads. It's a list of musical ideas stored on my phone, hummed from the corners of shopping centres and buses. Instead of relying on mysticism, the 'bolt of lightning' religious experience of profound inspiration, I've trained myself into the habit of recording every tiny idea that goes through my head. No matter how stupid, derivative, pretentious or insane it may seem at the time, I drop whatever I'm doing and hum, strum or scrawl down that idea, without judgment, to be re-listened to or re-read later. As you may expect, this can sometimes be a rather anti-social habit. I do, regularly, run off to a quiet corner or pull out my phone mid-conversation to tap down a sentence. I've been caught in the men's room singing (and then watched suspiciously by the newly urinating gentlemen as I exited the room). The plus-side is that I have a very lengthy library of song ideas. Often, my songs appear when a few ideas just obviously fit together. Sometimes I'll have an idea I think is strong enough to warrant pushing it around, re-writing lyrics over and over until it works. Occasionally, I get the 'bolt of lightning' and that can be pleasant. I say this because 'Rails' came about 24 hours before I released it on my website via these techniques. Thanks to a busy week at work (stoopid work, getting in the way of stuff) and a flu last week reducing my vocal capability, the couple of ideas I'd been working on got sidelined. So, I opened the ol' bag of tricks looking for a new song. The verse melody was an idea I had (as near as I can tell) in late 2009. The lyrics were largely formed earlier this year while I was sitting at Brisbane airport at 5am. Once these fitted together, the chorus melody and the line 'all you need to find is a way to get back on the rails' just seemed to fit in and draw the parts neatly together. I put 99% perspiration into every 1% of inspiration I have. That's what I DO. I don't believe talent is some mystical process where musical skill appears like magic. But I've always been a cynic like that. When I was in Grade 2 I told Cathy Mills that Santa Clause didn't exist and she cried her eyes out for the rest of the day. But fuck 'er, she had it comin' xx
 
    
Release 8: Apr 16, 2012
RAILS
   
  BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
Fronz Arp - Rails - Single                                               

_________________________________________________________________________________________
My life is a jumble of lyrics scrawled in notepads. It's a list of musical ideas stored on my phone, hummed from the corners of shopping centres and buses. Instead of relying on mysticism, the 'bolt of lightning' religious experience of profound inspiration, I've trained myself into the habit of recording every tiny idea that goes through my head. No matter how stupid, derivative, pretentious or insane it may seem at the time, I drop whatever I'm doing and hum, strum or scrawl down that idea, without judgment, to be re-listened to or re-read later.

As you may expect, this can sometimes be a rather anti-social habit. I do, regularly, run off to a quiet corner or pull out my phone mid-conversation to tap down a sentence. I've been caught in the men's room singing (and then watched suspiciously by the newly urinating gentlemen as I exited the room). The plus-side is that I have a very lengthy library of song ideas. Often, my songs appear when a few ideas just obviously fit together. Sometimes I'll have an idea I think is strong enough to warrant pushing it around, re-writing lyrics over and over until it works. Occasionally, I get the 'bolt of lightning' and that can be pleasant.

I say this because 'Rails' came about 24 hours before I released it on my website via these techniques. Thanks to a busy week at work (stoopid work, getting in the way of stuff) and a flu last week reducing my vocal capability, the couple of ideas I'd been working on got sidelined.

So, I opened the ol' bag of tricks looking for a new song. The verse melody was an idea I had (as near as I can tell) in late 2009. The lyrics were largely formed earlier this year while I was sitting at Brisbane airport at 5am. Once these fitted together, the chorus melody and the line 'all you need to find is a way to get back on the rails' just seemed to fit in and draw the parts neatly together.

I put 99% perspiration into every 1% of inspiration I have. That's what I DO. I don't believe talent is some mystical process where musical skill appears like magic. But I've always been a cynic like that. When I was in Grade 2 I told Cathy Mills that Santa Clause didn't exist and she cried her eyes out for the rest of the day. But fuck 'er, she had it comin'
xx]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:10:00 GMT CD55063566988506110A705F669A15D3 Release 7: The Edge of the World http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1936326 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 7: Apr 2, 2012 THE EDGE OF THE WORLD &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/the-edge-of-the-world"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Edge of the World by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-edge-of-the-world-single/id516091807?uo=4">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/the-edge-of-the-world">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="./store.cfm">VIST MY STORE TO SEE ALL SINGLES RELEASED UNDER MY &quot;FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA&quot; PROJECT, AS WELL AS PREVIOUS ALBUM RELEASES x Good morning, dear lovers. My internet all but disappeared this week, as my share house collectively busted our allowance and forgot to pay the previous bill (hey ho). However, it's times like that you realise simply how much you rely on the fixtures of pop culture in everyday life. Of course, this project is distributed online so I share my time almost equally between staring at web browsers and staring at my guitar. But communication-wise, a lot of bits of my life were shut down by the internet (sorry to the people I haven't emailed back yet). Perhaps it's that mild isolation that encouraged me to work on 'The Edge of the World'. A song that is about isolation and working yourself up into confusion because of the things you can't see. But also, it's an idea I've avoided for a while because it is musically a bit more confronting. Not a nice familiar 4/4 pop rhythm, but a stilted, stop-start affair where I tried to create a musical environment that reflected the general confusion of the song theme. I actually had this musical idea a while back but didn't work on it because... well... it's easy to talk yourself out of ideas that are a bit more out there, in the face of so much successful straight ahead pop music. So in this case, mild isolation has cut me off from influences that may have made me rethink this release. It encouraged me to work this idea through and put something out, which, I suspect, may be one of my more polarising works. A couple of quotes I find interesting which relate to this: &ldquo;A good artist should be isolated, if he isn't isolated, something is wrong.&rdquo; Orson Welles &ldquo;On stage, I make love to 25,000 different people, then I go home alone.&rdquo; Janis Joplin &ldquo;An artist is always alone - if he is an artist. No, what the artist needs is loneliness.&rdquo; Henry Miller If I could come close to living up to these fine people if would be a good thing. At least for the moment, I must admit I'm a bit more nervous about putting 'The Edge of the World' out than any other song for this project thus far. And it's nice to have my internet reconnected. xx
 
    
Release 7: Apr 2, 2012
THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
   
   BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
Fronz Arp - Edge of the World - Single                                              

VIST MY STORE TO SEE ALL SINGLES RELEASED UNDER MY "FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA" PROJECT, AS WELL AS PREVIOUS ALBUM RELEASES x

Good morning, dear lovers. My internet all but disappeared this week, as my share house collectively busted our allowance and forgot to pay the previous bill (hey ho). However, it's times like that you realise simply how much you rely on the fixtures of pop culture in everyday life. Of course, this project is distributed online so I share my time almost equally between staring at web browsers and staring at my guitar. But communication-wise, a lot of bits of my life were shut down by the internet (sorry to the people I haven't emailed back yet).

Perhaps it's that mild isolation that encouraged me to work on 'The Edge of the World'. A song that is about isolation and working yourself up into confusion because of the things you can't see. But also, it's an idea I've avoided for a while because it is musically a bit more confronting. Not a nice familiar 4/4 pop rhythm, but a stilted, stop-start affair where I tried to create a musical environment that reflected the general confusion of the song theme. I actually had this musical idea a while back but didn't work on it because... well... it's easy to talk yourself out of ideas that are a bit more out there, in the face of so much successful straight ahead pop music. So in this case, mild isolation has cut me off from influences that may have made me rethink this release. It encouraged me to work this idea through and put something out, which, I suspect, may be one of my more polarising works.

