The Brandy Brothers' Shoebox Songs

A Brandy Brothers' Special Project

Adrian A — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:38:28 +0000

Hello again from the Brandy Brothers!

Today we're launching a special project – one uniquely suited to the talents and skills of the Brandy Brothers community.

Your challenge is this: In the style of Shoebox Songs, create a sound recording with a positive message, and get it to us by October 21st. The piece can be any type of audio at all. Tell us a story, sing us a song, create a soundscape, or mix them all together. The collected works will be posted on our site, and more importantly, passed on to a young artist named Emilie who was recently blinded. Her story was featured on RadioLab and passed on to us by our friend (and contributing artist) Lisa Larson, and we've reposted it below.

Here's your chance to use your audio skills, musical powers, storytelling prowess, and general ingenuity to do something that's pretty dang nice!

Be sure to keep the tone positive – try basing your piece on an image or story that you find particularly inspiring, soothing, happy, fun, silly, or just nice. If you get stuck, shoot us an email and we'll send you a prompt.

Thank you all and as always, good luck!

The Brandy Brothers

Emilie the artist once was inspired by everything she saw: colors, forms, textures, light…

Now she's stuck in the dark (blinded by a bike accident), but she still has an imagination to "see" things in her mind. She's become fond of her iPod, so let's give her something to listen to an inspire her artistic sensibilities!

Give Emilie something (a song, a story, a fantasy soundscape, a poem, an environment, a mood, sound textures) that she can listen to in the permanent dark and and "see" in her imagination and be inspired.

The collection will be presented as a gift to Emilie in a textured cd case when she visits Chicago on October 22nd.

Here's some things to help inspire you to inspire Emilie:

- Visual Art Concepts to translate into sound: color, form, texture, contrast, spacial relationships, shapes, moods, emotions.

- Put on a blindfold, see what you can create in the dark.

- View Emilie's art from before her accident: http://www.emiliegossiaux.com/ (scroll to the bottom)

- Emilie's story made famous on Radiolab: http://www.radiolab.org/2011/jan/25/finding-emilie/

For questions about Emilie feel free to contact Lisa Larson at lisa@lisalarsonart.com

Shoebox Vol. 15 – Perfect Heart

William L. Cox — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:30:11 +0000

Ever wish you had an army of cheerleaders? That, and I hit a brick wall on the melody. But! Here's the balance.

Perfect Heart

Shoebox Vol. 15 – Smoking PSA

Adrian A — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:04:28 +0000

This volume I decided the image reminded me of a anti-smoking advertisement so I wrote a song that I thought would be fitting in an anti-smoking PSA. Everything was made in Logic. Enjoy!

PSA

- by Adrian Anguiano

Shoebox Vol. 15 – Pac-Man's Heart Gets Broken

Adrian A — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:04:10 +0000

This image reminded me of a Pac-Man maze. So here is my take on what it would sound like if Pac-Man got his heart broken. All done in ProTools. Enjoy!

Pac-Man's Heart Gets Broken

- by Adrian Anguiano

Shoebox Vol. 15

Adrian A — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:28:27 +0000

Write a song based on the image below. Submit your songs before September 1!

Image courtesy of Molly Walsh.

Shoebox Vol. 14 – Memories of Chasing Snowflakes

Adrian A — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:14:22 +0000

The first thing I would like to say is that I never write music like this. Doing a piano composition is something that is outside my comfort zone. But I'm trying to work on this. It was made entirely in ProTools.

For this installment I decided to write a song that would be used in a short animation done in the style of the image. What I wanted to do was make a nice pretty song for a change. What I got was something that sounds very poignant:

I imagined the short starting with a summer scene of a forest with a cat searching through it, sad and lost. Its surroundings slowly turn into a snow covered forest, the cat looking a little more at home. Towards the end it starts to snow and the cat's eyes light up. It chases the snowflakes, plays in the snow, pounces in the drift. Slowly the snow starts to stop. The snow on the trees starts to fade away. The cat looking disappointed. As the winter scene disappears the cat, too, fades away. A memory as well.

As always, if there is anybody interested in making this animation with me I would love to do it. Just let me know. Enjoy!

Memories of Chasing Snowflakes

- by Adrian Anguiano

Shoebox Vol. 14 – Cheshire

William L. Cox — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:13:58 +0000

A song about a cat.

