Mark Hansen Music - LDS Rock Music - Free Downloads

Mark Hansen Music - LDS Rock Music - Free Downloads
Get the new CD, "The Third Time" HERE




WARNING: Listening to this music doesn't require parental approval. It's a bit of clean rebellion. It keeps your outlook up and your hope alive. It's got strong drums and screaming guitars. It pumps you up and drives your life. It's a hunger for exploration. It chooses the right and returns with honor. It's music you don't have to confess to your bishop.

It's not your parents' "Saturday’s Warrior".

It's "A Joyful Noise"

Saturday, February 28, 2004

Ok.

Yes.

It's way waaaay too late at night (early in the morning?) for me.

I just finished relistening critically to every take of the lead vocal that we cut line by line, and creating the final composite. What a grueling and intense experience this whole vocal thing has turned into. But, overall, I've been very pleased with the results. I hope you folks are, too, when it's all said and done.

Friday, February 27, 2004

I have to write some more about last night's vocals, because there's so much going on in my mind about it. And I have a little more time at the moment.

I went into it very nervous. In all the years and in all the recordings I've done, this one was going to be the best. Not because my singing was necessarily better, but because I was going to take the time to make it right. I even got a blessing from John N and another guy here at work before we started.

As a result, I was very nervous. We went through about 4 passes through the song before we even started keeping the takes. And then, we just kept cutting it, again and again and again. The Spirit was very strong there with us. We ended up keeping 9 takes of the whole song, and then we listened back to every line and picked the best one (that's a process I think I'm going to have to do again, now that my ears are more fresh). We ended up cutting even more takes of the bridge.

Then, John and Sherri were there, so I had them cut the backing vocals. I had a goal that it would all be done and then I could start the process of mixing. But I don't think that worked out.

By the end of the night my ears were fried and I was hammered. So, I don't know how it turned out.

But it was very good for me to face that and come through it. Very learning experience.

We cut the lead vocals on "Here in Me" last night. Harmony vocals, too. I haven't listened to it this morning, so I don't know what's keepable or not. I'm not objective yet.

Be we went through it about 12 times, cutting, recutting, then the bridge we did about six times more. This is a harder song to sing than I had imagined when I wrote it.

But we did it.

And that alone is a personal triumph. Now comes the work of sorting through the takes, picking the best parts, compiling the finished vocal line.

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Remember the other day, I mentioned a song riff that had popped into my head? And remember that I said that John and I put it down just to capture it? And remember how I said that I needed a topic and some lyrics?

Well, a hook line came to me not too long ago, and it also wouldn't leave my head. I had a formula for a chorus taking shape, too, but that wasn't fully happenin'.

But this morning I got up and wrote the song.

I've been feeling kinda distant from God lately. I've just been too lax. And I was reading in D&C 4 about how we're supposed to serve Him with all our "heart, might, mind, and strength" so that we can "bring salvation to our souls".

Anyway, I've been too distracted with work, school, pressures, etc... to think much about my Heavenly Father, and this song is a reminder of that.

With a funky beat. :-)

Where’s My Soul? (Heart Might Mind and Strength)
D& C 4:2
2/25/2004

Where’s my soul
It was here yesterday
I set it down
To look around
And now it’s gone away
Where’s my soul

Where’s my heart
It was here yesterday
I could feel it beat
In my feet
And now I’ve lost my way
Where’s my heart
Where’s my soul

Where’s my might
It was here yesterday
But now my will
Won’t fill the bill
I don’t know what to say
Where’s my might

Where’s my mind
It was here yesterday
I know what’s best
But before I left
I didn’t think to pray
Where’s my mind
Where’s my soul

I know I had it a while ago
I let it slip out of my hold
Such a simple thing to say
Just to kneel back down and pray
Where’s my soul

Where’s my strength
It was here yesterday
Delilah snipped
My power’s clipped
And I can’t walk away
Where’s my strength
Where’s my strength

Where’s my soul
It was here yesterday
I set it down
To look around
And now it’s gone away
Where’s my soul


Kinda deep, kinda light, kinda fun, but still thought provoking. At least in me, it is...

Sometimes simple is the best.

Monday, February 23, 2004

OK, big changes have happened this week. And yet, not so big.

I've been contemplating the direction I've been working in, and I've decided to shift. Instead of piecing away at 14 songs until all of a sudden they're all done, and the putting out a CD, I'll work differently. I'll pick one song, finish it, and release it as a single (probably on weedshare.com's new system).

Then I'll pick another, finish it completely, and release it as a single. And then keep on going, until I've got enough to have a CD. I'll probably hold one or two back for the CD itself.

After careful consideration and some prayer, I arrived at this list for the first few tunes to be released:

1 - "Here in Me" - A great song that really represents me well. The sound I'm looking for, the message I'm conveying. I'd also planned on it being the first tune on the CD.