A couple of quotes I find interesting which relate to this:
“A good artist should be isolated, if he isn't isolated, something is wrong.” Orson Welles
“On stage, I make love to 25,000 different people, then I go home alone.” Janis Joplin
“An artist is always alone - if he is an artist. No, what the artist needs is loneliness.” Henry Miller

If I could come close to living up to these fine people if would be a good thing. At least for the moment, I must admit I'm a bit more nervous about putting 'The Edge of the World' out than any other song for this project thus far.

And it's nice to have my internet reconnected. xx
]]> Mon, 02 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT 23F7FEE557716D4F434AC8BBFC4D63C0 Release 6: Magnolia http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1887746 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 6: Mar 19, 2012 MAGNOLIA &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/magnolia"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Magnolia by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=eH8NOY8fBFE&amp;offerid=78941&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0&amp;tmpid=1826&amp;RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fid%253D511332986%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/magnolia">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; And making its debut here for this, the 6th release in the &ldquo;Tiny Crooked Orchestra&rdquo; project... would you please put your hands together for... (trumpet fanfare)... OUR FIRST SONG IN A MAJOR KEY. Ever the rarity amongst the Fronz Arp back catalogue, it only really finds its way into a song when the happy atmosphere it creates is offset ironically with dark lyrical content. This song, about facing the scary unknowns outside in the dark, &nbsp;is a perfect example of that.&nbsp; Over the past couple of months I've been fine tuning the geekery behind this project. The aim was to use available web tools and services to make my music available on an ongoing basis, as an alternative to the release of an album with the 'hard-sell' to follow. The other aim was to see if the structure could be relatively 'transparent', in that I want to spend as few hours as possible locked in struggle coding, uploading, emailing, hassling, going fuckin' crazy... I want to be focussed on the writing and producing part of the job, hopefully then plugging the resulting song into the juggernaut so that it fluffs out the other end without too much in the way of technical constipation. Its been a long held belief of mine that the musicians are under the very-false impression they are in competition with each other and this only serves to isolate them. Especially in the case of the independent musician, who is trying to be a creator and musician (a full time job in itself) at the same time as stringing together enough knowledge to run themselves as a business to some degree. Without letting myself rant too much about THAT particular topic (believe me, there have been rants), this is the first structure of what I expect to be a somewhat evolving beast. What I use may very well change dramatically throughout the course of the year, but such is life when dealing with technology. So, I use <a target="_new" href="http://www.bandzoogle.com">BANDZOOGLE (a website builder based on a graphic editor with features specifically aimed at musicians) to construct the core website. I make the songs available on iTunes and its major competitors (Amazon, Google Music, etc) using <a target="_new" href="http://www.tunecore.com">TUNECORE. Then <a target="_new" href="http://www.bandcamp.com">BANDCAMP to offer a more 'personl' sales option, with its flexibility of download format and pricing structure (pay-what-you-want, download code, email signup, etc). Content on Bandcamp also becomes available in a range of sharing options, widgets easily embedded on websites, emails and all the major social networks. After all, this project to some degree lives and dies by the ability for the music to circulate. Once the music is out, I use social networks to get it in front of current fans and interested-types, first step is to of course contact my mailing list and facebook fans, but then to also push out as much as possible to new listeners. I've had some success using <a href="http://www.soundcloud.com">Soundcloud and <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com">Reverbnation, but also <a target="_new" href="http://www.youtube.com">Youtube, <a target="_new" href="http://www.tumblr.com">Tumblr, <a target="_new" href="http://www.linkedin.com">LinkedIn, <a href="http://www.thesixtyone.com">The Sixty One, <a target="_new" href="http://www.outboundmusic.com">Outbound Music and <a href="http://www.triplejunearthed.com">Triple J Unearthed. The final step is always to contact the growing list of digital and internet radio stations. I this geekery part of the project interesting as well, but mostly in a way where I think its important for the 'independent musician' to be able to set this up in such a way that it can be forgotten about. I hope to streamline all this further so that it can leave even more space to the creation process. Thanks for letting me rant lovers xx
 
    
Release 6: Mar 19, 2012
MAGNOLIA
   
   BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
Fronz Arp - Magnolia - Single                            

  
And making its debut here for this, the 6th release in the “Tiny Crooked Orchestra” project... would you please put your hands together for... (trumpet fanfare)... OUR FIRST SONG IN A MAJOR KEY. Ever the rarity amongst the Fronz Arp back catalogue, it only really finds its way into a song when the happy atmosphere it creates is offset ironically with dark lyrical content. This song, about facing the scary unknowns outside in the dark,  is a perfect example of that. 

Over the past couple of months I've been fine tuning the geekery behind this project. The aim was to use available web tools and services to make my music available on an ongoing basis, as an alternative to the release of an album with the 'hard-sell' to follow. The other aim was to see if the structure could be relatively 'transparent', in that I want to spend as few hours as possible locked in struggle coding, uploading, emailing, hassling, going fuckin' crazy... I want to be focussed on the writing and producing part of the job, hopefully then plugging the resulting song into the juggernaut so that it fluffs out the other end without too much in the way of technical constipation.

Its been a long held belief of mine that the musicians are under the very-false impression they are in competition with each other and this only serves to isolate them. Especially in the case of the independent musician, who is trying to be a creator and musician (a full time job in itself) at the same time as stringing together enough knowledge to run themselves as a business to some degree. Without letting myself rant too much about THAT particular topic (believe me, there have been rants), this is the first structure of what I expect to be a somewhat evolving beast. What I use may very well change dramatically throughout the course of the year, but such is life when dealing with technology.

So, I use BANDZOOGLE (a website builder based on a graphic editor with features specifically aimed at musicians) to construct the core website. I make the songs available on iTunes and its major competitors (Amazon, Google Music, etc) using TUNECORE. Then BANDCAMP to offer a more 'personl' sales option, with its flexibility of download format and pricing structure (pay-what-you-want, download code, email signup, etc). Content on Bandcamp also becomes available in a range of sharing options, widgets easily embedded on websites, emails and all the major social networks. After all, this project to some degree lives and dies by the ability for the music to circulate.

Once the music is out, I use social networks to get it in front of current fans and interested-types, first step is to of course contact my mailing list and facebook fans, but then to also push out as much as possible to new listeners. I've had some success using Soundcloud and Reverbnation, but also Youtube, Tumblr, LinkedIn, The Sixty One, Outbound Music and Triple J Unearthed. The final step is always to contact the growing list of digital and internet radio stations.

I this geekery part of the project interesting as well, but mostly in a way where I think its important for the 'independent musician' to be able to set this up in such a way that it can be forgotten about. I hope to streamline all this further so that it can leave even more space to the creation process.

