Push to Close (if you like Frost*, Devin Townsend, Muse, Dream Theater, Opeth, etc...)

Jason Gillespie


My advice would be to get your production skills up to par and refine your song structures a bit. There are some lovely sections but the whole should be far greater than the sum of the parts in my opinion when it comes to songwriting.

Yeah my production is holding me back I think, although I am getting rid of the shitty sounding drums I use now and switching to Superior Drummer 2.0.  It's tough when you don't have tons of money to buy really good recording stuff (and when you taught yourself everything you know).  Sometimes it is kind of hard for me to achieve the exact sound I'm going for.
 
About the song structures thing, most of my songs do have pretty standard structures I think, it's just the longer ones that are all over the place, but that's intentional.  It seems like whenever a band writes a 20+ minute "epic" or whatever, it's usually split into shorter songs or movements that all fit together into one big song.  With Scary Mary for example, I kind of wanted it to be a long song that isn't so much split up, but more of a smooth, evolving journey of riffs and melodies.  I tried to reuse certain themes/motifs in different contexts to keep it cohesive, and I feel like the mood is more or less pretty consistent the whole way through.  I understand if that's not what you're into though.  Maybe it's just that I've just been listening to a lot of Protest the Hero, haha. I love how they hardly ever play the same riff for more than like 4 bars, then you never hear it again.  I'm sure I could make a whole album out of the riffs and melodies in that song, but for me it's sometimes more fun to keep em all jammed together.

http://pushtoclose.bandca..com/album/push-to-claus

Christmas EP!

Dude you are awesome.

I know you are but what am I?
bumping this for all the Hanukkah celebrators.  I mean, uhhh

Good stuff sir. Especially enjoyed the second track, nice female vocals too!

Thanks, that's my girlfriend singing on that one. It seems like that's the first thing people say when they hear this. She's stealing my thunder gosh dangit

Nice! I think I remember you saying something about working on songs with her before, should do more!
 
Forgot to say, sweet album cover as well. Listening to the EP along with some muthafuckin Charlie Brown Christmas and getting festive.

I'm listening to ScaryMary right now (first stuff of yours I'm hearing), and this is FUCKING EPIC! 

Scherztastic


Nice! I think I remember you saying something about working on songs with her before, should do more!

Forgot to say, sweet album cover as well. Listening to the EP along with some muthafuckin Charlie Brown Christmas and getting festive.

Haha thanks, I love that picture. I took about 20 from the same spot to get it just right.
Maybe I will get her involved a little more, hmm...

DTman2112


I'm listening to ScaryMary right now (first stuff of yours I'm hearing), and this is FUCKING EPIC! 

Thanks dude, glad you like it!  More songs are on the way.  I'd love to do another epic long song, kinda wanna do a happier one though.  We shall see.  That song took me over a year to complete so it's kind of daunting to even think about starting another.
 
Also, bumping this since Christmas is close and these songs won't matter 2 days from now!