A Rainy Day in Paris

 Elessar Thiessen's latest album "A Rainy Week in Paradise" is one of the best things I’ve listened to in a long time. This is the kind of music that stirs emotion and feeds the soul. This guy is a phenomenal and a singer who delivers the goods. In a musical climate where I feel there’s too much disconnection between the singer and the song, or songs that show no value in terms of craft, Elessar Thiessen shows me that all is not lost.

Some of my favorite sing/songwriters in this vain are James Blunt and Edwin McCain. I’ve missed that connection with the music from most of the artists recording today, and after listening to Elesser, I’m feeling that passion again.

The album is a mostly acoustic/vocal journey that offers up a smorgasbord of songs with lyrical depth and a range of emotions and textures that showcase the importance of the song as the star of the show. Songs like “Sister,” “I Need a Woman,” and  “I Don’t Wanna Go” are just amazing. I want to turn on my radio when I’m cruising down the road and hear these songs play on the radio. They take me back to a time when music and the music industry was more pure than it is now. They take me back to a time when music meant something, when music was special, when songs were written for people.

I highly recommend giving this a listen.

Websites
http://elessarthiessen.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ElessarThiessen
https://elessarthiessen.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/elessarthiessen
https://www.youtube.com/c/ElessarThiessenVideos
https://instagram.com/elessarthiessen/
https://twitter.com/ElessarThiessen

Music video links:
"A Rainy Week in Paradise" Album Release Listening Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWVsXFc3yYI

You Girl (feat. Alexa Dirks)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM7Vh_WWdHs

When the World Ends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL60Zg6pKKQ

Bio:

Born and raised in the heart of Canada, Elessar Thiessen quickly learned to cope with the harsh climate. When he was forced to stay indoors due to the weather, Elessar was naturally drawn to music. He bought his first guitar at the age of 8, and has been playing and writing ever since. Casual in character and passionate in life, Elessar offers his own unique approach to the singer-songwriter of today. He spends his days in the studio working as a full time producer, and his evenings, sipping spirits, surfing and pursuing his own musical endeavours.

Honest and courageous songwriters, the ones that touch our hearts, have always had the ability to bear witness to the darkest corners of their souls and still inspire and uplift us. Elessar's newest full length album "A Rainy Week in Paradise" exposes us to longing, angst and agony, fear and shattered confidence, and yet comes through it all with hope and joy, rooted in love, truth and deep faith.

All songs on the album were written and produced by Elessar. Track 5 “You Girl”, features Alexa Dirks on lead vocals, and Jordan Jackiew playing the Organ and Piano. The supporting vocals on track 3 “Lover Dear” were sung by Catherine Wylee. Bass on the album was play by David Landreth. Drums were played by Cam Friesen. All remaining Vocals, Guitars, Organ, Piano and Programming were performed by Elessar. Mixing and mastering was done by Jordan Jackiew.

Elessar’s previous two releases consist of an E.P. titled “Head. Heart. Hands.” and a live  recording of the “Head. Heart. Hands.” release party which was recorded at Winnipeg’s famed West End Cultural Centre, titled “Head. Heart. Hands. - Elessar Thiessen Live at the Wecc”.

In addition to writing and performing music, Elessar also works full time as a producer. His craft has grown organically starting with his music production courses in high school under the tutelage of an award winning teacher and composer, Zane Zalis. From there Elessar ventured out, first on his own, and then under the guidance of juno winning producer Jordan Jackiew. Elessar now works as an independent producer but occasionally still collaborates with Jordan. He has done production work on a wide variety of artistic styles from hip hop to singer/songwriter to pop. You can listen to some of Elessar’s work at www.elessarthiessen.com/producer and go to www.elessarthiessen.com/credits for a list of artists he has worked with.

Is the Music Business Dead? (For the Love of the Music)

Well, it may not be dead, but it isn' alive like it used to be. The Internet has changed all that. The big record companies are gone and there is no support for new musicians. The fans don't feel they have to pay for music anymore. Many of them feel that anything a musician (or other artist for that matter) creates is free for the taking. That's bullshit, of course, but it's the way a lot of people feel. This makes it nearly impossible to earn a living as a musician. Not that it can't be done, but it certainly isn't going to be done on the level it used to be done on. There are avenues of income for musicians. You can make some money as a songwriter, you can make money doing shows, and if you have at least a small fan base, maybe you can sell some CDs. You're just not going to get rich doing it.

