City of Fire: The Process of Passion.

After three days of initial tracking and listening to mixes... I'm close to completing the Hadder version of "City Of Fire" which was one of 8 songs that was just about ready to release under the TOR project that I was a part of. I intend to go through this very creative process with all of these tracks. I've started from scratch and tried my very best to stay clear of the original music that was underneath the rather extensive "Vocal and keyboard" studio tracks other than wearing the hand cuffs of remaining in key and tempo of course as the vocals kind of dictate that to some degree anyway. It's a great challenge and I'm up for it. Surprisingly the vocals and keyboard tracks sound fairly interesting alone and I considered just completing them with an orchestra but there's just something about a loud guitars and drums that I love and I wanted to take these stories on the road, so, I opted for a traditional skeleton. Doing it this way allows me to bring back a lot of the lyrics, and vocals and choir ideas that were left on the cutting room floor and to sculpt around them musically to help support some of those ideas... it is difficult to paint the canvas under the details of the track, but I'm having fun with it and that's really what this whole project is all about. I'm trying to get this first painting done before I leave for the red lakes... wish me luck.

Remember when this was fun? Oh yeh... that's why we're doing this.

Well I remember.

"So we race the sun, born to run... until the midnight comes."

Video info: IMPORTANT to note: NO ONE WAS harmed in this video, these are "Fire Jumpers" and stunt men. Everyone has a passion in life, including these people who seem to flirt with death, so here is a little taste of fire to some of my recent "City of Fire: brush strokes. It's an audio sketch and idea for now as I'm still tracking this and yet to apply the Code Break I stumbled upon late last night, but It's fun to release clips and moments along the way, makes looking back a little more interesting. Every painting or song deserves a journal that documents the trials and tribulations of the finished product and the processes that molded and ultimately defined it. I have notes and demo tracks that go way back on this song, I hope to release a more detailed video on the process, but we'll see how that all pans out. Let me see if I actually like the song when it's done first.

#cityoffire #diamondshadder #johnevermore #heavymetal #process #firejumper #newsong

The Code Breaker: A part of the play.

A new week in the shadow of winter. A few things.

It’s a reflective day. I feel like the stars are following me for some reason… as I sat at my parking lot beach this morning running through my vocal scales to the hum of city lights. Patterns and scales turned to words like I was at an opera. “Oh madness brings me peace, a tiny peace, a tiny lease. on life…. Oh there’s something in the wind tonight, even the leaves are brighter… the clouds have colored me with a smile today, the past is gone… and it’s ok… there’s something in the wind tonight…” Somber words to piano scales perhaps for the rock king bridge, who knows……. If you look closely, there’s a little hope in that phrase… a little freedom too. I think I’m part of a play. I’m in it.

I woke at 3:30 thinking about the string inside of ‘City Of Fire”, my feet were tapping to the patterns from verse to bridge to chorus… the puzzle was working itself out in my mind as I slept. I sprung to the living room to find my little fender squire staring at me… shivering in the autumn breeze that’s been hanging around my balcony. My little golden squire is missing some M3 screws on her high E string saddle, but she still sings in her lower register. I quickly began unwinding the string that had my feet shaking in bed… I think I cracked the code… finally. After a weekend of laying backgrounds on the canvas of my little City of Fire tale… I think I finally unlocked the key to the details. This is my life… puzzles and pieces out of sorts… until they suddenly start to show a picture underneath. It’s great when I can complete one… I do have puzzles that are 75% complete scattered around the house. Sometimes I don’t really like what I’m seeing, and they sit. Anyway, now that I think I have the code… it’s a matter of getting to the lock and with Stargazer Video edits and mixing audio this week… well I’m left with it idle in my pocket until I can turn the key. I will say, there’s a sense of relief now though… and it’s a feeling I know all to well as a puzzle builder… a feeling only a code breaker knows. We’ll see.

#cityoffire #diamondshadder #johnevermore #newoldsong #heavymetal #codebreaker #fender #therockking #vocalideas #codebreaker #puzzle #lyricideas #vocalizing #lyrics

Stargazer: Counting down.

In light of the Stargazer music video being very close to completing and released, an image of the band was commissioned from Lord Trident of Remrod for promotional purposes. Just thought I would share his work. If you look close you can see his tail in the image.

The video will be released on the Diamonds Hadder Youtube channel when it's ready. We mix the final audio for the video on Wednesday night in the land of Gardens... so look for a finish video soon after I suppose.

I have grand hopes for this video page in the near future, and this website for that matter. Stargazer will be the first to start it off... on the official video side of things. but I have so many ideas that are passing me like ships in a storm constantly. I can hardly keep up with my notes and thoughts. But I do. I'm so proud of this first piece to the puzzle. It was the hardest one to choose and I didn't know where to put it at first... but it makes a lot of sense... the Stargazer.

It's hard to believe that I held back on releasing things for so long... I did take a willing leap of faith.... which did fail me a little. I really was chasing the sun knowing that the day behind me was closing in. It's very fortunate for me that I can play guitar and all the instrument adequately enough as it gives me an opportunity to finish the vocal material I lost so much sleep over the last few years. So with "City of Fire" approaching the closing days of edits and loud listens, I'm super excited. And if they all can come out the way I feel "City of Fire" did... well... it just takes a lot off my mind and my heart.

There's a little crack in the armor... and the wall is down while I sharpen things and look for dry wood. Just saying. Believe in yourself and the rest will follow.

-evermore

#stargazer #diamondshadder #johnevermore #tribute #newoldsong #coversong #musicvideo #heavymetal #rainbow