Cheshire

Shoebox Vol. 14 – I am a Cat

William L. Cox — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:07:54 +0000

It doesn't matter that the cat is so small; he is enormous all the same.

Recorded with the help of Scott Hannan (BU Vox, Egg Shaker, Hand Claps)

I am a Cat

Melting

Stephen Holliger — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:54:32 +0000

Melting

This song was recorded in Pro-Tools, with an electric guitar using a Line6 DL4 Delay modeler pedal and a Digi-tech Whammy pedal. This song was written on the first day of snowfall and the eventual blizzard last winter. I remember stepping outside to go get some groceries from my local hippie-food co-op in Logan Square – while tons of snowflakes melted onto my face. I digressed and went back into my bedroom and wrote this later that evening….after lunch, of course…

Shoebox Vol. 14

Adrian A — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 02:17:33 +0000

Write a song based on the image below. Submit your songs before August 15!

Shoebox Vol. 13 – Babel

William L. Cox — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:13:33 +0000

A song about the vertical impulse.

Babel

Shoebox Vol. 13 – Progress

bandboxbuster — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:04:00 +0000

Progress

by Bandboxbuster

Shoebox Vol. 13 – Conqueror Worm

SteveZaric — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:01:24 +0000

This was recorded on Garageband. It started out as just a chord progression, built into a sweet instrumental track, and when it still needed something I read The Conqueror Worm by Poe over it. Adrian: Bass and Drums Steve: Chord progression, backwards guitars, vocals, e-kalimba

The Conqueror Worm

Shoebox Vol. 13

Adrian A — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:33:07 +0000

Write a song based on the image below. Submit your songs before June 30!

Shoebox Vol. 12 – Polycephalic

William L. Cox — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:32:24 +0000

A song about being more than one person.

"Every created thing, even the simplest, is already guilty, already multiple. It has been thrown into the muddy stream of being and may never more swim back again to its source." (Herman Hesse)

William L. Cox

Polycephalic

Shoebox Vol. 12 – Entourage

Adrian A — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:26:25 +0000

For this third installment I decided to write a song that would be used in a "Triplets of Belleville" style animation called "The Loneliest Girl in the World". I imagined the story being about conjoined twins, one of which is discontent with your humdrum life in a rural community. Despite always having her sister around she feels detached from everyone else in the world. Ignoring her sister's protests, they join a traveling circus with hopes of finding their lot in life. This song cue occurs when they are greeted at the big top by curious fans and supportive carnies. Of course we are then introduced to the less then reputable and shady ringleader. Enjoy!

Entourage

by Adrian Anguiano

Shoebox Vol. 12 – Two Girls, One…

KJ_Johnson — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:23:24 +0000

Recorded with Audacity by KJ Johnson.

Here's to watching countless YouTube videos late at night with Erin Weartz about conjoined twins. And all the questions they brought up.

Two Girls, One…

Shoebox Songs Vol. 12 – Rag Trade Waltz

jayteeee43 — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:09:00 +0000

A song about some siamese twin fashion models. You know, nothing to bizarre!

(JT Royster)

Rag Trade Waltz

Shoebox Vol. 12 – All Upon a Pridefest Day

SteveZaric — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:48:59 +0000

Made with GarageBand, this piece was collaborative. Adrian came up with the chord progression and synth lines. I came up with the strings, vocals and structure. After that he added drum and bass.

This tells a true story about two real life sisters. I met one at a party and two weeks later both of them thought I was a real jackass.

All Upon a Pridefest Day

by Steve and Adrian

Shoebox Vol. 12

Adrian A — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:19:29 +0000

Write a song based on the image below. Submit your songs before June 14!

Shoebox Vol. 11 – Courtyard

KJ_Johnson — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:31:06 +0000

Recorded in Audacity by KJ Johnson. Kind of a spur of the moment song.

Courtyard

Shoebox Vol. 11 – Halide

William L. Cox — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:27:47 +0000

A song about people who aren't there.

Halide

Shoebox Vol. 11 – Hiding Place

jdwalk04 — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:22:29 +0000

Hacked together in Unableton using a stolen midi file and my guitar from middle school.