Thanks for letting me rant lovers xx]]> Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:35:00 GMT 26600001D3CD8C299DFA7972E18FCBD2 Release 5: More for a Woman to Lose http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1838493 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 5: Mar 4, 2012 MORE FOR A WOMAN TO LOSE (DISCARDED WIVES) &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/more-for-a-woman-to-lose-discarded-wives"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;More for a Woman to Lose (Discarded Wives) by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=eH8NOY8fBFE&amp;offerid=78941&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0&amp;tmpid=1826&amp;RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fid%253D508218469%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/more-for-a-woman-to-lose-discarded-wives">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; When things fall apart, they all crack and shatter at once (so it seems at least). So after a VERY busy two weeks of moving to a new city, the cream on the cake was sitting down for the weekend to work on my next release only to find my Protools system wasn't working as one would hope a Protools system should work.&nbsp; &nbsp; Two days of system maintenance and reinstalling software and operating systems from scratch AND generally beating my head against the cement wall of my 'man cave' (no euphemism intended, I'm currently occupying a garden shed underneath my girlfriend's house) later, I was not much closer to recording anything. Luckily, I started 'More for a Woman to Lose' just before I left Sydney and the song has been around for a while, so there wasn't loads of work left to do on it. Still, after a weekend with my 'tech brain' turned on, finishing a song in a couple of hours last night was the last thing I was ready to do. This project is forcing me to sit down and complete things though. Not just drift in and out of work as the mood takes me. I aim to make sure that the 95% of perspiration goes into every 5% of inspiration I feel is worthwhile. Dammit. So here's a song inspired by a street I used to live on in Brisbane, where hookers would patrol night and day. We (I and my housemates) would squirm uncomfortably when we saw unsavory looking characters pull up and whisk away the girls to who-knows-where. Once I saw a girl walk up and down the street waving at patrons while crying her eyes out. Someone pulled up in a BMW and took her away. In this story, a pregnant wife follows her husband to such a street and watches as he hires a hooker to give him a blowjob in one of the ally ways. In anger and disgust she runs away from the scene to a hospital and has the baby aborted. One of the darker stories I've written. But I try not to shy from things just because they are dark or difficult or confronting. The portrayals of disharmony are as important as stories of love because only with darkness will light make sense. Only from the chaos all around us will a path become clear.



 

                   
Release 5: Mar 4, 2012
MORE FOR A WOMAN TO LOSE (DISCARDED WIVES)
   
   BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
Fronz Arp - More for a Woman to Lose (Discarded Wives) - Single                            
  
When things fall apart, they all crack and shatter at once (so it seems at least). So after a VERY busy two weeks of moving to a new city, the cream on the cake was sitting down for the weekend to work on my next release only to find my Protools system wasn't working as one would hope a Protools system should work. 
 
Two days of system maintenance and reinstalling software and operating systems from scratch AND generally beating my head against the cement wall of my 'man cave' (no euphemism intended, I'm currently occupying a garden shed underneath my girlfriend's house) later, I was not much closer to recording anything.

Luckily, I started 'More for a Woman to Lose' just before I left Sydney and the song has been around for a while, so there wasn't loads of work left to do on it. Still, after a weekend with my 'tech brain' turned on, finishing a song in a couple of hours last night was the last thing I was ready to do. This project is forcing me to sit down and complete things though. Not just drift in and out of work as the mood takes me. I aim to make sure that the 95% of perspiration goes into every 5% of inspiration I feel is worthwhile. Dammit.

So here's a song inspired by a street I used to live on in Brisbane, where hookers would patrol night and day. We (I and my housemates) would squirm uncomfortably when we saw unsavory looking characters pull up and whisk away the girls to who-knows-where. Once I saw a girl walk up and down the street waving at patrons while crying her eyes out. Someone pulled up in a BMW and took her away.

In this story, a pregnant wife follows her husband to such a street and watches as he hires a hooker to give him a blowjob in one of the ally ways. In anger and disgust she runs away from the scene to a hospital and has the baby aborted. One of the darker stories I've written. But I try not to shy from things just because they are dark or difficult or confronting. The portrayals of disharmony are as important as stories of love because only with darkness will light make sense. Only from the chaos all around us will a path become clear.

]]> Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:20:00 GMT 7DCFDDB109F664ABA292514717078694 Release 4: Did You Think Our Love Would Hide You? http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1793744 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 4: Feb 18, 2012 DID YOU THINK OUR LOVE WOULD HIDE YOU? &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/did-you-think-our-love-would-hide-you"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Did You Think Our Love Would Hide You by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=eH8NOY8fBFE&amp;offerid=78941&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0&amp;tmpid=1826&amp;RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fid%253D506198404%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/did-you-think-our-love-would-hide-you"> Hey there lovers, this week I have such a simple offering for you that it could almost called a 'ditty', but for it's lack of resemblance to anything so light-hearted as the word 'ditty' would suggest. A self-destructive love song... I love you so let the things which would destroy aim their attacks at me instead and so I would prove my love and keep you safe. All the stark drama of a Tolstoy romance, if only I'd included more frozen Russian women.&nbsp; A relatively simple arrangement, though it evolved over several different recordings of the song, starting with one based largely on percussion and a few chords sprinkled through the choruses and then finally pared-back further and further to give the melody more space until it really became very sparse. Hilarious in a way, because some of you may remember a live recording of this song floating around where that original arrangement didn't sound so different (the song had only been written 2 days prior to the recording). As with many things in life, sometimes we start out somewhere, take long-winded and complicated diversion and then come back to the place we started. On the topic of which, &ldquo;Hello Brisbane&rdquo;... it's been a while but I am back in you. I forsook you two years ago but have now returned with a 12 hour drive which, though mostly rather dull, was punctuated by one mild near-death experience in which the Reaper (or one of his slightly more jovial harbingers, who through shocking prank serves to remind of death presence) rode a barrel off the side of a truck that bounced all around my car without hitting it (somewhat miraculously). And there it is again, morbidity (a barrel riding Grim Reaper) against the picturesque (the Australian bush setting of the drive), as with the theme of this weeks song. I suppose it could be argued that this is a regular tool of writing (as with my Tolstoy example) and maybe I'm just looking at it now with the eyes of someone who has been trawling backwards and forwards through his own work for the last couple of months with obsessive regularity. As always, buy from the link above, or I'll send it to you for FREE if you it share with 3 friends (and include my email info@fronzarp.com in the CC window so I know you've done it) Do svidaniya!

 

                   
Release 4: Feb 18, 2012
DID YOU THINK OUR
LOVE WOULD HIDE YOU?
   
   BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
Fronz Arp - Did You Think Our Love Would Hide You - Single                  

Hey there lovers, this week I have such a simple offering for you that it could almost called a 'ditty', but for it's lack of resemblance to anything so light-hearted as the word 'ditty' would suggest. A self-destructive love song... I love you so let the things which would destroy aim their attacks at me instead and so I would prove my love and keep you safe. All the stark drama of a Tolstoy romance, if only I'd included more frozen Russian women. 

A relatively simple arrangement, though it evolved over several different recordings of the song, starting with one based largely on percussion and a few chords sprinkled through the choruses and then finally pared-back further and further to give the melody more space until it really became very sparse. Hilarious in a way, because some of you may remember a live recording of this song floating around where that original arrangement didn't sound so different (the song had only been written 2 days prior to the recording). As with many things in life, sometimes we start out somewhere, take long-winded and complicated diversion and then come back to the place we started.

On the topic of which, “Hello Brisbane”... it's been a while but I am back in you. I forsook you two years ago but have now returned with a 12 hour drive which, though mostly rather dull, was punctuated by one mild near-death experience in which the Reaper (or one of his slightly more jovial harbingers, who through shocking prank serves to remind of death presence) rode a barrel off the side of a truck that bounced all around my car without hitting it (somewhat miraculously).

And there it is again, morbidity (a barrel riding Grim Reaper) against the picturesque (the Australian bush setting of the drive), as with the theme of this weeks song. I suppose it could be argued that this is a regular tool of writing (as with my Tolstoy example) and maybe I'm just looking at it now with the eyes of someone who has been trawling backwards and forwards through his own work for the last couple of months with obsessive regularity.

