October's Winning Gangsta Rap Song!

Congratulations are in way to Eric Peabody for his winning Gangsta Rap song "Crack Feet."  It seems that the quality of his song really outweighed the disgustingness of his video!  Crack feet will stay etched in my memory...for...ever.

If you hadn't listened to the song, check it out!

Also, don't forget about the Tribal/African/Aboriginal songs for November!

September/October's Gangsta Rap Songs!

Originally September was the month specified for our Gangsta Rap songs.  Just as with last year, September was a ridiculously busy month for me so I ended up delaying the genre to run as a 2 month song session.  I would have just opted out of my own song, but I had started it already and didn't want to miss out on having an excuse to write a rap song!

In the end, we had four songs and they are all worth listening to.  More and more I am happy with everyone being willing to participate in this ridiculous game.  Thank you to everyone who participates and everyone who takes the time to listen to the songs and vote on their favorite!  Without further ado, here are the songs!

Danny Imig - Day of the Rope

My comments:  Danny took an interesting route with this song.  It lands more in the "post-gangsta rap" genre, emulating rock bands like Faith No More and RATM.  There is a great Primus feel to it with the bass line, too.  The lyrics really fit well with the controversial standard of gangsta rap.  I mean, I'd be mad too if there was no free lunch.

Eric Peabody - Crack Feet

My comments:  Bonus points go to Eric for creating the accompanying video.  But the bonus points get taken away since the video is so disgusting.  I was unaware that crack feet are a thing.  Now I will surely.....never.......forget.  But about the song, Eric hit the nail on the head with this one.  I love the keyboard part in it, very authentic.

Brian Salapek and Aimee Loree - I've Got Good Credit

My comments:  This is our "white people problems" rap song.  I have high cholesterol and Aimee has bad credit.  But I have good credit, so it's only appropriate to brag about that too.  I had a lot of fun collaborating with Aimee on this song.  Although the subject isn't traditional, I feel really great about the feel of the song.

Rene Zansman - Grandma's Cookies

My comments:  I just love the mood of Rene's song.  The pianos give it this great spooky, or dangerous sound, which totally works for the genre.  Juxtaposed with the hilarious lyrics, Rene made something truly special here.  My new favorite lyric in all music history is now: "Yo, Grandma.  Every day is a cookie-a-rama!"

November's Song Announcement!

Man, it's been awhile since I've announced a song.  The game isn't dead, it just ended up having a 2-month song for the Gangsta Rap songs.  You can expect those on November 1st.  Anyways!  I think I've made a decision that should be a lot of fun for the November songs.

TRIBAL

Think African, or Aboriginal music to get my meaning.  You could even just take a slight influence from tribal music, a la some Paul Simon.  The big focus for your song should be the rhythm.  In many cases, the song could just be drums and vocals if you wanted it to be.  Don't think that you need specialized instruments for this challenge, but it would be a good excuse to make a Didgeridoo (for about $10)

Good luck everyone!

August's Winning Arena Rock Song!

Wow, this is late!  Anyways, after all the voting, Danny Imig came out as the most favored Arena Rock song for August!  Congratulations, Danny!

Danny Imig - Short Ride Home

Danny, please don't think that I am trying to take away from your win.  It's just been a very busy September for me, and I lost track of time.

Because of my terrible time management, I've decided to push back the songs for September.  The new deadline for the Gangsta Rap songs is the end of October.  Sorry about any confusion about this!

August's Arena Rock Songs!

Recently I heard a highschool cover band do a really terrible version of "The Final Countdown" and it got me thinking about that song a bit.  What makes a song like this particularly good to be played at sporting events to get the crowd all pumped up?  Is it the thundering drums, the cheesy keyboard?  I wanted to mess around a bit with writing a song like that and I knew there had to be a sub-genre of rock music to fit what I was trying to accomplish.  That sub-genre is Arena Rock.  Have a listen to the songs and vote for your favorite below!

Danny Imig - Short Ride Home

My comments - This song has a definite Led Zeppelin vibe to it, through the guitars, vocals and lyrics.  While how well it rocks works for the arena rock theme, the simple but good chorus is what makes it.  I can see a stadium of people rocking out, pumping fists and yelling "Short Ride Home" along with the song.

Brian Salapek - The Champion

My comments - I wanted to make a song that would be played during a sports event to get the crowd excited.  So I wrote sports themed lyrics, added some cheesy keyboard riffs and a few break downs with clapping and everything!  The song is missing any traditional chorus that could be anthemic for people to sing along to, but I almost feel like the whole song is a chorus.

Rene Zansman - Thunder Across the Planet

My comments - Holy Crap.  Rene has always been best with his choruses and this one is amazing.  This song has a huge 80's feel to it and I love it.  The "Whoa-Ooh" breakdown at about 2:30 is just perfect for the arena rock theme.

September Song Announcement!

I feel like there are a handful of genres that keep getting thrown out there for the song writing game.  It's inevitable that overtime we will run out and have to start doing them over.  But for September there is one that hasn't been officially done yet.  Oh, I just squirm at the thought of it.  It's...

GANGSTA RAP

That's right, Gangsta Rap!  What makes it "Gangsta" anyways?  Usually that comes from the subject matter which is usually controversial.  With the subject matter being integral to the genre, there is no assigned subject.  For more specifics, read here.

This....should be interesting.  Good luck everyone.  And don't forget about the songs for August!

July's Winning Cover Song!

With our first time submission from Egypt Hollow, we had a pretty good surge in voting and viewing of the blog.  Of course they were the winners, bringing in over 80% of the votes!  Congratulations to Kenny, Ciara, Addison and Ian!  Hopefully you will turn in songs again in the future as a group or individually!  Did you like the song?  Go 'like' their Facebook page here.

If you hadn't heard the song, listen to it here:

Also, don't forget about the songs for August.  We are doing Arena Rock songs!