Who Are You & What Do You Want?

 

Who Are You when the titles and status are no longer in play?

An important life question to know the answer of.  Some men have a big problem retiring and not having their position anymore.  There is a common story that "many" Japanese Men follow there wives around like wet leaves stuck to their wives shoes after they retired. Don't be that old man!

Also what Mr.Morden asked all the ambassadors in Babylon 5. 

Another of my amateur Heavy Metal/ Techno/ Pop/ Nursery Rhythm/ MUSIC+COMICS . It isn't a generic verse/chorus structure but rather 8 bar alternating musical bit and verse with 2 longer musical bits.

They don't have a repeating chorus either.  Just what I am doing at the moment and no set in stone rule I have set my self.

I seen advice to record the vocals 10 times and comp together the best bits to make the perfect take. I don't go to that much trouble. 2 or 3 takes and just keep the best one for each verse. I will listen to the completed track a 1,000 times and may decide, like this time,  some words could be better, then record those verses again, 2 or 3 takes. I am the only one to play a track more than once so it really doesn't matter in my case. I am not some guy trying to go PRO and make a career out of music.

The rhythm guitar is this 8 string going through the DONNER 10 Band EQ (to cut lowest 2 bands)  into the POD EXPRESS BLACK Anvil+CAB. 

The melodic guitar is my Ibanez RG350. The drums and synths are very Dubstep/ Techno and I like that. The bass sequence is almost just a pedal tone, but it does drive it along.

Simple hummable riffs and melodies are all I am after.  This one kind of reminds me of the vocal sound of THE EAGLES (rather than Tull's Ian Anderson of a previous one), even if I am not a fan of them, but due to the tone and register of my voice and the multitracking. 

The track Who Are You? is on Bandcamp.

The Demon is a Copic marker on paper sketch I did a few years ago. One of 2 demons in an old Japanese illustration I have in a book somewhere. 

In MOHO V12 pro I assigned BONES to it and manipulate those to warp the illustration a bit to make it move a little.  

Lyrics:

Who are you,
and what do you want? 
The truth will set you free.

When titles and status 
are no longer in play.
Who do you see
at the end of the day?
 
Sift  through the pieces 
 find what lacks.
Tear the shadows 
Bring light back.

So drop all the armor 
and step from the dark,
See the version of you 
that you really are.

あなたは誰なのか 
 そして何を望んでいるのか？ 
真実はあなたを自由にする。

肩書きや地位が 
もはや意味をなさなくなったとき。
一日の終わりに、
あなたは誰を見ているのか？
 
断片を一つひとつ
見極め、欠けているものを見つけ出せ。
影を引き裂き、
光を取り戻せ。

だから、すべての鎧を脱ぎ捨て、
闇から踏み出せ。
そして、
本当の自分を見よ。

Other Things

Second time to replace closed back KRK KNS8400 headphones rotting earpads. An earpad and headrest set from Amazon.  Much prefer open headphones BUT recording vocals need closed back, and these isolate really well.

The realities of getting older with a sick spouse were our lot for the last weeks. Nothing serious, but trying. Luckily I didn't have to go anywhere at all.

Met up with youngest son for morning after putting it off due to heavy rainy season rain for the last 2 weeks.  He gave me this late FATHERDAYS gift.

An AKIRA + EVANGELION mashup piece. Very cool.

And the rainy season is now officially over so the humidity and temperature skyrocket.

Kyoto Live House GATTACA July 17 - Anima Tempo JAPAN TOUR 2026

7月14日(火) 京都 GATTACA  

開場 17:30 / 開演 18:00

前売 ¥3,400 / 当日 ¥3,900 / 学割 ¥2,400 (+1Drink)

Anima Tempo is a Mexican Prog Metal Band I hadn't heard of. 5 bands in one night sounds like it finishes late.  Has Rikugo in the line up at a place I haven't been to before, but isn't far from here. But can I go? 

Would like to see them again. They supported Freak Kitchen last year, and the first time I saw them.

We can be found at ArtAndTechnology  KYOTO JAPAN