As always, buy from the link above, or I'll send it to you for FREE if you it share with 3 friends (and include my email info@fronzarp.com in the CC window so I know you've done it)

Do svidaniya!]]> Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:35:00 GMT A5F2A9C6032162447C32B084C6C1007B Release 3: Fire http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1760370 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 3: Feb 6, 2012 FIRE&nbsp; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/fire"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fire by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=eH8NOY8fBFE&amp;offerid=78941&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0&amp;tmpid=1826&amp;RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fid%253D506197599%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/fire"> Oh welcome, dear blog readers, to my next release. I come to you LIVE from the viscous waste that occupies my poor sleepless brain. Only my third release in for the year, barely into February, and I have proof that this project may indeed compromise my fragile sanity. Given a more hectic then usual twist to life, this writing and recording rapidly eats into the time I set aside for not being awake. BLAM... farewell sleep, hello burgeoning neuroses. Oh so much to talk about, many ideas have come together here. These topics are thrice... 1- Quickly about the track. I wrote it all very recently. Very much based around the first verse lyrics and the guitar percussion rhythm that comes in halfway through. Here's a clip of me rehearsing the rhythm and beating on my poor tortured guitar (her name is Delilah (say &quot;Hi Delilah&quot;), sorry for hitting you so much) Everything very quickly built up around this rhythm into what you hear. I think I put my microphone (Shure Beta58) in about 50 places around my room looking for a spot to make it sound (what I think of as) awesome, finally landing inside the box that my computer screen sits on. 2- Followers of my songs over the years will notice that there aren't a great deal of &quot;I'm in love&quot; songs in there, so this, just in time for Valentine's Day, is something of a departure for me thematically and th... oh sorry, what was that...? Is it because...? Oh yes OK it's because I have a new love (new love? old love? new love?) and am pretty damned happy about it. So here's a song dedication (also something I don't really do) to being in love, to Valentine's Day and to Emma xx. 3- The third exciting thing for this song is that you'll notice it has an accompanying artwork. I have been hoping to incorporate into the 'Tiny Crooked Orchestra' project, several crossings of the general boundaries of genres and art mediums and would love to feature works by Australian artists for as many of the song graphics as I can. Thanks to artist, photographer and cinematographer (and my fine friend) Mr Steve Munro who very kindly offered this wonderful painting for 'Fire'. To go with this, you'll notice that I've put the price of a track up to $2. Whenever I feature an artwork, I will do this and split the profit from the the track with the visual artist. Or I'll still offer the track for free if you share it with 3 of your friends because you'll also be disseminating the art provided. So please listen to 'Fire' and then visit Steve's web pages: <a target="_new" href="http://stevemunro.com.au">stevemunro.com.au&nbsp;- For some of his photography work <a target="_new" href="http://wide-angle.tv">wide-angle.tv&nbsp;- For some of his film work <a target="_new" href="http://www.redbubble.com/people/stevemunro">On Redbubble&nbsp;- for sales and prints of Steve's photography and art Ramblings complete. More to come soon xx
 
                   
Release 3: Feb 6, 2012
FIRE 
   
   BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
Fronz Arp - Fire - Single                  

Oh welcome, dear blog readers, to my next release. I come to you LIVE from the viscous waste that occupies my poor sleepless brain. Only my third release in for the year, barely into February, and I have proof that this project may indeed compromise my fragile sanity. Given a more hectic then usual twist to life, this writing and recording rapidly eats into the time I set aside for not being awake. BLAM... farewell sleep, hello burgeoning neuroses.

Oh so much to talk about, many ideas have come together here. These topics are thrice...

1- Quickly about the track. I wrote it all very recently. Very much based around the first verse lyrics and the guitar percussion rhythm that comes in halfway through. Here's a clip of me rehearsing the rhythm and beating on my poor tortured guitar (her name is Delilah (say "Hi Delilah"), sorry for hitting you so much)



Everything very quickly built up around this rhythm into what you hear. I think I put my microphone (Shure Beta58) in about 50 places around my room looking for a spot to make it sound (what I think of as) awesome, finally landing inside the box that my computer screen sits on.

2- Followers of my songs over the years will notice that there aren't a great deal of "I'm in love" songs in there, so this, just in time for Valentine's Day, is something of a departure for me thematically and th... oh sorry, what was that...? Is it because...? Oh yes OK it's because I have a new love (new love? old love? new love?) and am pretty damned happy about it. So here's a song dedication (also something I don't really do) to being in love, to Valentine's Day and to Emma xx.

3- The third exciting thing for this song is that you'll notice it has an accompanying artwork. I have been hoping to incorporate into the 'Tiny Crooked Orchestra' project, several crossings of the general boundaries of genres and art mediums and would love to feature works by Australian artists for as many of the song graphics as I can. Thanks to artist, photographer and cinematographer (and my fine friend) Mr Steve Munro who very kindly offered this wonderful painting for 'Fire'.

To go with this, you'll notice that I've put the price of a track up to $2. Whenever I feature an artwork, I will do this and split the profit from the the track with the visual artist. Or I'll still offer the track for free if you share it with 3 of your friends because you'll also be disseminating the art provided. So please listen to 'Fire' and then visit Steve's web pages:

stevemunro.com.au - For some of his photography work
wide-angle.tv - For some of his film work
On Redbubble - for sales and prints of Steve's photography and art

Ramblings complete. More to come soon xx
]]> Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:35:00 GMT 30DC021C8770D6E5BD5BF95E5D86F12C Gotye on Ukulele http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1747934 Hey all. Some of you may have seen the cover I did of Gotye's massive hit 'Somebody I used to know' (video above). Its gotten lots of interest and lots of requests for the chord charts and tab and stuff like that. I really didn't think about that when I was doing it (just kinda worked it out on my uke) and I've never really done tab before but for those that have been asking here's an approximation of what I did Intro and verse x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I 2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I2--x--x--x--I 1--x--0--x--I1--x--0--x--I1--x--0--x--I2--x--x--x--I x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I (Dm -- C - Dm - C etc) Riff x--xx-x--x--Ix----x---x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I 2--x2-0--x--I2----x---0--x--I2--x2-0--x--I2--x--x--x--I 1--xx-3--x--I1----x---3--x--I1--x1-0--x--Ix--x--x--x--I 0--x0-x--x--I0-1-3-0-x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I x2 Chorus x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I 2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I 1--x--0--x--I3--x--0--x--I1--x--0--x--I3--x--0--x--I x--x--x--x--I1--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I1--x--x--x--I (Dm -- C Gm -- C, etc) Kimbra Pre-chorus I don't wanna live... x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I 0--x--x--x--I0--x--x--x--I 0--x--x--x--I0--x--x--x--I x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I x4 The basic chords are just Dm-C in verse and Dm-C-Bb in the chorus, though I play a Gm in my ukulele version (because its easier to to get to a Gm in amongst all the percussion stuff I'm going then a Bb) Anyways, ,hope this is helpful to all you uke peeps xx
Hey all. Some of you may have seen the cover I did of Gotye's massive hit 'Somebody I used to know' (video above). Its gotten lots of interest and lots of requests for the chord charts and tab and stuff like that. I really didn't think about that when I was doing it (just kinda worked it out on my uke) and I've never really done tab before but for those that have been asking here's an approximation of what I did

