We’re pleased to present this behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Sounds Familyre logo from Daniel Smith. Enjoy!
This is my first rough SF sketch. I was thinking about horns and sound making machines.
Here’s a quick sketch of some lily’s. I was really interested in the fleur-de-lis and it’s symbolism of the number three and purity. And look, the two together makes a heart at the top… lovely.
Another double lily sketch with the text. Blue ball point pen is classy… but backwards text?
So here’s first attempt at the lyre direction. It’s a small U-shaped harp that to me symbolized the emphasis on “the song.”
Two more lily/lyre failures.
Now it’s really taking shape. Check out the white out edits. The lily’s are there, the text looks good, and there’s those nice wheat stems at the bottom.
I’m trying to sweetly fit in the info. Feels weird still.
The wheat had to go. Right now it’s got curly tips but it’s gonna change.
Yuck, this version looks terrible, but it’s the first incorporation of the SF text. Oh look! This is when it had a D. “copyright” image. “D.” stood for Danielson.
Oh sweet, it’s done. Pink and brown is nice and everything flows just right now. Logo’s done, now what about the music?
Featured below is a list of ‘Best Love Songs of All Time’ for Valentine’s Day. So, what are your favorites? Cheesy, poignant, silly, achingly beautiful…whatever you’ve got, bring it on (give us your faves by leaving a comment)!
Take care, folks, and happy Valentine’s Day!
LOVE,
Everyone at Sounds Familyre
Lowell Brams:
‘Andmoreagain‘ from “Forever Changes,” by Love (1967). It’s the prime example of the Love enigma; how could an erratic, drugged- to-the-gills wildman like Arthur Lee write and sing such heartfelt, sensitive love songs, and turn them into classic recordings? I don’t know, but there it is, the song that expressed a love that’s remained with me for forty years- the love, not the person. We tried, but didn’t make it, and neither did the band, which broke up after recording Forever Changes, but the brutal aftermath doesn’t diminish the song’s beauty and the emotions it stirs.”
Ben + Vesper:
“Vesper grooves to ‘Hallelujah‘ by Jeff Buckley, but Ben loves ‘Someday We’ll Be Together‘ by Diana Ross and the Supremes, and ‘Mad About You‘ by Belinda Carlisle. Yes, he’s a softie. He gets all melty when he hears those. Ben also loves ‘Bonnie and Clyde‘ as sung by Bridget Bardot. We remembered that because as we were browsing Belinda Carlisle’s ouevre, we saw that she came out with a version of that song on an _all French_ CD last year!”
John Ringhofer:
“Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks: ‘Whenever I Call You “Friend“‘
I don’t know if this 1978 duet is actually a love song or not, but it’s sassy enough to be one. It begins with some false starts, gets soulfully acapella, cycles through some deliciously strange melody twists, displays a vaguely Country chorus (accented by cascading strings), and ends with the obligatory key change. Unless I’m mistaken, I’m pretty sure it’s got Michael McDonald’s falsetto singing “Ever and ever!” right when the tempo jumps a couple notches to the third movement. His suspected involvement at least qualifies it for greatness. The lyrics are kind of hard to decipher, with the possibility of innuendo: “I know forever we’ll be doing it…right.” Oh yeah, and there’s a sax solo. Whatever it is, it’s classic!”
Joshua Stamper:
“Without a doubt, one of the most romantic pieces of music ever written is ‘Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major-2nd Movement‘. The piece begins with solo piano, and the central theme is so beautiful it hurts (typically Ravel). About 45 seconds after the the orchestra enters, a sweet chromaticism begins to pervade the piano part, such that harmonies that were straightforward now seem just a bit troubled. The piece continues to unfold with a staggering balance of tension and release, until the end where it resolves sweetly, easily, and gently - how do those guys do that? The result is, to use a hackneyed phrase, breathtaking (hey, it’s Valentine’s Day - I can say ‘breathtaking’). Truly bittersweet. Oh, and it’s in 3/4. Who can resist 3/4?”
Dan Zimmerman:
Doris Day - ‘Secret Love‘
Beatles - ‘And I Love Her‘
Dylan - ‘Love Minus Zero/No Limit‘
Everly Bros. - ‘Let It Be Me‘
J.S. Bach - ‘Sheep May Safely Graze‘
Ken Fabianovicz:
Troggs - ‘Love Is All Around‘
Tom Rapp (of Pearls Before Swine) - ‘Love/Sex‘
Velvet Underground - ‘I Found A Reason‘
Bob Dylan - ‘If Not For You‘
Beach Boys - ‘God Only Knows‘
Delfonics - ‘La La Means I Love You‘
Bread - ‘Baby I’m a Want You‘
Ronettes - ‘Be My Baby ‘
Flamingos - ‘I Only Have Eyes for You‘
Daniel Johnston - ‘True Love Will Find You In The End‘
Glen Campbell - ‘Less of Me‘
Christiaan Pallidino:
Dylan - ‘Love Minus Zero/No Limit‘
Irma Thomas - ‘It’s Raining‘
Nina Simone - ‘Love Me Or Leave Me‘
Biz Markie - ‘Just A Friend‘
Benni Hemm Hemm - ‘I Can Love You In A Wheelchair Baby‘
Ted Velykis:
“My favorite love song has to be ‘When You Need a Laugh‘ by Hank Cochran and made famous by Patsy Cline. I don’t know if it’s just the way Patsy sings it or if the lyrics just touch me somehow - but every single time I hear it I get choked up. Do sad songs count?”
