Get Outta The Way

Get Outta The WayWhen you’ve gotta get there and get the job done. Who else is gonna do it? No one. You’re gonna do it. This song is for driving down the road. Driving down the road going to work. You’re gonna get the job done. And when it’s done it’s gonna be done right, and then you go home. It’s all in a day’s work. Now get outta the way.

Listen hear: RS-16.mp3

California

CaliforniaI recorded the vocal track over and over today on RS-11. I tried every voice I have. Deep, dark and close to the mic, big and loud far away from the mic… soft and stoney… this is the closest I got so far. A regular relaxed, just “me” voice. I’ll try to learn the song from here, and record a better vocal later on. It takes a while for it all to sink in. These raw versions really help me prepare for the final sessions. Hopefully Mark will be over Sunday to juice up what I’ve recorded thus far.

California is a song I wrote in 1997 after I moved from the Bay Area to New York City. I missed California, and it was getting to me. I only lived in NY for a few years, and returned to CA, my adopted home. This place just has a vibe I jive with.

Here’s the latest tune: RS-11.mp3

Dandylions – a “Criminal Goat” video

Hey everyone…Mark Harvey here…

I’m working on getting every tune from “Criminal Goat” posted up at Mark Harvey World (here) for your downloading pleasure. The new project Jay and I are working on is a lot like “Criminal Goat” in that we’re recording over at Jay’s place with beats he has recorded and a free form recording style that lends itself to just going with it.
As I prepare to put all 15 songs up I decided I’d post something over here as well and add a link to the Flash “video” Jay made of “Dandylions” (here). I enjoy listening to “Criminal Goat” as there is something truly timeless about the CD. I hope you stop over at my world and download the tracks as I make them available.
Be sure to stop by RainStation.com as well since you never know when you’ll see a new track posted – or a video of Jay doing something.
Thanks for stopping by,
Mark Harvey
(mopehead)

Making a movie or video? We have music!

Hoagie and mopeheadMark and I have been recording forever. And when I say forever, I mean that we are old. Far too old to be out touring around away from our families. Instead we like to get our recordings into movies and films. A lot of folk out there like to make movies, shorts, animation, or videos, and many of you need music. We have all sorts of music here at the Rain Station, and we’d like to be part of any movie or video you are working on. Our music ranges from bare bones rock and roll, pop, heavy mellow, spooky Halloween music, and Mark’s super scary Pumpkinland Hauntscape CD’s. If you are making a drama, comedy, feel good movie, science fiction, action, suspense, or horror, we have music you could use. We have a sliding scale depending if your movie is big budget, or a student film, or home made movie. If your movie is not big budget, then you can use our music for free.

To play Rain Station music in your movie or video project you must simply include music credits for: RainStation.com and post a copy of the final video project to us for our collection (DVD, .mov, .wmv…)
Please see our Creative Commons link for complete mumbo jumbo. It’s like this, if your project is big budget and makes money, you should share some with us, but if your project is for school, film festivals, or just for fun, you can use our music for free as long as you give RainStation.com credit.
Let us know about your project so we can link to your site!
Places to hear Rain Station music:
ReverbNation.com/rainstation – Download our music here.
RainStation.bandcamp.com – Mark also has all our music here.
RainStation.com – Raw studio sessions. New songs as we record them.
MarkHarveyWorld.com – Mark’s blog (lots o’ free MP3’s!)
13thTrack.com – Pumpkinland hauntscapes, Mark’s spooky movie music.
Stonedozer (Amazon) – Listen to sample MP3’s.
JackOLantern.ORG – Jay’s Halloween animation of music from Dark Ride.
NobodyRecords.com – Mark’s Record Label.
SuperSpyChick.com/MOVIE – Soundtrack by Mark & Rain Station.
Use the comment link below to contact us. If you need help finding the perfect song for your scene, just ask! Explain the scene a little, and Mark or I will get back to you. Let’s collaborate!

Dread Pirate Roberts

Dread Pirate RobertsMy daughter was going on and on making up a story about a pirate and a princess. I got to thinking about the Dread Pirate Roberts, and what may have happened after he and his Princess Bride sailed off together.

I was going to watch American Idol, but instead, I wrote and recorded this silly little song: RS-15.mp3

Smiling Bright

smiling brightI feel really rusty. Or do I? I say it’s more like I just don’t have total confidence in myself yet. It’s been a while since I’ve rocked for the Rain Station, so I feel the need to saturate myself into the project to get warmed up and ready. I don’t feel like I’ve hit target yet. Gotta get into the sweet spot, and the only way to get there is to just keep working until you find that groove.

It’s been nearly 8 years since Mark and I have recorded, but it’s been eons since we’ve recorded on my gear. After our first 4 track recording, Criminal Goat (original release date: May 3rd, 1837), all other recordings were on Mark’s gear. When he asked last week to come jam on my Mac I was surprised, and wasn’t sure I was ready. I still don’t feel ready, and he’s already come and gone. However there is nothing I want more than a project right now, so it’s heaven sent. This little project is saving my life. Otherwise I would fall more and more away from being a weirdo musician.

I’m a little caught up in a thing called life right now. My kid is nearly the age to start Kindergarten, I own a business that is nearly 10 years old, and art, music, and free time all took a back seat. Art is strange stuff. It doesn’t exist until you make it. It’s hard to prioritize an invisible thing that doesn’t exist yet over a wee one yelling “Daddy! Where are you?” or “One of our vendors shipped $6000 worth of product to a wrong address, we’re out of stock for at least two weeks…” What happened to days of $350/month rent in bad neighborhoods, obnoxious arty room mates, and lots and lots of time to make bad art?

I love to make music, but I’ve never pursued it as a career. It’s too personal and spiritual for me to push it commercially or something, even though I hate that kind of arty sentiment. I guess I like the fun part, and don’t even bother with the work of getting it “out there”. Rain Station doesn’t play live very often, and when we have, it’s usually just the two of us with acoustic guitars in a living room or basement. Our recordings are unique in that we both play multiple instruments, so we’d have to grow extra arms to play out. Why turn fun into work? We like to get together and record tunes for the love of doing it.

I’m hoping Mark can get over here often, because I can’t stop fooling around with the tracks. I say keep adding tracks, creating different versions until they really pop and come to life. To be honest I already find myself thinking and writing in a “Rain Station” mind set, whatever that is. We’ve always been dark, moody, and introspective. When I record solo, I tend to be very silly and record humorous stuff like: Mitchell Vaillant’s Toe Nails, but when I hear any music Mark and I work on together, it sounds so… Rain Stationy.

I had a drum track that didn’t work out so well, but I used it to record guitar to, and then just got rid of the bum drum track. I can’t wait to hear what Mark does to this: RS-14.mp3