Hiding Place

Shoebox Vol. 11 – 1420 MHz

Adrian A — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:14:55 +0000

This is a continuation of the idea of treating the image as a poster for a movie and then writing a song that I think would be used in that film. For this second round I decided to write a song (more like a soundscape) that would be used in a Sci-Fi Horror movie called "When Walls Talk" (tagline: When Walls Talk…They Scream). More-or-less about a radio transmission from space! Made using heavily warped recordings of my accordion, fiddle, recorder, and voice. Enjoy!

1420 MHz

by Adrian Anguiano

Shoebox Vol. 11

Adrian A — Mon, 16 May 2011 03:47:37 +0000

Write a song based on the image below. Submit your songs before May 31!

Shoebox Vol. 10 – Little Bird Told Me

The_Didgeridonts — Mon, 16 May 2011 02:20:00 +0000

Recorded with Garageband on a hot and stormy night after watching the last few minutes of an old school episode of Star Trek and staring at Gil's painting on Joe's laptop.

Joe Chuck – Guitar, flute, editing, lyrics.
KJ Johnson – Vocals, ukulele, percussion, lyrics.

Here are the lyrics:

A little bird told me, "Risk big, win big.
Walk the Earth in sorrow or do something interesting."
A little bird to me, "Risk big, win big."

A little bird told me, "Defend against the night."
A lethal injection of overwhelming spite
A little bird told me, "Defend against the night."

A little bird told me about the circle of life
Six feet underground when the moon was ripe
A little bird told me about the circle of life.

Little Bird Told Me

Shoebox Vol. 10 – Superluminal

William L. Cox — Sun, 15 May 2011 19:44:09 +0000

Tracked in Logic and infused with Scientific Method.

Superluminal

By William Lewis Cox, featuring a sample from the Librivox recording of Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, read by Kristin Luoma.

Shoebox – Vol. 10 – I'm just a call

Jayteee43 — Sun, 15 May 2011 17:23:13 +0000

recorded through garage-band, Mbox2 & rode NT1a. Written & recorded by jt royster

I'm Just a Call

Shoebox Vol. 10 – Kid The Crow

bandboxbuster — Sun, 15 May 2011 17:22:59 +0000

Kid The Crow

By bandboxbuster

Shoebox Vol. 10 – Dead for Now

Adrian A — Sun, 15 May 2011 17:22:25 +0000

I've decided that while we are doing images for Shoebox Songs that I would treat the image as a poster for a movie and then write a song that I think would be used in that film. For this first round I decided to write a song that would be used in a late 70s or early 80s Horror movie called "Zombie Hunter" (tagline: Risk Big…Win Big). Everything is composed/arranged/voiced using Logic except for one thing. I was recording a group of people for Zombie voices and as I was later editing it I found a loop that I just had to use. Enjoy!

Dead for Now
Adrian Anguiano

Shoebox Vol. 10

William L. Cox — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:58:43 +0000

Write a song based on the image below. Submit your songs before May 14!

Shoebox of Coffee – Pick Me Up

William L. Cox — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:21:02 +0000

A cautionary tale about the dangers of coffee use. Recorded in Logic with a baritone ukulele.

Pick Me Up

Shoebox of Coffee – Smooth Brew

Adrian A — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:16:45 +0000

So I didn't have a lot of time to work on this song. I did, however, decide to try out something new with Logic. So I played around with the sampler they have. I recorded myself hitting a coffee mug, making a pop sound with my mouth, and drinking coffee (I was up late working on this song). Everything was recorded using my laptop's built in mic. Manipulated and composed in Logic. Just wanted to make something swank and fun. Enjoy.

Smooth Brew

Shoebox of Coffee – Guilt and Gourmet Coffee

KJ_Johnson — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:14:38 +0000

KJ Johnson (kjjohnson.bandcamp.com). Audacity. I'll probably rewrite this one. Not so happy with it, but it's a learning experience, I suppose? Right? …

Guilt and Gourmet Coffee

Shoebox of Coffee – The Battle for Coffee Mountain

William L. Cox — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:13:09 +0000

There's a battle going on, and the winner shall determine the fate of Coffee Mountain.

Guest vocals by Bear.

The Battle for Coffee Mountain

Shoebox of Coffee – In the Key of Coffee

Adrian A — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:04:42 +0000

Adrian decided to throw one more song into the mix. In this song Adrian tried to embody the overall tone and quality of coffee. It gave him a chance to play with the tempo controls of Logic. Enjoy.