Intro and verse
x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I
2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I2--x--x--x--I
1--x--0--x--I1--x--0--x--I1--x--0--x--I2--x--x--x--I
x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I
(Dm -- C - Dm - C etc)


Riff
x--xx-x--x--Ix----x---x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I
2--x2-0--x--I2----x---0--x--I2--x2-0--x--I2--x--x--x--I
1--xx-3--x--I1----x---3--x--I1--x1-0--x--Ix--x--x--x--I
0--x0-x--x--I0-1-3-0-x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I x2


Chorus
x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I
2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I2--x--0--x--I
1--x--0--x--I3--x--0--x--I1--x--0--x--I3--x--0--x--I
x--x--x--x--I1--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I1--x--x--x--I
(Dm -- C Gm -- C, etc)


Kimbra Pre-chorus
I don't wanna live...
x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I
0--x--x--x--I0--x--x--x--I
0--x--x--x--I0--x--x--x--I
x--x--x--x--Ix--x--x--x--I x4

The basic chords are just Dm-C in verse and Dm-C-Bb in the chorus, though I play a Gm in my ukulele version (because its easier to to get to a Gm in amongst all the percussion stuff I'm going then a Bb)

Anyways, ,hope this is helpful to all you uke peeps xx

]]> Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:55:00 GMT 76D6012345E5A37A7B2639EA627190B2 Release 2: Just Because You Want it All http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1738009 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 2: JAN 23, 2012 JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT IT ALL &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/just-because-you-want-it-all"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Just Because You Want it All by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=eH8NOY8fBFE&amp;offerid=78941&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0&amp;tmpid=1826&amp;RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fid%253D507024583%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/just-because-you-want-it-all"> &nbsp; &nbsp;Hello from this late and rainy night, my fine lovers. I've been travelling and I've been moving and changing and finding new roads to run on. This song, &ldquo;Just Because You Want it All&rdquo; (the 2nd release in this year's &ldquo;Tiny Crooked Orchestra&rdquo; project), goes some way to expressing that. As much as it's about relationships (aren't they all), it's also about change and the fear that in our inertia the cosmic trickster, fate, dressed in its finery and top-hat, may dance through the sideshows and distractions that whiz and bang significantly around our lives and waltz past before saving us from the horrors of sleeping alone. I feel the song represents a lot of what this project will be about. Because, in the end, its a project that will map the changes in my expression through the year as I write and record songs. Perhaps also the changes in my thought process and sanity as my brain space starts to diminish more seriously. Even though it was the second cab off the ranks, it was the 1st song I wrote and started recording. I just didn't quite get it finished in time to be first release. But I made a lot of the production decisions that will mark (and perhaps mar) the first few in this project based on it; including the minimal instrumentation, stacked voices and thumpy percussion (mostly on the body of my poor violated Gibson Bluesking acoustic guitar, named 'Delilah', who I fear may nightly cry her abused self to sleep in her fuzzy purple hard case). At least next time, Delilah may be caressed more sensually. I'm working on a 'Valentines Day Special' for my next release. I'm no Barry White but I'll give it a red hot go. Anyway, I hope you like Just Because You Want it All. As with the 1st song, I'm selling the download for pay-what-you-want with a $1 minimum. Or I'll email you the song for free if you email the link to the song on bandcamp to 3 more people (and then add my email, info@fronzarp.com, to the address bar so that I know you've done it) Til next time lovers xx
 

                   
Release 2: JAN 23, 2012
JUST BECAUSE YOU
WANT IT ALL
   
   BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
Fronz Arp - Just Because You Want It All - Single                  
 
 Hello from this late and rainy night, my fine lovers.
I've been travelling and I've been moving and changing and finding new roads to run on. This song, “Just Because You Want it All” (the 2nd release in this year's “Tiny Crooked Orchestra” project), goes some way to expressing that. As much as it's about relationships (aren't they all), it's also about change and the fear that in our inertia the cosmic trickster, fate, dressed in its finery and top-hat, may dance through the sideshows and distractions that whiz and bang significantly around our lives and waltz past before saving us from the horrors of sleeping alone. I feel the song represents a lot of what this project will be about. Because, in the end, its a project that will map the changes in my expression through the year as I write and record songs. Perhaps also the changes in my thought process and sanity as my brain space starts to diminish more seriously.

Even though it was the second cab off the ranks, it was the 1st song I wrote and started recording. I just didn't quite get it finished in time to be first release. But I made a lot of the production decisions that will mark (and perhaps mar) the first few in this project based on it; including the minimal instrumentation, stacked voices and thumpy percussion (mostly on the body of my poor violated Gibson Bluesking acoustic guitar, named 'Delilah', who I fear may nightly cry her abused self to sleep in her fuzzy purple hard case).

At least next time, Delilah may be caressed more sensually. I'm working on a 'Valentines Day Special' for my next release. I'm no Barry White but I'll give it a red hot go.

Anyway, I hope you like Just Because You Want it All. As with the 1st song, I'm selling the download for pay-what-you-want with a $1 minimum. Or I'll email you the song for free if you email the link to the song on bandcamp to 3 more people (and then add my email, info@fronzarp.com, to the address bar so that I know you've done it)

Til next time lovers xx]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:20:00 GMT 2A66F9F563888506C7DDFB6241CCE7EE Release 1: Technology (Keeping Us Apart) http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1695615 &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Release 1: Jan 9, 2012 TECHNOLOGY (KEEPING US APART) &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/technology-keeping-us-apart"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Technology (Keeping Us Apart) by Fronz Arp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;BUY FROM &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; OR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=eH8NOY8fBFE&amp;offerid=78941&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0&amp;tmpid=1826&amp;RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fid%253D507027912%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a target="_new" href="http://fronzarp.bandcamp.com/track/technology-keeping-us-apart"> &nbsp;Good morning lovers. There are no cracks in the sky or mountains of water descending upon us as yet. In fact, no signs of any coming world devastation beyond the usual hum of social unrest and environmental degradation that we have all come to expect and which doesn't, in general, inspire us to further question the contents of our burgers or the origins of our shoes. Last night, however, I did see a woman urinate whilst standing-up on the footpath in a crowd watching street theatre. I must admit that I was thoroughly impressed by her casual disregard for the social conventions of 'weeing in private' and 'not splashing the people around you with your wee' or even apparently 'if you do wee in public don't walk off and pretend you haven't just weed in the street and people haven't just watched you wee in the street'. And so to business. As promised, here is my first song release for 2012 for the FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA project, &lt;&gt; 'Technology (Keeping Us Apart)'. Recorded in it's entirety in my bedroom on my over-stretched computer and minimal recording set-up. Now the avid keeper-upperer of my heres, theres, toings and froings might notice that I have a demo on Soundcloud with the same title as this song, which bears very little resemblance to the track I've just released. This is the original demo. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/fronzarp/technology-keeping-us-apart">Technology (keeping us apart) by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/fronzarp">Fronz Arp I produced this original version a few months ago and never felt it completely worked even though I really liked the musical idea. When I devised the music for the version I have just released, I found myself singing the lyrics from the original version along with it without thinking about it and decided to adapt them so they fitted with the new music. I hope you like the song. :) Now, something which I've also decided to trial, that I'd love your feedback on, is a system whereby I'm selling the song download for pay-what-you-want with a $1 minimum OR I'll email you the song for free if you email the link to the song on Bandcamp to three more people (and add my email info@fronzarp.com to the address bar so that I know you've done it). I'm a believer that there should be an exchange of value when distributing music, but that doesn't necessarily mean dollars and cents value. I think these two options represent a fair trade of value of either currency or 'word-spreading', which is as important to any musician as money in most respects. Anyway, I'd love your opinions on this system! thanks lovelies xx

 
               
Release 1: Jan 9, 2012
TECHNOLOGY
(KEEPING US APART)
   
   BUY FROM         OR       PAY WHAT YOU WANT AT
  Fronz Arp - Technology (Keeping Us Apart) - Single                 

 Good morning lovers. There are no cracks in the sky or mountains of water descending upon us as yet. In fact, no signs of any coming world devastation beyond the usual hum of social unrest and environmental degradation that we have all come to expect and which doesn't, in general, inspire us to further question the contents of our burgers or the origins of our shoes. Last night, however, I did see a woman urinate whilst standing-up on the footpath in a crowd watching street theatre. I must admit that I was thoroughly impressed by her casual disregard for the social conventions of 'weeing in private' and 'not splashing the people around you with your wee' or even apparently 'if you do wee in public don't walk off and pretend you haven't just weed in the street and people haven't just watched you wee in the street'.

