A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Rescue Sandra West…

Hey kids, new week and time for another episode of The Adventures of Superseven and Sandra West! This, their 30th, is entitled A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Rescue Sandra West and features a pretty damn epic fight scene – over four minutes long!

There’s some nice, tight editing in this one and I think Robert Griffith did a great job with it. Got some nice tracks from Call Me Greenhorn as well with Ooky Pt.2 and the all-new Superseven Fight Theme Vers. 2 making its debut, plus some cool tracks by Aussie musician The Jimmy C – including his brand new Sandra West Theme.

Speaking of the series I was glad to see them announcing that their campaign on Kickstarter was successful with an extra $1,000 raised for the project. So congrats to them and congrats to the funders as they’ve got a free download of the They Call Me Superseven OST coming their way. If you haven’t, make sure to check it out on Bandcamp and share, share, share away!

Coming soon!

copyright Sellergren Design 2013!

Now, this is exciting! Just got word from UK photographer Robert Boud that the first rough-cut of his video for Call Me Greenhorn‘s Armageddon Dub has been finished and is ready for an initial “screening”. This is awesome news and I am giddy as hell about it. His original project Aftermath Apocalypse Photography looked nothing short of stunning and got me approaching him about this project to begin with. It’s gonna be great! Stay tuned!

Speaking of the “single” – yeah yeah, Grampa still finds it surreal to call a digital release something that used to mean a physical product – it’s still available via Bandcamp.com, so check it out here, make sure to share and “like” and visit me on Facebook as well. The single:

Out Now!

copyright Sellergren Design 2013!

Here we go: The final Call Me Greenhorn release of April! Entitled Chasing the Dawn this is actually way more 80s New Wave than my other stuff and there’s a background story to that. A couple of months ago I stumbled across this kick-ass movie project to start production this fall and immediately got in touch with the producers trying to pimp my shit, uh, let them know I was willing and available if they needed some fitting audio.

They replied with “Great, thanks!” but informed me that the They Call Me Superseven tracks I sent as examples of my work wasn’t that retro-sounding as they had in mind – the movie in itself is very 80′s – so I spent that following weekend channeling John Carpenter recording the title track and the chase-theme Across the City just to prove that yes, I can do New Wave too! Mission accomplished as they got back with a much more positive response they’ll definitely get back to me to secure either one of the tracks or having me create a similar one for their feature.

Three tracks in total, including the kinda weird Skulking – that sounds like some damn trippy theme for an old Nintendo game – so check it out on my Bandcamp here, give it a spin below and share away!

More Superseven!

Check it out: I was recently hepped to the new The Adventures of Superseven and Sandra West campaign on Kickstarter, raising money to get the latest batch of coming episodes ready for production as either (or both!) TV-series and feature film.

Pledges range from $1 up to $500 with various goodies as rewards, including screen credit – something that is very handy if you’re planning to pursue a career in movie making. I speak from fact that getting your name on IMDB.com really opens doors and gets your resume read. With 26 days to go they’re already halfway to reaching their goal of $1,500, so check it out here and do pitch in some $$$ to support the show.

While on the subject, Call Me Greenhorn‘s They Call Me Superseven OST album is really getting some good stats on Bandcamp.com, so make sure to check that one out as well and share away! I appreciate the support! Give it a spin below:

Squawky!

copyright Sellergren Design 2013!

And to start off with the answer to your obvious question I can inform you that “Squawky” is the word you type in around 4 am when you’re done with the final stages of mixing a new song and the computer prompts you to write something to “save file as”. And considering the samples used in the track I guess it kinda fits. So with April finally here I can happily announce this month’s bonus release: The Squawky! EP by Call Me Greenhorn! Three tracks with the title track taken from the coming They Call Me Superseven OST album – albeit in a different mix – plus two exclusive bonus tracks.

Anyway, drawing inspiration from Piero Umiliani‘s  Mah Na Mah Na, that most people probably remember from either Jim Henson‘s Sesame Street or Muppet Show, but originally appeared in Italian Mondo oddity Sweden – Heaven and Hell, the track was made up on the spot and is exactly as silly as you usually feel when you’re exhausted from work and it’s getting past 2 am. But listening to the track now I’m satisfied with the results and think it’s got a nice bounciness to it while still being very, very silly.

The second Moog version was just me trying to out-Wunderlich German schmaltz organist Klaus Wunderlich and the idea came about while listening to the title track the day after and setting out to see how lame I could make it. But the one track I’m really stoked about is The Name is West. Ever had a song jump out of you? Well, those occasions are pretty damn rare for every musician, but that track was made in five minutes tops. I’m not bragging, but the damn stars must’ve been aligned or something because everything just clicked while working on it. A totally random rhythm loop followed by an even more random bass line, the main organ was done in two takes (culling the best of each to create a melody), with percussion and FX synth added in two separate takes. Five minutes later I’m listening back with a smile on my face going “Well, that was easy”. I just wish every damn song was that smooth to write, ha ha ha.

You can check out the EP on my Bandcamp here, the title track is also available via SoundCloud here, and get a taste of the pretty bad-ass vibe of Sandra West‘s own theme below:

Armageddon Dub: Update #2

copyright Sellergren Design 2013!

Yeah, things are moving along somewhat satisfactory at Camp Sellergren (more info about that when it’s been solved), and in the mean time I actually managed to put out a bonus release: Call Me Greenhorn‘s Armageddon Dub! Yup, the track was initially posted in it’s raw form on my SoundCloud some time ago, and even though my sentiments about it hasn’t changed a bit – it’s just too damn dark! – I gave it a spin and decided it worthy of release, albeit on it’s own and those who feel they can take it can feel free to do so. I still love what I achieved with it and the extra beef in its production is a result of getting heavy with that crazy Russian VST Molot.