In the Key of Coffee

Shoebox of Keanu Reeves – On My Shoulder

William L. Cox — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:55:15 +0000

I'm an only son, but I figure if I ever had a brother he would be Keanu Reeves.

Keanu, if you're reading this, offer stands.

I'm not super happy with the vocal line – I will probably revisit it someday.

On My Shoulder

Shoebox of Keanu Reeves – My Bogus Journey is an Excellent Adventure

KJ_Johnson — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:51:49 +0000

Recorded using Audacity by KJ Johnson (kjjohnson.bandcamp.com, facbook.com/kjjohnsonmusic)

Sunday afternoon + Keanu Reeves + IMDB = …this? I guess.

My Bogus Journey is an Excellent Adventure

Shoebox of Keanu Reeves – Mr K for a Day

Adrian A — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:49:41 +0000

Adrian decided to score a day in the life of Keanu Reeves. Using Logic's binaural technological capabilities this song is mixed for headphones. So turn off the lights, put some headphones on (if you can find them in the dark), and sit back and experience what it's like to be Keanu Reeves for a day.

Music composed in Logic. Footsteps, cloth and voices recorded in ProTools. Presence tracks, doors and punches are from the Logic library of SFX. Mixed in Logic.

Voice talent provided by:
Adrian Anguiano
Wil Cox
Ashley France
Katie Kirby (DJKT)
Britt Frandsen

Mr. K for a Day

Shoebox of Keanu Reeves – "Keanuuuuuuu: A Ballad of Love"

ashleyalysa — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:41:36 +0000

Ballad created using GarageBand, Protools, Mac's Internal Microphone.
Instruments of choice: Voicebox and an old Harmony acoustic guitar, that hasn't been played or tuned in 40 years.
Created by Ashley France

Keanuuuuuuu- A Ballad of Love

Shoebox of Time – All Right Now

William L. Cox — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:29:16 +0000

This is the other time song I did. Most of the instruments were tracked on Audiotool.com, and then some layers were hastily recorded into my laptop microphone in my parents kitchen while my sister was watching a movie. I layered the whole thing together in Audacity.

All Right Now

Shoebox of Time – Wound UP

bandboxbuster — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:16:08 +0000

Oddly enough I didn't have a lot of time to work on this theme. What ended up happening came out of mucking around in the studio for a day or two. The fact that the music sounds a bit like a clock working was kind of a mistake. With the exception of the Bass guitar all other instuments, including the voice, were recorded with a contact mic placed directly on to the instrument itself, in some cases directly on the stings. It was a lot of fun.

Wound Up

Shoebox of Time – Intervals

William L. Cox — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:44:01 +0000

This is just an instrumental. Done in Logic.

Intervals

Shoebox of Time – Chronos' Music Box

Adrian A — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:19:38 +0000

Adrian decided to try his hand at a purely instrumental piece this time. So this is how he interpreted time into a song.

In other news Adrian would like to make a video for this song. The basic concept behind this song is that somewhere in Chronos' dwelling is a long forgotten room filled with long forgotten things. One such item is a music box. Every now and then, for the briefest of moments, this item turns on and plays its song before returning once again to its long slumber. The idea is that during this small amount of time a universe will exist. It has created countless universes and one such instance is our universe. Ultimately the song will end and with it the small universe it created, only to once again give birth to a whole new universe when the cycle repeats.

If anyone is interested in helping leave a comment. It's mostly going to consist of shooting a brief video of a basement/room, stop motion of this music box, and then editing stock footage for a quick time lapse of our universe. So, to begin with if anybody is interested in drawing concept art of what they think this little contraption would look like let Adrian know. He looks forward to the collaboration.

Chronos' Music Box

Shoebox of Songs – A Fool and His Shoes

Adrian A — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:07:08 +0000

Adrian joined forces with Gisella Faggi for this old timey tune. She can be heard on dah fiddle. Adrian got carried away and decided to record himself playing the mouth harp, harmonica, spoons, and a box (all in a mediocre fashion). Enjoy!