And so to business. As promised, here is my first song release for 2012 for the FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA project, <> 'Technology (Keeping Us Apart)'. Recorded in it's entirety in my bedroom on my over-stretched computer and minimal recording set-up. Now the avid keeper-upperer of my heres, theres, toings and froings might notice that I have a demo on Soundcloud with the same title as this song, which bears very little resemblance to the track I've just released. This is the original demo.

Technology (keeping us apart) by Fronz Arp

I produced this original version a few months ago and never felt it completely worked even though I really liked the musical idea. When I devised the music for the version I have just released, I found myself singing the lyrics from the original version along with it without thinking about it and decided to adapt them so they fitted with the new music.

I hope you like the song. :)

Now, something which I've also decided to trial, that I'd love your feedback on, is a system whereby I'm selling the song download for pay-what-you-want with a $1 minimum OR I'll email you the song for free if you email the link to the song on Bandcamp to three more people (and add my email info@fronzarp.com to the address bar so that I know you've done it). I'm a believer that there should be an exchange of value when distributing music, but that doesn't necessarily mean dollars and cents value. I think these two options represent a fair trade of value of either currency or 'word-spreading', which is as important to any musician as money in most respects. Anyway, I'd love your opinions on this system!

thanks lovelies xx]]> Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:55:00 GMT 8C5BD4F336C3D9BA7B682BD2DFA4EA64 A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA: New releases in 2012 http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1677343 In 2012, I'll be starting a new project FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA and, instead of releasing a new CD, I'll be writing, producing and releasing a song at a time throughout the year. The first song 'Technology (Keeping Us Apart)' will be up on Monday 9 January. Read on for more details (in amongst my usual ramblings). So, apparently the world may end in 2012. Somewhere between the extrapolation of ancient cultures by alternative thinkers and the reinterpretation of those concepts by the 'ideas-men' of Hollywood, and probably also thanks to the very-regular stream of entertainment-laced doomsday messages that exploit the threats of global warming, nuclear meltdown, religious war and other generally bad ways of dying en mass, it seems to have entered the world zeitgeist that there is a distinct possibility 2012 will be truncated by a yet-to-be-defined apocalypse. What, my dear lovers, is a simple man of music to do??? Since WHAT STRANGE MACHINES, I've been writing a lot... I mean A LOT... and rather then those songs being potentially cooked in my brain by the world's unfortunate demise, I'm going to try something different to get them out there. So is born my latest project, FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA. Instead of writing with the aim to release a collection of songs as a CD at some point this year, I'm going to write and produce songs one by one in my 'home studio' (the fancy name for my bedroom when I'm not sleeping in it). Then I'll release them as soon as each is ready, using my website, the wonderfully flexible online store Bandcamp, my social media sites, online radio stations and various other outlets to get the songs out there. I'll also write a blog for every release describing the recording process, or the story of the song, my thoughts on life at the time, the percentage area of my body covered by excema... and so on and so forth (you get the drift). The first song is set to be up on Monday 9 January, and considering this application of all things modern and techy, its title is somewhat ironic, 'Technology (Keeping Us Apart)'. FRONZ ARP AND THE TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA is going to be a big challenge and a big commitment through the year. Watch this space, for the music will appear regularly and I suspect that as the project rolls on, my sanity may fray and disintegrate in the blogs in front of your very eyes and that, at the least, will probably be a pretty entertaining thing to watch as well In 2012, I'll be starting a new project FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA and, instead of releasing a new CD, I'll be writing, producing and releasing a song at a time throughout the year. The first song 'Technology (Keeping Us Apart)' will be up on Monday 9 January. Read on for more details (in amongst my usual ramblings).

So, apparently the world may end in 2012. Somewhere between the extrapolation of ancient cultures by alternative thinkers and the reinterpretation of those concepts by the 'ideas-men' of Hollywood, and probably also thanks to the very-regular stream of entertainment-laced doomsday messages that exploit the threats of global warming, nuclear meltdown, religious war and other generally bad ways of dying en mass, it seems to have entered the world zeitgeist that there is a distinct possibility 2012 will be truncated by a yet-to-be-defined apocalypse.

What, my dear lovers, is a simple man of music to do???

Since WHAT STRANGE MACHINES, I've been writing a lot... I mean A LOT... and rather then those songs being potentially cooked in my brain by the world's unfortunate demise, I'm going to try something different to get them out there. So is born my latest project, FRONZ ARP IS A TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA.

Instead of writing with the aim to release a collection of songs as a CD at some point this year, I'm going to write and produce songs one by one in my 'home studio' (the fancy name for my bedroom when I'm not sleeping in it). Then I'll release them as soon as each is ready, using my website, the wonderfully flexible online store Bandcamp, my social media sites, online radio stations and various other outlets to get the songs out there. I'll also write a blog for every release describing the recording process, or the story of the song, my thoughts on life at the time, the percentage area of my body covered by excema... and so on and so forth (you get the drift).

The first song is set to be up on Monday 9 January, and considering this application of all things modern and techy, its title is somewhat ironic, 'Technology (Keeping Us Apart)'.