Today we (the artists) do it for the love of doing it. Go ahead and pursue it as a career. Write songs for TV shows, commercials, and other artists. Play in the bars or at the fairs. Sell a few CDs if you're lucky. That's all good, but remember one thing. Do it first because you love it. If you are expecting fame and fortune, you're expecting too much and going at it the wrong way.

Maybe some day people will start respecting the artist again and stop taking our work. Maybe they'll start paying us so we can earn a decent living. Until then, though, keep doing it because you love it. That's why I write songs. I don't want to sound bitter. I'm not. If I didn't love what I do, maybe I would be, but it's the love of that craft that keeps me going, and love for the music. That's what it's all about.

Songwriting and Recording at Home

The cool thing about being a songwriter today is the ability to record studio-quality songs in the comfort of your own home. Musicians are turning their computers (and even tablets) into full-fledged recording studios to create music that used to cost a fortune to make in professional studio settings. There are a number of ways this can be done, depending upon your budget and the level of quality you want to achieve.

I record some great stuff with my iPad, an iRig, and a couple of different recording apps. The process for me is pretty straightforward. I begin by writing my songs using either Songwriter HD or Notion (which allows me to notate music like Finale or Sibelius does on the computer), then I start laying down my tracks. The order depends. I might lay down a guitar part first, then the vocal. I'll mix those and then start adding the other parts, either by plugging into my iRig and playing or by using virtual instruments.

I like to keep my workflow as streamlined as possible. The least amount of software and hardware I can use to accomplish the task at hand. It's taken me a couple of years and a little money (my wife will tell you otherwise on the money part) to find the software, apps, and hardware that work best for my specific needs.

I'll be doing a series of posts in the upcoming weeks to discuss and review in detail some of the various music software, apps, and hardware I use for writing and recording. Hopefully my posts will help those of you who are struggling to find what you need to accomplish your own goals, and maybe my experiences can save you a little time and money in the process.

Some of the reviews I have planned are Finale, Finale Songwriter, Songwriter HD, Sony Acid Music Studio, Pro Tools, Notion, MusicStudio, the various iRig packages, and loop packages. Keep an eye out.

A Glowing, Shameless Introduction

The world is my oyster and I came to claim the fucking pearl - Carl Hose

Those are my words. The concept isn't original but the phrasing is. I appreciate every breath I take, I love my family and friends, and I make every day count. I'm married to a woman who is beautiful in every way, I have awesome kids, and my career is booming.

I'm claiming the pearl.

I am the author of the anthologies Deadtown and Other Tales of Horror Set in the Old West, Weird Horror and Other B-Grade Tales, Fematales, Fematales Supernatural, Dead Horizon, the zombie novella Dead Rising, and the erotic anthology Pornocopia, all published by MARLvision Publishing.

My work has appeared in many horror anthologies and magazines, including Cold Storage (which I co-edited), Peep Show, Deathgrip: It Came from the Cinema, Deathgrip: Exit Laughing, Champagne Shivers, Tentacles, Butcher Knives and Body Counts, Through the Eyes of the Undead, Silver Moon, Bloody Bullets, Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes,  Writer's Journal, and Lighthouse Digest magazine. I am also editor and publisher of the Dark Light anthology to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Years ago I chose to focus on writing short stories and novels. I don't regret the decision, but that chapter of my life is finished. I've decided to pursue something I started as a kid - writing and playing music. I guess you could say I'm re-inventing myself, but that isn't entirely accurate. I wrote my first song when I was twelve. I still play that tune today. I played in a band when I was in my twenties and continued writing songs. Songwriting, and music in general, is my first love. I'm happy to be back at it, and judging from the songs I'm writing, doing it better than ever. I'm not re-inventing myself after all, just picking up where I left off.

I am also going to let my Internet website go in favor of blogging. This is a much more immediate and satisfying outlet for my love of music than a static website.

Carl's Jukebox will be about the music I love. Not only my music, but the music of the performers I have been inspired by. I want to create something for music fans and musicians alike. If it's music related, you'll find it here. A word of warning, though. I am opinionated. I like to say what I feel, regardless of who likes or dislikes. I do, however, love healthy debate and differences of opinion.

I plan to keep Carl's jukebox as fresh as possible and hope to attract a loyal following of music lovers of all kinds. I am new to the blog thing, so this is a work in progress. I hope together we can make it entertaining and successful.

Love and thanks to:

My wife Marcee for bringing unconditional love into my life.

My kids, Nick, Haley, Seth, Ethan, Caleb, and Ireland.

The audience that pays attention to the things I do.