A Fool and His Shoes

Shoebox of Shoes – Shoes Made This Song

Adrian A — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:02:28 +0000

Shoes like to dance right? Well if shoes had a friend called DJKT that could play a glass bottle as if it was a set of drums, had mad beatboxing skillz like Adrian, had the ability to record sounds with a MyTouch Slide, and could use ProTools to combine them all together, I'd like to think this is what they would make. I know that this is what they would make.

Shoes Made This Song

You can also check out the music video on YouTube.

Shoebox of Shoes – Pair

Adrian A — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:58:58 +0000

Adrian definitely went outside of his comfort zone for this one. It's based on a story he wrote for a class YEEEAARRS ago. He sat in an isolated room with his accordion and recorded it all in ProTools. This song reeks of melancholy.

Pair

Shoebox of Shoes – Get Gone

William L. Cox — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:52:47 +0000

A song about shoes. Or the lack thereof. Done in a variety of programs, mostly with canned instruments.

Get Gone

Shoebox of Shoes – Bluma Thurman

girascopic — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:43:37 +0000

Recorded with a microphone painted red for a song about the blues. Lucas Schira (girascopic) wrote and performed the track for those who have gone through a similar situation…using Ableton Live.

Bluma Thurman

Shoebox of Frontiers – The Return

William L. Cox — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:22:48 +0000

Recorded in Audacity, edited in Logic and Pro Tools and Audacity.

The melody is shaky, but I like the lyrics.

The Return

Shoebox of Frontiers – FUNtiers!

William L. Cox — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:15:50 +0000

Kirstie came all the way from L.A. to Chicago to make this song. Wil helped a little.

FUNtiers!

Shoebox of Frontiers – Just My Luck.

Carrie! — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:12:49 +0000

It was weird recording these vocals in front of an open window, and having my next door neighbor out on his patio, "reading."

Just My Luck.

Shoebox of Frontiers – Last Shot

Adrian A — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:10:52 +0000

Adrian was excited to write a song for the frontiers topic but was not sure what to write about. He asked Gisella to write a short story about a drunk in a bar that gets himself into trouble. He adapted that story into this song. He then asked Gunnar if he would be so kind as to write and record a bass part, as well as to play the part of the barkeep. He did both exceptionally well. He even took it a step further and added banjo and some "tending" sound effects. Adrian recorded his vocals, shot glass, Honky Tonk MIDI, stomps and shuffles in ProTools. Thanks guys for helping!

Last Shot

Shoebox of Frontiers – Technology Made This Song

Adrian A — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:08:25 +0000

The frontiers of technology have brought us many good things. As it turns out this song isn't one of them. Enjoy listening to the fruits of technology!

Technology Made This Song

Also! Check out this song's official music video on the brand spanking new Brandy Brothers' YouTube Channel – http://www.youtube.com/user/BrandyBrothers – It still needs some sprucing up.

Audio recorded with MyTouch Slide and edited in ProTools by Adrian Anguiano
Mix by Katie Kirby (DJKT)
Drawings by Wil Cox
Picture recorded with MyTouch Slide and edited in Final Cut Pro by Adrian Anguiano

Adrian: Phonology, Phoneology
DJKT: dah beat, "Vocals", Keys (literal)
Wil: Cheese Puff Crunch

Shoebox of Frontiers – territory negotiations at the border of This and That

theroguemolly — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:06:26 +0000

first song ever written by one rogue, Molly.
recording done by Wil at home with programs he knows about but are News To Me.

guitarring: Carrie
percussion: Carrie & Molly
singing, back up and otherwise: Molly, Wil & Carrie

territory negotiations at the border of This and That

Shoebox of Frontiers – Medium Rare (That's The Way It Is)

The_Didgeridonts — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:04:03 +0000

Hauntingly tasty. With a side of trauma. And a dash of ROFLMAO.

KJ Johnson: Vocals and General Bad-Assery.
Joe Chuck: Guitar and Culinary Expertise.
K-Sauce: Vocals and "I mostly just slept…"

"It's family fun for everyone" – Review by Drew Griffin

Medium Rare (That's The Way It Is)

Shoebox of Anthems – Organize Before They Rise: The Battle Hymn of the National Zombie Annihilation League of America (Organize Before They Rise)

The_Didgeridonts — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:46:35 +0000

Sup? How you doin'? How was your day? What did you learn at school? You look lovely in that dress! We made this with Garageband.