FRONZ ARP AND THE TINY CROOKED ORCHESTRA is going to be a big challenge and a big commitment through the year. Watch this space, for the music will appear regularly and I suspect that as the project rolls on, my sanity may fray and disintegrate in the blogs in front of your very eyes and that, at the least, will probably be a pretty entertaining thing to watch as well]]> Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:25:00 GMT 8E555F5C117C08654FD8B09938861298 ABOUT TO START A NEW RECORDING http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1540956 Ostensibly, my general attitude towards home recording is similar to my attitude towards sex: there are a few technical details you need to know, which knob to pull and which buttons to tweak, but in general all you do is direct the business end of the pointy thing at the right hole (confusing it with the wrong hole may still work but has a mixed response) and hope the results aren't a waste of everyone's fucking time. I will soon be sitting down to record some new material but when I woke up this morning, I was struck by how ridiculous my 'home studio' appears. Here's a photo: &nbsp;&nbsp; Yes I am the type of geek who fucks around inside his computer all the time in an attempt to make it run better (or sometimes at all). And it goes without saying that the pile of shit under the monitor, though it may look like any old pile of shit, is, in fact, a highly technical acoustical construction, the extended theoretical explanation for which would no doubt cause your reptile brains to boil and explode inside your craniums. Thusly, so as not to become known as the 'brain boiling death guy', I shall not explain it and merely say &rdquo;If you don't like it then don't look at it&rdquo;. You may also note that my microphone is on the ground. This is the correct storage method for microphones that are defined in the audio recording business by their response characteristics as being 'cheap'. Of course I would love to have an expensive microphone which I would treat with more respect. However, I would also like to have an elephant that I could ride through Newtown, flanked by a dozen buxom, blonde beauties (all of whom I would name 'Myrtle' so I wouldn't have to remember all their exotic names) and needless to say that's not going to happen any time soon either. At any rate, these are the technical tools of my dubious trade. And largely what I have used to record my last album and several other people's album in the last couple of years, all with very pretty results. Though I lack money (for who does not lack money for their passions), I am something of a reasonable recording engineer and consider myself a good songwriter who makes interesting choices. I have no mortgage to stress over, no children or significant other to spend my time on and my work is sporadic at best. So here be my promise to you: very soon my new recording project shall begin, and you shall hear it. I have not yet decided exactly how or when it will all take place, but I'm sure it will be exceedingly clever and I'll tell you all about my cleverness because it will mostly be interesting, amusing or, at the least, full of gratuitous cuss words x
I will soon be sitting down to record some new material but when I woke up this morning, I was struck by how ridiculous my 'home studio' appears. Here's a photo:



  
Yes I am the type of geek who fucks around inside his computer all the time in an attempt to make it run better (or sometimes at all). And it goes without saying that the pile of shit under the monitor, though it may look like any old pile of shit, is, in fact, a highly technical acoustical construction, the extended theoretical explanation for which would no doubt cause your reptile brains to boil and explode inside your craniums. Thusly, so as not to become known as the 'brain boiling death guy', I shall not explain it and merely say ”If you don't like it then don't look at it”.

You may also note that my microphone is on the ground. This is the correct storage method for microphones that are defined in the audio recording business by their response characteristics as being 'cheap'. Of course I would love to have an expensive microphone which I would treat with more respect. However, I would also like to have an elephant that I could ride through Newtown, flanked by a dozen buxom, blonde beauties (all of whom I would name 'Myrtle' so I wouldn't have to remember all their exotic names) and needless to say that's not going to happen any time soon either.

At any rate, these are the technical tools of my dubious trade. And largely what I have used to record my last album and several other people's album in the last couple of years, all with very pretty results. Though I lack money (for who does not lack money for their passions), I am something of a reasonable recording engineer and consider myself a good songwriter who makes interesting choices. I have no mortgage to stress over, no children or significant other to spend my time on and my work is sporadic at best. So here be my promise to you: very soon my new recording project shall begin, and you shall hear it. I have not yet decided exactly how or when it will all take place, but I'm sure it will be exceedingly clever and I'll tell you all about my cleverness because it will mostly be interesting, amusing or, at the least, full of gratuitous cuss words x]]> Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:20:00 GMT CEBB412DC9EF9FDF3AFE51734D16D201 Article in Brisbane's MX advertising shows http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1363587 A little article in Brisbane eMX advertising upcoming shows. Sandwhiched between the soccer and something about Triple J. And isn't that somehow a metaphor for artistic life <a title="111004 mX Bris Fronz Arp p5 by Fronz Arp, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fronzarp/6212200367/">
111004 mX Bris Fronz Arp p5
]]> Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:10:00 GMT 6DBFFC51C7FE281EA1B526A7E16C7A81 FEATURED IN SOUNDCLOUD VIDEO http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1054475 I've been featured in a video by Soundcloud along with 5 other Sydney musos. Made by the lovely Trixie Barretto <a href="http://vimeo.com/25435416">SoundCloud Local: Sydney from <a href="http://vimeo.com/trx">Trixie Barretto on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo. Go to the Soundcloud blog, check them out and all the musicians involved <a target="_new" href="http://blog.soundcloud.com/2011/06/23/soundcloud-local-sydney/">blog.soundcloud.com/2011/06/23/soundcloud-local-sydney/ &nbsp;

SoundCloud Local: Sydney from Trixie Barretto on Vimeo.

Go to the Soundcloud blog, check them out and all the musicians involved
blog.soundcloud.com/2011/06/23/soundcloud-local-sydney/

 

]]> Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:00:00 GMT 5CA4A0CC7D32ED1DDF3F0AB3E4307141 interview with trax radio part 2 http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1040134 &nbsp;check out trax radio at <a target="_new" href="http://www.traxxradio.net/">http://www.traxxradio.net/ http://www.traxxradio.net/]]> Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:55:59 GMT 41E66690F29A8917B8FA8D31BCA6AD0D interview with trax radio http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1040133 &nbsp;Check out these audio snippets of the interview I did with the lovely people of trax radio Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:52:50 GMT 5C37E37B2F4AC257E24D84C971ADAE70 If I Ever - new single and little video thing http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1040116 &nbsp;So we're thinking of making 'if I ever (crashing down)' the next single to push to radio and here's a little video I cut together for your amusement. It's a public domain cartoon of an old 1950s superman :)

]]> Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:30:00 GMT DAE7B1FC299F61362953B2C26748C578 Developing Music Careers... self-help for artsits http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1027346 &nbsp;This is a bit self-helpy but worth a read. I was expecting a bit more nitty-gritty but it does make some worthwhile points for the 'career-musician'. Despite my dislike of self-help material I found myself sympathising with a lot of his points. Give it a read. DEVELOPING MUSIC CAREERS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES by Peter Spellman <a href="http://www.mcareerjuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Musician-2.0-3.0-4.0...Spellman.pdf">http://www.mcareerjuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Musician-2.0-3.0-4.0...Spellman.pdf
DEVELOPING MUSIC CAREERS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES by Peter Spellman

http://www.mcareerjuice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Musician-2.0-3.0-4.0...Spellman.pdf