2 - "He's Out There" - This one was written directly at my target market: LDS youth. This one in particular is for the young men.

Both of these are also very exciting and up-tempo tunes. You can hear demos of them at my download site for the time being.

3 - "The First Step" - A little mellower, but still fun. This one was written for the baptism of a friend's daughter when she turned 8. She just turned 14. I'm way behind...

From there, I'll pick from others in my list, like "Superman", "The Taker", "Thank You" and all the others that I'm still working on.

So, keep your eye on the site and about once a month, there'll be a new one to download and listen to!


Thursday, February 19, 2004

The last few mornings, I've been updating my Pass-it-On CD. I've put on a few new tunes, and started burning copies.

I'd really like to step up that promotion. I played a gig at the Mall the other week, and I had nothing to hand out! That would have been a perfect opportunity.

Well, I'm not going to pass that one up again!

I've also been exploring the process of "weedifying" my songs! There's a new music download system called "Weed Share" (weedshare.com). It allows a download to be played a few times, then sets it up to be purchased for between 75 cents and a dollar (through paypal, too!). It can be shared freely, since each person can listen to it a few times, then has to pay for it. In addition, if someone shares it, and the next person buys it, the sharer gets a slice of the pie, too.

The cool thing about all that is that it essentially eliminates the need for piracy. If I share it, it is actually not in my best interest to hack it and pirate it. It will actually be better for me to share it as is, because then if they buy, I get a percentage, too!

Anyway, I'm looking to set that up as well!

MRKH

Friday, February 13, 2004

Some good stuff happened yesterday. In the morning, I worked a little on "Millstones". Not a whole lot of work, but I did a composite track of the Cello, and I also burned audio tracks of the sampled strings as well. Then I started working with some mixing ideas to hear how the blend could be. I'm still not sure how I'm going to place the strings in relation to the guitars, in front of, or in back of...

Then my old voice coach, Linda, came over to record a couple of songs for her husband's Valentine's Day present. That was a lot of fun, and very eye-opening as well. I remembered just how well she can sing. She kept asking me what I thought of the lines, and I kept thinking, "It's all awesome!" But she was feeling pretty frustrated by it. I guess no matter how good you get, you keep thinking you want it better.

Saturday, February 07, 2004

I just got back from a fun afternoon. I played a real gig.

Well, not real in the sense that I didn't get paid. But real in the sense that it was long. Three 45 minute sets of all me.

It was for a craft fair at the Cottonwood Mall. I played and sang while people walked by and ate. I was pretty much background music, though once in a while, I think someone was actually listening. I did get some good comments from the vendors, anyway!

The first set I was nervous, and I made a lot of mistakes. Each set got better, and I did vary the setlist each time.

The last set, Jodi and Brendon came in to see me, and that was a lot of fun. I knew at least two people were listening, anyway!

I debated on whether or not to play songs like "The Taker" or "Wake the Dead", that are more religious, but in the end I decided to go ahead. I thought, this is me, and if there's a problem, so be it!

It also reminded me a lot of a clever thought I had heard once. It said, "Never be afraid to show your true self. Not because honesty is best, but because no one is paying attention to you anyway."

:-)

Friday, February 06, 2004

Hello, again, hello again.

On the way home from work last night, I got this infectious little hook in my head. A funky little guitar riff over a 120 beat.

So, after some dinner, John N and I took a moment and tracked it. It really sounded fun.

Now, all I need is a topic and some lyrics.

Then, we cracked open "Torocagua" and after listening a few times, laid down a new bass line. It REALLY made it feel more solid, which is funny because I played it live, rather than sequenced it. The real advantage to sequencing is, of course, that you can quantize and tighten up the timing. But the tone and the feel was just so much more solid when I played it live.

I think I'm going to do more live bass parts.

Then after that, John G and Sherri came over and we cut some scratch vocals for "Play the Cards". I learned somethign very valuable. That is, that it takes me 4-5 takes through a song to really get relaxed into it and sounding really good.

Now I feel sorry for all those that see me do one song at an open mic... :-)

Sunday, February 01, 2004

A fun time this morning!

After practicing it a few times over the course of the last few days, I sat down and worked up a rough of "Play the Cards". It's all very raw. The bass might be keepable, but nothing else is. I always do that at first. I just rough in a structure with guitar, drums, and bass. With that, then I can start hanging things on it, like other guitar layers, keys, horns. and I can start replacing the raw tracks with better, cleaner performances.

Anyway, with this tune, once the chords for that one ornery little riff in the chorus (which only amounts to two measures at a time) got worked out, the whole rest of the song is falling into place.

It's got kind of an AC/DC feel to it. Very tight and punchy, with three simple chords. And even the electrics are playing first position chords, instead of barres. It's kinda funny to do an LDS tune, based on one of the Savior's Parables (loosly), and set it that way, but it works!

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