MUSIC
My taste in music is far from main stream!
My musical journey really began with Tony Hawks Pro Skater and Superman by Goldfinger. From there I started listen to many pop punk and ska bands including Less Than Jake, New Found Glory and Zebrahead.
I later developed a love for chiptune music from playing games like SuperHexagon, VVVVVV and Crypt of the Necrodancer.
I had never played an instrument in thirty plus years of life and decided enough was enough! I started teaching myself how to read sheet music from scratch and started messing around with a GameBoy program called LSDJ that allows the composition of music with up to eight different channels.
Below are my attempts to cover songs from my youth with technology from my youth.
Enjoy.
Playmate of the Year
by Zebrahead
I didn't even mean to do this one! I was looking at creating a few jingles for my Twitch stream and then just ended up covering the full song! This was my most technical song so far and whilst nothing spectacular, certainly captured the feel of the original song.
Grand Theft Autmun
by Fall Out Boy
This is where things started getting very technical. I decided to start creating my own percussion instruments. I also feel I managed to get some of the harmonies down pretty well in this thanks to the WAV channel.
I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
by My Checmical Romance
This was done during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown period in the UK. I was normalising saying "I'm not okay," and it just felt natural to cover this song. I also figured if Not Ur Girlfrenz can cover it, so can I!
I Got Love
by The King Blues
I started on this cover after being asked what two songs I would like playing on the radio before and after an interview I gave. I wanted something that meant a lot to me, so I chose this one and Hurricane Glass by Catherine Feeny.
Almost
by Bowling for Soup
This was fun as it taught me about 3/4 timing. It required a bit more work to get it right, but it turned out okay. It even picked up the attention of lead singer, Jaret Reddick!
The Science of Selling Yourself Short
by Less Than Jake
This one turned out a lot darker than the original. I think that's partly due to the way I did the trumpets and trombones. I have lived every line of this song and covering it meant a lot to me.
1985
by Bowling for Soup
This was created as a bit of a parody on the lead up to the release of Life is a Four-Letter Word. I had lots of people asking me about my story and journey and thought this would be a fun way to summarise it.
Into You
by Zebahread
For some reason I decided I'd get quite technical with this one and bridged Into You into Wannabe as was often what happened when the song was performed live. Nothing special otherwise, but a decent attempt.
The Girl All The Bad Guys Want
by Bowling for Soup
Again, barely anything special with this one. I hadn't really figured out how to do harmonies or chords.
Look What Happened
by Less Than Jake
This was my first attempt ever using LSDJ. I barely did anything other than program in the notes from some sheet music I found online.