Why I've become a multi-instrumentalist musician

People that know me well know that the guitar is my instrument of choice, why? I simple love the instrument, some musicians friends have asked me several times what would be my instrument of choice instead of guitar?...my answers vary from "I think saxophone" "maybe drums?" but, over the years I've grown musically in every aspect of it: knowledge, experience, highs, lows, facts, etc.

In my early years entering to music and learning to play guitar I just couldn't have enough, for some fellow guitar players friends and musicians this was very egocentric and ambitious, I remember clearly some people telling me: "sooo now you want to be like a Mozart or something right? tsk tsk, ridiculous" I remember those days, but, I'm always searching for evolution, and doing things in the way I like it, that is why I learn others instruments. It's not something in thinking to be just a "one-man band" is more deep than that, for me, it's more musical knowledge, to know the different sonic possibilities that an instrument could add to your music, however, now I see that almost every composer should have a certain piano skills, for example, piano (the instrument) is in EVERY song that I write, could it be a tender ballad or a crazy avant-garde heavy thing! just saying!

All this come to my mind because of my musical heroes, they all can write music, and use other instruments as well, , people like Steven Wilson, Neil Morse, Frank Zappa etc. and is not just "learning to play well others instruments" is knowing how to use it and what its functions are! so, a person like me, could not just stand there and play guitar only all his life!! don't get me wrong, I LOVE the guitar and playing it, but music is more than that you know...learning other instruments give you more musical freedom, be able to write a cool harmonium part, or a groovy bass line, without depending on others to do it, it's so great! be able to write a whole song playing and experimenting with instrumentation and arrangement is a part of music that is so damn exciting to me, simply as that!

Later!

Master Ires Video Series!

Hello fans, followers and friends:

I´m here posting this to inform you some of my new parody and funny videos I´m creating and producing with my good friend Angel Ramos!! it´s funny because this whole idea of making a character named ¨Master Ires¨ in a very humorous way, right now, there´s a youtube channel created named ¨MasterIres¨and even a Facebook fan page! LOL!, I suggest checking that out!!

The first video is up! and it talks more about the Portnoy Drama, presenting some news about the progressive world and some other stuff.

In the future we are thinking in producing a series of 4 videos called ¨Why Master Ires haven't established a band yet!?¨ describing real band situations in form of parody, portraying why it´s so difficult and inconvenient to form a band in here, stay tuned for that!!

Right now, the creative progress is only focused on parody and humorous stuff, but you will be expecting others things like, interviews, documentaries, and of course, videos of me, playing, singing, covering both, covers and own material!

In case you had missed it, there´s our first video:

The Hermit

Hi all again!

Today I'm finishing up a new song that I wrote, I'd simply called it "The Hermit", I'm working in lyrics right now, and I have to marry the words with the music, because this song, was inspired on a concept first rather than making the music, still...I knew the direction I wanted for this song though. Talking a little bit more of it, muse came fast on this one, picked up my guitar, I was alone in my room, and began with a few chords, this song is special to me in a way, it talks about me, I mean, the lyrics portrait something about ME in some way, I'm experiment using a Capo, I used it in the 3rd fret, and it was pretty cool!!

The song is in Gm, (because of the capo) but I wasn't focusing in keys at that moment, just in chords and rhythm, the song came out in 6/8 feel, (I'm using it a lot in my songs now) is a great feel for songwriting and rhythm, rather that the fancy 4/4, the song is melancholy in some way, I'm still humming some melodies, its ending up like a Cerati meets Steven Wilson type of melody, but, the 6/8 feel give it a more of like, let's say...dramatic touch I think... Musically the song came out to be very unique in terms of harmony, I experimented a lot in some bridges, using minor chord substitutions, (sounding very Mikael Akerfeldt) I recorded the whole idea, intro, verses, chorus, bridges, outro, all in a straight line, now, I'm working on arrangements and structures, and I am very undecided in all this things! specially the arrangement!, well...but this is the fun part right?

I will try to buy some equipment for Christmas to see if I can record songs and stuff, so you will be able to hear it as I post some update, I will work that out, so don't worry! I will post the final cut of lyrics later on, and maybe give it the meaning if it if its not coming too metaphorical (which I don't think so), right now, I'm going for a very direct, lush and simple lyrics...but, who knows...

I will say goodbye for now...

More updates later!

Stay tuned!

Iros RR

Progressive Music of Our Era

Hello to all followers, fans and friends!