Now, I already written about how this song came about – read it again here – so I’ll focus on the second track Trinity (Once Upon a Dub) that spent a good time just collecting dust on my computer. Starting out with some great drum fills The Jimmy C sent me, I set out to do a mix of heavy 70′s Jamaican dub and a sort of tribute to 1960′s Italian spaghetti westerns. (Yeah, I thought it sounded insane too, ha ha ha!) Anyway, add some great Lee Perry-esque horns courtesy The New York Brass – I just had to phase them! – and there ya go! The intro is pretty cool and really throws you off as it progresses into something completely different than what you’d initially expect.

The sleeve was actually quite simple to create. Immediately wanting to do something along the lines of the iconic graphics used by The Clash for their great batch of 7″ singles released between their first and second album (FYI: Complete Control, (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais, Clash City Rockers + the 1979 The Cost of Living EP), I googled ‘ruins’, ‘Armageddon’ (boy, is that movie popular!) and finally found some WWII photos on Wikipedia that looked fitting. Considered to be in the public domain, I made a collage out of various bombed out buildings etc., and wrapped it all up by adding the similar sort of crazy color schemes and fonts used by the band.

Now, I am aware that Dub is an assorted taste, but personally I love it and think it’s a damn unique art form or musical genre as it is the only one to my knowledge where the mixing console itself becomes the main instrument. The concept spans the world these days, but remixing actually has its roots in what geniuses like King Tubby and The Scientist were creating in make shift Jamaican studios throughout the 1970′s – in Tubby’s case using equipment he built himself! – so if you’re the slightest curious about this phenomena please do check them out!

Anyway, available via my Bandcamp so check it out here, and I uploaded a taste on my SoundCloud here, so spread the word and share if you like it. The single:

Sandra West Tunnel Strut

Well, the feature They Call Me Superseven is coming along quite nicely, and while I’m busying myself creating music for it, director Robert Griffith posted a nice lil’ teaser on Facebook yesterday entitled Sandra West Tunnel Strut. Featuring music from Australian The Jimmy C, I think it has a great spaghetti western kinda feel and fits just perfectly with the imagery. Check it out on YouTube here.

The track is entitled Roland Hyde 2: Follow Me and you’ll find it on the album Hyde & Seek (original soundtrack album 2009) available via Bandcamp.com. Check it out here.

Call Me Greenhorn – In Space EP!

Whoof! Well, once again I’m burning the midnight oil and staying up way later than I should on a work night, but Call Me Greenhorn‘s In Space EP is finished, mixed and available via Bandcamp.com! You’ll get the rough mix of In Space along with six (count ‘em, SIX!!!) bonus tracks, all with a space/sci-fi kind of theme. My personal fave is the title track, but I gotta admit having a soft spot for the more laid back In Orbit as well.

Anyway, like I stated earlier I just kept striking while it was hot and this lil’ baby was produced in a handful of days. I ain’t bragging but the sheer creativity boost of working with Propellerhead‘s Reason 6 is nothing short of jawdropping: I installed it on January 13th and so far I’ve got twenty songs finished! There’s more to come. Much, much more! In the mean time, check out the EP here – don’t forget to like and share! – and you can have an initial listen below:

UPDATE: One of the disadvantages of releasing digital instead of vinyl is you can’t really crossfade songs into one another. So, the complete EP is streamed as I kinda pictured it on SoundCloud.com. Check it out here or below:

The Jimmy C ‘Orbital Debris’

Well, Australian musician Jamie Coghill aka The Jimmy C just sent me a heads up to tell me his seventh release Orbital Debris has been released digitally on Bandcamp.com. And boy, are you in for a treat! His 2009 album Glamour and Fame is a personal fave that offered up some brilliant variations of 60s pop, but this time he’s evolved his unique sound to a more 70s vibe with a sort of dark, Kinks circa Face to Face period feel.

I received some promo tracks earlier this year and have been spinning them ever since, and I gotta say that it’s nice to see Jamie progressing and maturing in his songwriting process -  not to mention developing his musical and arrangement skills to a new level as well, as we’re still talking music that he recorded completely on his own. Lots of tracks stand out and impress in their width of instrumentation, and even his signature “ditties” -  rarely longer than a minute – fit nicely in the overall perspective, giving it an almost concept album feel. Throw in a couple of unexpected surprises and you’ve got yourself a nice listening experience for the music fan – genres be damned.

It’s kinda hard picking out faves – they all collectively paint a great picture – but Cast The First, Leather & Bone, No Man’s Hero, Last Breath Of The Sun and You’re Leaving Us are truly great tracks.

Give it a spin here and visit him on Facebook here. How ’bout a little taste?

Freebie!

Whoof! Well, here’s the first contender in the freebie races of 2013, and boy is it a mammoth one! Via the great blog Stonerobixxx I was hepped to Heavy Planet‘s 61-track compilation Bong Hits From the Astral Basement that’s pretty much covering all things heavy. In their own words Heavy Planet’s main goal is “to provide free promotion to independent bands and an outlet to get their music heard”, and that includes reviews, interviews and some other features as well, like this beast I just started sinking my teeth into.

It’s damn near impossible going through a huge offering like this and try to pick out specific gems – as it is pretty damn subjective – but I guarantee that if you’re even remotely interested in stoner rock, sludge, doom or any other kind of slow-paced, fuzzed-out heavy metal you’ll probably find something here that you like. I’d suggest that you download the album on Bandcamp.com, give it a quick once through removing those tracks you really don’t like and then enjoy the rest. This is an impressive piece of work! More volumes to come!