KJ Johnson: Vocals, Flute
Joe Chuck: Vocals, Guitar
K-Sauce Hoitomt: Vocals, Knives

Lyrics by The Didgeridont's and Max Brooks

The Battle Hymn of the National Zombie Annihilation League of America (Organize Before They Rise)

Shoebox of Anthems – Platinum Animal

William L. Cox — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:42:08 +0000

What is a platinum animal? Informed opinions differ.

Platinum Animal

Shoebox of Anthems – Song For the Tiny

bandboxbuster — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:32:30 +0000

I didn't have as much time as I wanted to bring other people in for this song. I think it turned out fine though. The great part about this format is it allows you to write songs that you can hold onto and visit later.

It was tracked with a microphone placed pretty far way from myself.

Song for the Tiny

Shoebox of Anthems – Carrie Shemanski's Anthem

Carrie! — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:28:04 +0000

It's really just a lot of words.

Carrie Shemanski's Anthem

Shoebox of Anthems – This is NOT a Test

SteveZaric — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:25:55 +0000

Recorded and mixed by SteveZaric and AdrianA in GarageBand.

This is NOT a Test

Shoebox of Anthems – Survivors

Adrian A — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:18:18 +0000

Adrian recorded this song in ProTools. Final voicing of instruments done in Logic. It's about the survivors of the Zombie Apocalypse. Enjoy!

Survivors

Shoebox of Science – There Is Nothing Scientific About Our Method

The_Didgeridonts — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:28:51 +0000

Recorded with Garageband… We hope you find this every educational

KJ Johnson: "Vocals"
Joe Chuck Griffin: Unamplified electric guitar, Dialogue/vocals
Krista Hoitomt: Dialogue, Sound effects, Xylophone

There's Nothing Scientific About Our Method

Shoebox of Science – Don't Worry About It, It's Science

Carrie! — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:10:48 +0000

I did it you guys!

Don't Worry About It, It's Science

Shoebox of Science – Laboratory Waiting Room

littlebrassbird — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:05:31 +0000

Song created with old Boss drum pad and Yamaha S08 synth on Pro Tools. Song and sound by Rhodrick & Robin. (LittleBrassBird.com)

Laboratory Waiting Room

Shoebox of Science – Now Linnaeus Down

William L. Cox — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:00:48 +0000

Carl Linnaeus is possibly the worst wingman ever, but he sure did hit the nail on the head with that whole nested hierarchies thing.

Recorded mostly in Logic, with some Pro Tools.

Now Linnaeus Down

Shoebox of Science – All The People Scream No

bandboxbuster — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:54:49 +0000

This song was tracked in my carnival studio using some of the instruments I have available. The weird robotic squawking was was performed live and the tone was performed as well through an old analog piece of equipment that I have. This song was recorded and mixed on the program Pro Tracks Plus over the course of a week.

I would like to thank Adrian Anguiano, William Cox, and Lisa Larson for lending me their, "No's."

I would also like to give a special thanks to Lisa Larson for the superb reading she provided.

All the People Scream No

Shoebox of Science – Modern Science Is A Lie

steph — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:51:06 +0000

recorded with a usb mic into audacity.

written and recorded by steph cook.

Modern Science is a Lie

Shoebox of Science – Scientific Method to My Madness

Adrian A — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:46:03 +0000

Sporting his best mad scientist voice Adrian recorded the MIDI and vocals using ProTools, everything else was composed in Logic. I'd like to thank the robots for joining me in joyful chorus and Gunnar Jebsen for contributing the sick lick that was chocolaty thick…the bass. Also, Mr. Bandboxbuster was kind enough to contribute backup vocals, "Science!"s, Screaming and Laughter. William Cox also put on his mad scientist hat and offered his maniacal bellowing of "Science!"s. Thanks everybody!

Scientific Method to My Madness

Shoebox of Science – Chemistry

KJ_Johnson — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:39:53 +0000

Recorded with Audacity by KJ Johnson (kjjohnson.bandcamp.com)

This is what happens when you employ one of the most common progressions ever to write an ode to "chemical reactions"…

Chemistry

Shoebox of Horror – Kill You in Your Sleep

William L. Cox — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:44:47 +0000

Recorded by William L. Cox with KJ Johnson using the internet, Pro Tools, Logic, and plain old Windows Audio Recorder.