Behind the scenes photos and audio from the second session of Soul-Junk’s long-anticipated 1960! Coming soon, behind the scenes photos from the first 1960 session in Oct ‘07!
Click below to hear cellist Jie Jin and Joshua Stamper working on finding just the right sound for the record.
Probably the first time Soul-Junk has ever been conducted.
Glen and Jie
Glen, Jie, and Joshua (notice that Jie is the only one working…)
We thought it would be good to compile a ‘Best of 2007′ list before February hits (when we’re REALLY into 2008). The idea was to list things that were new to us in 2007 (though not necessarily new IN 2007). The list!
Activities:
-Routinely falling asleep to quiet records
-Playing bass for The Curtains
-Sitting on the couch in the morning at the precise moment that sunlight enters the window (favorite)
Sounds Familyre and Mamma Made are excited to announce the winner of the “Making A Dress With Rachel” contest from the Works in Progress Month Blog. Many thanks for all the wonderful contributions. After much deliberation, Rachel and the Sounds Familyre committee decided on the perfect name for our new dress.
“BLOOMING HARTZ”
Congratulations Stephanie! Let’s read her thoughts behind her entry:
“The dress could be called ‘Blooming Hartz.’ The petals on the purple flowers look like hearts so it looks like a circle of hearts is blooming. Spelling hearts like Danielson’s t-shirt “hartz” ties in the family theme. Not to mention the blooming hearts of all of the precious little girls who will wear this beautiful dress!”
As our winner, Stephanie will receive the sample dress created during the works-in-progress month.
We’d like to thank you for the pleasure of sharing ‘A Familyre Christmas - Vol. 1′ with you all. It was an exciting project, and so much fun to have everyone involved.
If you missed the download window, don’t despair. There is a high likelihood it will be made available again next Christmas season, along with Vol.2!
“Don’t Smash” is the latest creation from master-animator and Sounds Familyre Friend, Tom Eaton. It is the story of a monkey who teaches a bunny to not smash things. It was created in response to the forthcoming “UNDO-themed” issue of Smilefaucet video magazine.
Tom’s friend and neighbor, Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), played the voice of the rabbit, Tom voiced the monkey, and Kylie Fife crafted the playing card plants and décor. Enjoy!
Daniel Smith:
1) Early mornings.
2) Organize.
3) Blog.
4) Breath deep.
Elin Smith:
1) Answer e-mails.
2) Make more calls.
3) Walk more.
John Ringhofer (Half-handed Cloud):
1) Locate a Boxer dog in the neighborhood that I can visit.
2) Consider one exceptional situation/crisis outside of my ordinary life to pray for each day.
3) Learn how to edit home movies with computer software.
4) Spend less time on emails (is this bad?).
5) Eat more chocolate (dark!).
6) Find Rafter Roberts and draw diagrams of all the stretches he knows that I don’t yet.
7) Walk through each day perceiving.
Lowell Brams (Asthmatic Kitty):
1) Organize my office and keep it that way.
2) Exercise regularly and lose 30 lbs.
3) When confronting a difficult situation, ask myself “What would John Ringhofer do?”
4) If that doesn’t work, “What would Lenny Smith do?”
Dan Zimmerman:
1) Make sense of the mess and mess with what makes sense.
2) Get rid of more clutter and embrace more ambiguity.
3) Reach into the past and mix it with the present.
4) Celebrate my lovely wife. Dance together.
5) Get out of the basement more. Play out. Stretch.
Joshua Stamper:
1) Eat more carrots. They’re good for teeth and eyesight.
2) Don’t turn on the computer until AFTER 9am.
3) Spend more time outside, especially in the winter.
Rachel Galloway:
1) Create what I love.
2) Live in the joy of the now.
3) Remember who I am.
4) Have a grateful heart.
Ted Velykis (Leopulde):
1) Ted resolves to act his age, NOT his shoesize and to quit smoking (again).
Michael Kaufmann (Asthmatic Kitty and Unusual Animals):
1) Learn to throw a punch.
2) Give better hugs.
3) Juggle four objects.
Were you aware that the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions has been around for hundreds of years? We thought it would be interesting to include a resolution that’s “old school” (as the youth would have it).
Here’s one from colonial American preacher and theologian Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758):
Resolution #9 (out of seventy): To think much, on all occasions, of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
And on THAT note, good luck with your resolutions, everyone, and Happy New Year!
Okay, I have to confess, there are very few lyrics written for this song. Well, there are two (words) and that’s a start.
It was really challenging this week to find a way to etch in the singing parts with no real lyrical material to work from. Was I glad when I ran into the lady who sang the original Star Trek theme? You bet. She agreed to lay down some wordless vocals and she gives the track that Venusian plantation hymn sort of quality that’s been so popular with the kids this year. Whew.
Seriously though, ‘finishing’ the demo forced me to really think about the vocal melody in a new way and although the results were fairly obvious from the existing material, I’m excited to fill in the blanks with words and their syllables and see how that changes things.
I had a great time participating in “Works in Progress Month”. Feeling the emotions, getting really frustrated, not throwing my sitar against the wall - it was all worth it. Thanks for listening.