I've been absent a lot lately, let's say my life has changed, a new job, a lot more of responsibilities, no so much time to spare, you know...but well here I am, in this post I will be rather talking a few things about how progressive music has been in this late year, and maybe do a little recap on some albums that make me feel in that way.

Of course prog fans out there know more about the topic and can argue about this, but I will express despite my knowledge in the topic. First of all, progressive music, is turning now in 2011 to be different, to be more accessible and not so under grounded as 10-15 years from now, with albums like Grace For Drowning, and Heritage, is obvious that prog/art rockers and music composers are reviving the whole prog scene of the 70's (best times for prog music, period), and I base my ideas in this, there are two lines: the first is the idea of making progressive music more mainstream, is really a challenge, but bands like Gazpacho, Porcupine Tree, Pinneaple Thief, just to name a few, are mixing in terms of music, songwritting, production and musicality influenced in mainstream succeful bands like Radiohead or Muse, for example, why? b/c these bands are modern, mainstream but have that progressive music touch and/or influence. Pinneapple Thief for example, is a mix of good song writing, Radiohead, and a little bit of art rock of the 70's. This is emerging its own name, and it is called "Post-Prog".

Despite all this, progressive music now, is tending to sound more fresh, lush, orchestrated and relying on improvisations and more experimentation (Experimental giants right now, is Mars Volta), is the real new approach of what Progressive Rock is becoming nowadays, the music is tending to be modern, but, is making its foundation on the 70's scene, with bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and Jethro Tull just to name a few, however, the music is tending to sound more jazzy and more eclectic, making it what progressive rock/music truly is!

I could hear this new approach in the newer Steven Wilson music, and the latest Opeth album, I mean, take Opeth for example, a death/prog/metal band, difficult to hear by some people, but do you realize the change? yeah, that's ladies and gentlemen is the approach of progressive rock of our era...and maybe, others will hate it, others not, in MY particular case I love it, it evokes the artistic feel, less compressed, more dynamic progressive rock that I love!

Later!

Iros RR

A Band Request?

I´ve been asked to join a band, yes, it was requested by an good friend of mine in terms of musicianship, (can´t give the details now), he is forming a band and he just thought about me and ask me, he said that I will be taking the singer, front-man, songwriter, background guitars job, I´m sharing the songwriter job with other dude though.

Is kind of a interesting request I think, but, some people always complain about me, because how control freak I am in terms of music, yeah, I am, and that is why I´m going solo, you know to do whatever the hell I want to do with my music, and my stuff, which is pretty a good way to be free and not sticking so much on other decisions.

I´d always considered myself very self-indulgent and very self-dependant in almost every aspect of my life, so that´s why I trained so hard to be a well-rounded musician and be able to make music by my own, but that doesn´t mean that I can´t be in a band environment, if the roles are well taken, then no problem. In a band, is different, is all about collaborations, roles and consensus, opinions are important, you are in a band because you want to interact with others musically and let them apply their talents, is rather easy...

I can´t give you to much details now, but I´m kinda tired with these highs and lows in the music department, a band? well...we have to clear up some things at the start of all this...

What I think of this?, well. is a great opportunity, a great vision, but, I will be realistic, a band for me, is like building a empire, a company, it is motion, feel, compromise, it is like building a family and most important time consuming, I compare it with relationships, LOL.

I don´t know where this could get, but it is decided that I will go for branching, and have my own stuff down my sleeves, you´ll never know what will happen....In the worst of the cases, I have my own stuff, this, will be like just giving out some of my talents and some of the things I can do to the band. In fact, some of the last things I wrote was my first contributions with the band.

I will get with all of them together, talk about stuff and see what happens, still, if this is for me, no problem, if not, I´m sticking in with my beloved stuff!

Later!

Prog Metal as my signature sound?

For me, it has been difficult to establish a certain style of music to be focused on, if you know me personally my musical visions changes every time, and that’s not new, back in the 90’s and my teens I spend lots of time hearing a totally different music that I’m hearing now, that was before I discovered Progressive Rock music back in the start of the second millennium.

From that inception I’m still sticked to it, and yeah God bless prog music, really, I thank myself for discovering it and embracing it, it definitely changed my musical formation dramatically. Needless to say, I’m stick to any kind of good music, not just progressive music, in fact I enjoy Jazz a lot, fusion, orchestral film soundtracks, metal music, I mean every type of music that is “good” despite the style, so, however I knew from the beginning that I was preparing myself musically to actually write, compose and even produce music, I knew that one single project can’t cover all, so my mind was set in multiple projects, you know, projects and side projects that cover the passion for other musical styles.

