Gray Summers

Today I had a small lightbulb moment concerning what to do concerning recording a video as a storyboard in the VeeDub Bus.

I believe that the songs that are already finished and have been recorded on the Apple Mac M2 in the little home studio, known as The Den, would be ideal played in acoustic fashion out in the open air. Then a comparison study would be a good theme. Especially to chat about how the songs can progress. An acoustic version of these songs below, stripped and laid bare, would give ideas to how my songs develop. Sometimes it may be said that the simplicity of an acoustic version may be far better. Who knows.

The storyboard format would have specific sections every time. And two of those sections are now sorted. #1. Acoustic song and #2. The Den song. Trouble is! An idea of what to put visually over The Den songs below is the hardest thought process at the moment. Playing an acoustic version of them is simply myself alone, or myself alongside another musician with an instrument or a singer. Alongside? Simply chatting about the ways of getting songs recorded.

These songs below are the core for the first videos though. Use what has already been done. And what is quite nice about the versions below, is that with my new fast fibre broadband, I can send out the highest quality option into the universe. Before, the songs have been uploaded here on WP on basic levels.

For the possible new visitors to this blog, here is the background info regarding the songs below. All songs written by myself, Gray Summers. All the instruments, apart from the drums which are from the GarageBand library, are played by myself. So guitars, keyboards, vocals and a bit of percussion. I don’t like AI one little bit. So will never use it. So the songs will have mistakes. But that’s okay. I’m only human after all.

If you have the opportunity to do so, using headphones is a far better listening experience. Thank you.

🎧

Cheers and all the best to you all.

Intro song to the YouTube Vlogcasts.

Rhythm of Lies. Wind of Sorrows.

Eddie Loves to Dance.

18 years was 50 years ago.

Old Man…I guess that’s me.

Clean Start to Nothing Yet.
This Instrumental is an intended introduction to the Cloud 9 Vlogcast on YouTube when there are other musicians involved in the ongoing video. The intention is to write an upbeat lyric of simple introductory content intent and find a melody to attach. A kind of ‘Hello, Hello. Here we Go’ type of involvement which is suitable for The VeeDub/Cloud 9’/Musical Vibe storyboard scenarios.
And…..remember to not to get too cheesy!

Faded Walls. Time to burn them down. If the Outside looks Right in at You, then, don’t turn around.

November, the Stereo and You…..My Friend.

Year One.

Stop this Heartache.

Stars above the Dunes.
Currently an instrumental. Considering rewriting the intended melody/lyrics. Removed the vocal/lyric track as to sing over just this presentation above.

He Said, She Said.

Hey Yano……. A little vocal ditty attached too.

Groovin’ with Mr. Summers on Cloud 9.

AND NOW THERE BECOMES A TIME OF ENQUIRY. I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MUSIC PLATFORM ‘BANDCAMP’. TO UPLOAD SOME OF THESE SONGS ABOVE. AS WITH ALL NEW VENTURES AND THE ENQUIRY NEED, I HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT OF TREPIDATION BEFORE JUMPING IN TO THE EXPERIENCE. NEED TO BITE THE BULLET AND JUST WEATHER THE POSSIBLE STORM.

AND…….SOME FINAL INSTRUMENTAL INCLUSIONS FOR REFLECTING WHEN WALKING THROUGH THE LOCAL SCENERY OR SIMPLY FILMING LOCAL SPOTS.

Be Humble …. i-know ……..that I know nothing. Socrates.

TADA.

The Main Journal is a Newestor Leather cover. As it has the Travellers system of stretched elastic to slot notebooks or journals inside, these current notebooks can be easily removed and various themed ideas can be swapped about.
Currently my two main notebooks in this current format are a Khadi Papers one for recording my Fountain Pens information. The second is a Semicolon notebook for recording ‘Lists’. Favourite subjects (films, books, music, etc.) or simply a list of specific ownership. For example my camera gear, Apple Mac home recording equipment, the Solfeggio Scale, types of coffee/teas, etc.

I bought the Newestor leather cover above around four years ago. A lot cheaper then than the current price. But it is aging wonderfully. Needs more scuff patina though to be honest. The design of a ‘Traveller’s Notebook/Journal cover’ has a 2mm round elastic stretched system whereby each notebook is slotted underneath. There are four stretched bands in this journal cover. So it is possible to house a nice amount of choices as to what to include at any given time. Currently there are two notebooks, my burgundy canvas wallet for bits and bobs and a lovely beaten up Moleskine envelope. This current capture.

What is great about the Newestor is the inner ‘secretarial’ pockets. I have a similar format on my wonderful leather vintage Filofax. A pretty rare find and one to be used to house watercolour paper, the small Schmincke palette of watercolour paint and some brushes. Currently setting it up for a little field trip.

Below is the leather vintage Filofax. Closes up nicely with the watercolour palette in situ too. Gallery imagery.

Please tap on images to enlarge.

Back to the main Newestor. I find that is heavier presently. So it seems to be left in The Den on the desk. I am just writing catch up information in it currently. Recently it has been nice making my own journals out of leather. An old laptop satchel from 2006 has been taken apart and cut up. It has made six journals of varying sizes. I gave my Dad and brother one each. Field notebook sized. So pop in the pocket suitability.

Here below is the current Newestor set up. Again, tapping on the images enlarges them.

FINAL THOUGHTS.

It has been nice just sitting and journalling again, making notebook covers from old diaries, the old man bag, etc. My brother gave me a Ted Baker bag last year. My daily canvas/brass/leather French Infantry Musette Mle35 cult bag that Johnny Depp carried continually in the film ‘The Ninth Gate’ is taking a rest for a while.

The Ted Baker leather laptop bag (below….somewhere!) is a nice optional choice. Battered and very vintage looking. I glued the Medic pin badge onto the front because the metal Ted Baker lettering was missing. And a line of stamped holes was left behind. I reckon the Medic Nurse badge looks pretty cool.

But this week…….I will be getting back to recording my songs. I have many new ones champing at the bit. I want to get a consistent Gray Summers’ sound now. ‘Frail Autumn’ is going to be the new album title and I feel Faded Walls (below on the audio bar…tap to listen), as a sound, is definitely the vibe to tap into. Echoing splendidly like John Lennon used to do.

Faded Walls. Written, sung and played by Gray Summers. The drums are from the GarageBand drum library. The guitars, keyboards and vocals are myself playing with the Fender Jazz Bass guitar, Hohner Les Paul six string electric guitar, the AKAI MIDI keyboards and sung in to an SM58 vintage microphone.