]]> Sun, 12 Jun 2011 05:30:00 GMT 34FC5600A9E57778BEA58AADFAE6D7AD FIRST REVIEW FOR "WHAT STRANGE MACHINES" http://fronzarp.com/blog.cfm?feature=1851876&postid=1016289 &quot;Imagine a beautiful 1930s vaudeville cabaret theatre. Now, imagine the young, scruffy stagehand who spends his time soaking up the lifestyle of the eccentric director of the theatre and the tragic lives of the men and women who perform in it. And now put that into music form; throw in the influence alternative rock such David Bowie, Kate Bush, Tom Waits and Muse, the vocals of what can only be described as a male Kate Miller-Heidke and then add a dash of gypsy style folk &ndash; what is your product? Fronz Arp is the answer. Emerging Sydney/Brisbane artist Fronz Arp hails from the theatre of the strange, his music a twisting and turning combination of modern indie rock, folk and vaudeville cabaret. With Fronz Arp on vocals and ukulele, he&rsquo;s supported by Seamus Kirkpatrick on bass and clarinet, Tony Dean on drums and Brisbane artist Emma Dean on violin and backing vocals. Fronz Arp&rsquo;s debut album, entitled What Strange Machines, was self-produced by Fronz and released in May. Featured as a Triple J Unearthed artist, Fronz Arp&rsquo;s debut single Violet the Killjoy was described as &ldquo;disgustingly good&rdquo; and provided a positive future for the album. What Strange Machines ignores all mainstream ideology of song choice and produces a wonderful collaboration of Fronz Arp&rsquo;s devilishly songs that creates a colourful tapestry of magnificence &ndash; sometimes complex and sometimes simple, but always theatrical; it&rsquo;s an album of &ldquo;&hellip;songs full of drama and action, designed to get pulses racing and yet still sounding both intricate and adventurous (Rave Magazine).&rdquo; Violet the Killjoy, Fronz Arp&rsquo;s debut masterpiece is a dramatic, yet upbeat song about an impossible lover, reminiscent of the narrative style of The Beatles, such as in Eleanor Rigby. Arp&rsquo;s vocals are strong and confident as he delivers the narrative of the woman who is as dangerous as she is a saviour. The bridge darkens as an octave is lowered on the piano, taking the song to a deeper place with the lyrics, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m afraid, she left me alone, she left me alone with this &ndash; I&rsquo;m shaking, I&rsquo;m shaking,&rdquo; exposing the vulnerability the character experienced after his encounter with Violet the Killjoy. At the conclusion, Arp regains his confidence, ending with a strong repetition of the phrase; &ldquo;I wanted you to save me from the outside in.&rdquo; A mostly upbeat and positively driven album, Fronz Arp is not afraid to venture into depths of pain and vulnerability in songs such as Holes and If I Ever . Melding beautifully low, haunting vocals from Arp and a string intro delivered beautifully by Dean, the song is introduced with a darker feeling. Arp&rsquo;s vocals tumble as he sings about how &ldquo;it all came crashing down&rdquo; and how he &ldquo;just wanted to get away.&rdquo; The song uses a variety of instruments from strings to ukulele and piano, alongside drums and guitar. As the song escalates, it quickens in pace; a bridge leads a steep crescendo of piano and vocals and strong drum rhythms delivered with the ever present bass, each creating a compelling musical sound. A particularly interesting product of What Strange Machines is that of a track&rsquo;s title &ndash; Vagina Removal . Playing with a circus-like melody, the song is like a gypsy folk tale and, with Arp&rsquo;s high, insistent vocal range, is reminiscent of Mike Patton of Mr. Bungle. Initially intended to feature in a theatre production, Vagina Removal is a short, but unique song that tells the tale of &ldquo;&hellip;a girl desperate to fit in so literally tears herself apart, has a doctor cut her down until all that&rsquo;s left is a dismembered head, to follow the fashions. However, when she has finally removed everything that stops her from fitting in she realises there&rsquo;s nothing left that is identifiably herself.&rdquo; But the enthralling narrative did not stop iTunes from censoring the song for the use of the word &lsquo;vagina&rsquo;. Tell Me, Tell Me brings back the scruffy stagehand into play in the imaginative mind. The song demands a night of drunken revelry in the midst of the confusion and frustration. One can only imagine a 1930s gentlemen&rsquo;s club. Full of the smoke of cigarettes and the consumption of far too much cheap booze in order to drown out the pain of daily life. With the addition of ukulele, guitar and &hellip; kazoo, Tell Me, Tell Me displays the after-hours vaudeville side of this unique artist. Fronz Arp is a delightfully obscure musician in the spectrum of modern music. Bringing his twisted bohemian sounds into Australian music, Fronz Arp is sure to become a talking point in amidst the traditional rock sounds of Australia. With brilliantly diverse musicality, Arp&rsquo;s versatile vocals and the use of less conventional instruments such as the kazoo and the ukulele, Fronz Arp is not afraid to be adventurous. The standout songs of this album include Violet the Killjoy, Vagina Removal and What Strange Machines. It&rsquo;s earned the title of this week&rsquo;s Feature Album here at the indie broadcaster, traxxRADIO.&quot; Thanks Bre from Traxx Radio for this shining review. I'm glad you guys like the album :) Check out Traxx Radio at <a target="_new" href="http://traxxradio.com/">traxxradio.com
Fronz Arp’s debut album, entitled What Strange Machines, was self-produced by Fronz and released in May. Featured as a Triple J Unearthed artist, Fronz Arp’s debut single Violet the Killjoy was described as “disgustingly good” and provided a positive future for the album. What Strange Machines ignores all mainstream ideology of song choice and produces a wonderful collaboration of Fronz Arp’s devilishly songs that creates a colourful tapestry of magnificence – sometimes complex and sometimes simple, but always theatrical; it’s an album of “…songs full of drama and action, designed to get pulses racing and yet still sounding both intricate and adventurous (Rave Magazine).”

Violet the Killjoy, Fronz Arp’s debut masterpiece is a dramatic, yet upbeat song about an impossible lover, reminiscent of the narrative style of The Beatles, such as in Eleanor Rigby. Arp’s vocals are strong and confident as he delivers the narrative of the woman who is as dangerous as she is a saviour. The bridge darkens as an octave is lowered on the piano, taking the song to a deeper place with the lyrics, “I’m afraid, she left me alone, she left me alone with this – I’m shaking, I’m shaking,” exposing the vulnerability the character experienced after his encounter with Violet the Killjoy. At the conclusion, Arp regains his confidence, ending with a strong repetition of the phrase; “I wanted you to save me from the outside in.”

A mostly upbeat and positively driven album, Fronz Arp is not afraid to venture into depths of pain and vulnerability in songs such as Holes and If I Ever . Melding beautifully low, haunting vocals from Arp and a string intro delivered beautifully by Dean, the song is introduced with a darker feeling. Arp’s vocals tumble as he sings about how “it all came crashing down” and how he “just wanted to get away.” The song uses a variety of instruments from strings to ukulele and piano, alongside drums and guitar. As the song escalates, it quickens in pace; a bridge leads a steep crescendo of piano and vocals and strong drum rhythms delivered with the ever present bass, each creating a compelling musical sound.

A particularly interesting product of What Strange Machines is that of a track’s title – Vagina Removal . Playing with a circus-like melody, the song is like a gypsy folk tale and, with Arp’s high, insistent vocal range, is reminiscent of Mike Patton of Mr. Bungle. Initially intended to feature in a theatre production, Vagina Removal is a short, but unique song that tells the tale of “…a girl desperate to fit in so literally tears herself apart, has a doctor cut her down until all that’s left is a dismembered head, to follow the fashions. However, when she has finally removed everything that stops her from fitting in she realises there’s nothing left that is identifiably herself.” But the enthralling narrative did not stop iTunes from censoring the song for the use of the word ‘vagina’.

Tell Me, Tell Me brings back the scruffy stagehand into play in the imaginative mind. The song demands a night of drunken revelry in the midst of the confusion and frustration. One can only imagine a 1930s gentlemen’s club. Full of the smoke of cigarettes and the consumption of far too much cheap booze in order to drown out the pain of daily life. With the addition of ukulele, guitar and … kazoo, Tell Me, Tell Me displays the after-hours vaudeville side of this unique artist.

Fronz Arp is a delightfully obscure musician in the spectrum of modern music. Bringing his twisted bohemian sounds into Australian music, Fronz Arp is sure to become a talking point in amidst the traditional rock sounds of Australia. With brilliantly diverse musicality, Arp’s versatile vocals and the use of less conventional instruments such as the kazoo and the ukulele, Fronz Arp is not afraid to be adventurous. The standout songs of this album include Violet the Killjoy, Vagina Removal and What Strange Machines. It’s earned the title of this week’s Feature Album here at the indie broadcaster, traxxRADIO."

Thanks Bre from Traxx Radio for this shining review. I'm glad you guys like the album :)
Check out Traxx Radio at traxxradio.com

 ]]> Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:50:00 GMT 6F780F1517A4331983ABB7216AC1D4D5