Kim: "All the cool parts were written by Wil Cox. Then he shared them with KJ Johnson who wrote the lyrics and vocal melody line. This is, undoubtedly, the greatest love song ever written. Ever."

Wil: "…Kim… kinda creeps me out sometimes, a little. You know? Listen, don't tell her I said anything, okay?"

Kill You in Your Sleep

Shoebox of Horror – Do it for the Children

William L. Cox — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:35:29 +0000

By Wil! I did this whole thing in Logic in the back room in my apartment. Logic is neat.

I called my old friend Tim up and asked him what the most horrible thing he could think of was. He said something to the effect of "Imagine you're the last person alive, all organic matter is dead, except your children are also alive. They're going to starve to death anyway. Would you eat them to stay alive?"

Do it for the Children

Shoebox of Horror – You and I

Adrian A — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:28:04 +0000

This song features a chorus of Adrian Anguianos. Some Gisella Faggis can be heard in there too! The keyboard part was recorded via MIDI in ProTools but everything else was finished in Logic. The guitar and bass I plugged directly into my computer via my Ozone. The voices I recorded using the internal microphone on my mac.

Adrian affiliated projects – TREJO @ TREJOband.com / Bitterroot @Bitterrootmusic.com

You and I

Shoebox of Horror – Brothers

Adrian A — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:25:30 +0000

Okay, so this is an odd one. Within the vein of Prairie Home Companion, Gisella and Adrian present to you a story of brothers. "Lyrics" written by Gisella and Adrian, with a story written by Gisella and sound design/recording by Adrian, and Gisella as accordion player extraordinaire. Enjoy!

Brothers

Shoebox of Horror – Nobody's Children

Adrian A — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:21:28 +0000

This song is about the movie Devil's Backbone. Which is a movie about ghosts. It was created using ProTools, but used some voicing from Logic for the MIDI parts. Using modern science Adrian and Wil were able to transfer files over the internet back in forth in order to create the full ensemble that is this song. That's Adrian with the synth strings, piano and lead vocals. That's Wil multitasking with the electric guitar, acoustic guitar and backup vocals. Now that's multitasking! Thanks Wil for your help and support!

Nobody's Children

Shoebox of Horror – It's Horrible

Carrie! — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:16:40 +0000

Carrie playing Molly's guitar. Recorded on GarageBand in the living room.

It's Horrible

Shoebox of Piracy – Get in My Boat

William L. Cox — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:42:42 +0000

Recorded by Carrie Shemanski on Garageband with the most awesome guitar ever built.

Get In My Boat

Shoebox of Piracy – 47672 (The Pirate Song)

The_Didgeridonts — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:38:41 +0000

Created using Garageband and Mac's internal microphone.
The Didgeridon'ts are:
Krista Hoitomt – Aquatist/SFX
KJ Johnson – Lead Vocals/Ukulele/SFX
Joseph Griffin – Vocals/Guitar/SFX

47672 (The Pirate Song)

Shoebox of Piracy – Black Flag

William L. Cox — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:29:23 +0000

This is my Piracy Song. I only went a little bit nuts – except the guitar and voice everything is simple MIDI orchestration. The guitar I recorded on a mic, and I did multiple passes on the voice.

I tried to find the balance between in and out of key that a pirate might sing in, but listening back I think it's just sloppy. Ah well.

Black Flag

Shoebox of Piracy – Pirates of Silicon Seas

Adrian A — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:25:29 +0000

Adrian locked himself in a studio for a few hours and recorded this. He used ProTools and recorded himself over and over again. That's him on the accordion, that's him on the drums. You can even hear him trying to sound like a group of pirates.

Pirates of Silicon Seas

Shoebox Songs

Adrian A — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:40:43 +0000

If you've been paying attention, you may have heard a bit about our new project, Shoebox Songs. Alongside the sudden appearance of summer weather here in Chicago, we are launching a new initiative – a songwriting podcast that anyone can join! We encourage everyone from all levels of experience to participate, especially those who haven't ever written a song before. Take a look at our "Start Here" section for more info.

Shoebox Songs Theme

William L. Cox — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:06:21 +0000

Shoebox Songs Theme

Song created using GarageBand and the Mac’s Internal Microphone. Contributers include Adrian Anguiano and Wil Cox