But, since the “Titan Atlas” inception, it was a band inspired in the type of music that “flow” naturally within my veins, having a musical project and a band is hard, that’s why the monster called Titan Atlas was annihilated, sadly, but, sure, I have this new project called “Skies Of Mars” that it’s centered to be my main focus and main stuff, aside from other side projects that I worked on, (Square Motion, Atomic Tangerine), I was aside all metal stuff for one purpose, metal music blinds you from things like arrangements, production, songwriting, so for 2 years now, I’ve been out for metal, because of this, and this 2 years I was having a blast hearing things like, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Steven Wilson, Blackfield, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Zappa, Minus the Bear, Billy Joel, Pete Townshend etc. even trying things in local pop rock stuff like Zoom and Bocatabu, you know to get this “feel” about songwritting and production, which is veeery important.

I have lots of stuff written here but is pretty much in a approach of good songwriting, vocal/piano and vocal/acoustic guitar kinda songs, ballads, love songs, and psychedelic/space/ambient rock things, which I learnt a lot of important stuff about chords and arrangements in that time, that for me, it’s necessary…

But yeah, since the Titan Atlas inception and creation, this is the kind of style that fits well in me, and the one who I must attain my main focus on, progressive metal and progressive rock can get up a little too extreme at times, it is intended to be a “virtuoso-shit” kind of music, and with this, looking up for musicians in DR to play this stuff is staggering and the hunt can get infinite in a way, so that’s why one of the reasons I wanted to lay low on that, and do something more “accessible” to the players…

In fact, in a band situation is normal that you end up playing others parts, and riffs, but looking for musicians who are aware of that and are at the same page of you, IS HARD!

Updates and more updates!

I’m happy to inform you that this “musical vacations” are coming to an end, I had, in a way, renew my muses immensely, I picked up the guitar one night and I wrote some cool sections, and I recorded them with my mobile phone! they ended up being cool sounding songs I suppose, I will talk about each one in a nutshell:

“Summer Rain”: This song came up one rainy night, about middle summer I think, It start with the muse of the rain falling and all that, picked up the lonely and dusty guitar, and experiment with some chords…and about 20 mins away voila! a complete song with verses, chorus, bridge and all that! have to work on the lyrics more I think…

“Between the Moon and Mars”: This song is just a mix of a lot of cool D sections that I had recorded in little pieces, the fundamental thing is structured I think…and is instrumental, maybe some of the chordy and spacey sections will end up to one or two vocal songs…in a re-orchestrated form, the song is based in a 7/8.

“Here and Away” (working title): This song is influenced a lot by Floyd, it was an idea based on: “hey, forget about those distortion riffs, and psychedelic stuff for a moment, and write a SONG, with simple chords!” haha! and yeah, it is a 4 min song base on G mayor and just 4 more chords!

“Gargantuan” (working title): This song came about 10 minutes after playing with my dusty guitar, is the last one I worked on, is a low D tuned song, one of the heavy hitters I think, very Tool-ish, I have almost all sections recorded in little pieces, but yeah, I got the whole picture of the song in my head, still have to work more the lyrics of it.

I know that I will keep writing things and experimenting, lots of the things recorded are sections and parts that I’d kept for revision, so there’s is really a lot of material in here! that could made it for a possible album or EP. this will be the songs, without counting the others demos and little experimentation that I have done with spacey and ambient music in mind:

- Light of Love

- It Burns Inside

- Happiest Days Of Our Lives

- Line That Defines

- Intertwined

- The Sorcerer

- Building the Pyramid

- Here and Away (working title)

- Summer Rain

- Between the Moon and Mars (instrumental)

- Meta Emotion (this is an acoustic song experimenting with a capo, the idea is mix songwriting with heavy stuff, not yet defined thou…)

- Disposition (another acoustic song, this one not yet polished).

- Gargantuan (working title)

*Right now writing this, I’m working in another heavy hitter, this one in standard E tuning and is very influenced by Opeth, right now I’m working on some ideas, bunch bunch of riffs are coming out!

The difficult thing here is that every song, every single one, has a different style, which can be good or bad…still after my vacations are finally over, I’m willing to keep writing, maybe 10 or 11 songs will come up, but I think I’ll write a lot more material and then choose wisely between them.

Stay tuned for more details later!!

Iros RR