ROL G1  ;ONE Man Band 8 

Songwriter  -  Singer  -  Poet - Multi Instrumentalist

Born: Northern  Germany  -  Lives in London

Influences: Earliest: John Lennon – BB.King – Chuck Berry - Aretha Franklin  - Most Recent: Corinne Bailey Rae – etc.

Writing songs and composing music is my way of documenting life's experiences, some happy, some sad or a bit of both.    Being dyslexic when it comes to musical notation, my only option to preserve musical strokes of genius is by pressing a record button. Bouts of inspiration are best captured as raw as possible, using minimal instrumentation.  Spending several months of nomadic life each year, I travel by camper van through Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands or Morocco. Just imagine real "Wish you were here" freedom journeys, away from it all, with plenty of time and energy to be creative. Vocal lines and acoustic guitar get recorded on a MD walkman. On returning home many of these sketches are transformed into demos for new songs. After recording a rough demo containing some basic ingredients, there often follows an experimental phase jamming songs in different styles, tempos, keys etc. That way melodies and phrasing get tweaked to perfection. Some people think it's a bizarre way to work, but as long as the results are positive I see nothing wrong with taking a song apart, possibly ending up with a version quite different from the original idea. Example of one experimental re-write

Have I been searching for self motivated musical collaborators ? I certainly have, especially for vocalists.  Unfortunately most people I have come across, create their songs with prefab drum loops, samples or karaoke style backing tracks and other computer based digital recording set-ups, the sound of which I find harsh and clinical. I love the warm, fat sound I get with my ancient analogue reel multi track recorder on which I layer live tracks, one at a time. On most of my mono-mixed demos everything you hear has been captured with four classic dynamic microphones: SM57, SM58, MD421, RE20. The recording process usually begins with a vocal guide track and acoustic guitar, followed by drum kit, bass guitar, electric guitar, vocals etc.  This process causes complex timing and intonation errors, which sometimes get purposely ignored because of my impatience of wanting to hear the song with the next new overdub.

Do I wish I had the luxury of an experienced producer or a trained engineer to take care of these problems ? I certainly do, but even without any help whatsoever, I feel I am making solid progress in refining my art of recording using this stone age method.

Why do I refrain from excessive use of sound effects gadgets ? I do like "Nothing Compares To You" as a song, but I can't see the point of making it sound like Sinead O'Connor sang her heart out in a large empty bathroom. My theory is that a voice or instrument should sound appealing in its dry, unprocessed state before effects are applied. Recording that way can be as suicidal as a high wire act without the balancing pole, the pole being a click track and some reverb. I try my best to avoid using them in the initial songwriting stages. 

Last year I got kicked out of the Blues Band Workshop at Camden’s Workingmens College for allegedly being 'too advanced' at playing guitar.  I have not performed live since.

My future plans include getting a deal with a reputable publishing company so  that some of my music can be covered by established artists or used in films, documentaries or even advertising. When I recently rewrote one of my rock'n'roll tracks called "Charged Up" I couldn't help imagining the chorus as the theme for a brilliantly produced Duracell commercial. I have been told that some of my lyrics are probably too personal to be covered by anyone else.  Any songwriter with a difference needs to get his/her songs heard in the right places at the right time. Hence performing at showcase venues and cultivating a fan base are definitely part of my plan. I would enjoy working with a tight band, performing live sets of original songs. If any decent musicians out there want to collaborate, please do get in touch. Whatever happens, a ten track CD will be available by late autumn of 2005, distributed either via my own website or via independant distributors.  

Contact:

Rol +44 (0)7968 170033

rolg1@btinternet.com