You can sense that Sean Michael Paddison has been a musician from
early on. His fluency with music comes partly from his mother, also
a
musician who has performed with Oscar Peterson, and partly from having
been a professional performer himself from age 14. Drawing on his
vast
musical and personal experiences, Sean's debut solo album, Music
For
Dreams, illustrates his affinity for cinematic, visually-based
composition.
Music For Dreams also shows that Sean is one heck of a pianist!
Sean's admiration of producers David Foster, Quincy Jones and Alan
Parsons, has helped him in his own successful studio career -- guided
by their openness and ability to get to the heart of a song. A very
short
list of his credits includes production or performances on: Michael
Jackson's "Rock With You"; Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby"; Suzanne
Vega/DNA's "Tom's Diner"; and Blackbox's "Strike It Up". Add to that
his work on the original movie soundtrack for Prodigal Son and you
have a diverse musical talent.
With his company MusAlchemy, Sean has brought together his interests
in music, broadcasting and philosophy. In addition to being a vehicle
for
his own album releases, MusAlchemy is home to a growing number of
on-line radio stations with programming ranging from New Age to
Soundtracks, from World to Meditation music, from Smooth Jazz
to Folk and much more.
Jamie:
I grew up listening to a lot of different styles of music -- everything
from Miles Davis to Yaz, Pat Metheny to U2. And I'm still pretty
much the
same way now. I know you've played, and listened to, a wide variety
of
music. What drew you to the music you're making now?
Sean: The piano or keyboard
has always been my sanctuary. There is
a deeper part of who I am that can only be reflected in this type
of music.
Being a naturally extroverted, high energy person all my life, I
have always
took comfort in the peace and serenity I was able to achieve by
stealing
away into my solo piano pieces.
I have also been a romantic at heart and that part of me is truly
set free
when I write in the contemporary/romantic New Age genre.
Jamie: This
is such an interesting point to me. The fact that there are
sides to an artist that are best shown through their music. My own
music
says things musically that I don't, or can't, communicate verbally.
If I don't
play for a few days, I start to feel a little "off". And as my wife
would tell
you, that's never a good thing!
Your music has, to my ears, such a visual component. Are you
thinking visually when you're playing?
Sean: Funny
you should ask, I have been told by many people that I am
a true visualist. I have always played better with my eyes closed,
if a clear
movie of what I'm feeling or thinking doesn't play out in my mind
when I'm
writing a new piece, the result usually ends up bland and emotionless.
Since my music is based on my particular vision at the time I decided
to
allow listeners the freedom to have their own visualization experience
when
listening to my CD. To attempt to achieve this I deliberately left
the tracks
with generic names ... "Dream 1", "Dream 2" etc etc. This way if
they look
at the song names before they actually listen to the CD, they still
will have
the freedom to associate whatever they want to the music.
For fun, I will tell you what one of the tracks used to be named
and you
can try to guess which track it is.
One of the songs used to be called "Lost in the Tears of a Maiden".
Jamie: Hmmm....
I feel like I'm back in school.... I'm going with
"Dreams VIII" and that's my final answer.
Sean: Good
try but sorry no candy for you.
I guess it will stay a mystery.
Which just proves my point that everyone visualizes music in their
own
individual ways.
Jamie: Darn....
no candy....
I write and play mostly for myself, but the listener does play a
role in
shaping my music. And like you, I'm not looking for a specific response
to a piece of music. How important is the listener to your music?
Sean: If
a tree falls in the forest does anybody here?
Is the event less beautiful or is it an event at all?
A very wise person recently taught me that if we live in excellence,
we
then don't need to worry about pleasing others for people are naturally
drawn to excellence.
I believe if we try to give 100% of all that we have to offer in
anything we
create or invest our time in, then the excellence will shine through
and
act like a beacon that those who are seeking that excellence can
find
their way to you.
It is not easy to live in excellence but in attempting to achieve
it, we
move ourselves toward working more authentically.
I agree with you, to make the best music possible, it totally has
to
come from within.
I also think that inspiration comes from experience so when someone
listens to my work, the energy of my efforts is passed on through
their experience and when they send back to me the vibes from their
experience, it in turn creates a new cycle of inspiration (from
that
energy) that in turn directly impacts the next round of song writing
etc.
Jamie: Your
comment about it not being easy to live in excellence really
rings true for me. One of my greatest challenges is knowing when
leave
a piece of music that I've been working on alone. A teacher of mine
once
said that you never finish a piece of music, you just stop working
on it.
You can work on a single composition for the rest of your life and
still
not "finish" it. How do you know when a piece is ready for the world?
Sean: That's
a very tough call.
I guess the best way to understand the development of a song is
treat it
like a baby bird who needs to be nurtured until its time to leave
its nest.
I believe a song like a child has its own identity, you may call
it a soul. If
we let the soul of the song speak, it will become clearer when it
is ready
to be set free for the rest of the world to hear.
My best guess is once writing a song becomes work, we are finished
with
the writing portion, if the writing appears incomplete, then perhaps
it's time
to bounce the current results off of someone else and see if there
is any
new energy that is needed to bring that song to a complete state.
In most
cases I believe if we are in touch with the songs own identity then
it is
easier to see what is left to do rather then grasping at straws.
If it feels good after a couple of days of letting people hear it,
then, I say,
set it loose.
Another trick is to close your eyes and visualize the song as a
painting
and, see if all the subjects in your painting are covered. Is the
arrangement
your hearing in your head, what your hearing on your headphones?
If not
then keep working until what you hear in your head matches what's
in
the headphones, then the painting is complete.
Leonardo DaVinci didn't need to paint tattoos and nose ring on the
Mona Lisa because that wasn't part of the vision.
The best way to put it may be...
Clarify your vision of the song (as it talks to you) then work toward
that vision.
Jamie: Very
well put! Understanding what my own music is about is
incredibly important to me. Especially today when we have such a
wide
sonic palette to choose from. It's good to know that my music doesn't
need a nose ring!
I try to have a wholistic approach to composition, recording and
performance -- I want each element to have the same attention to
detail.
What's behind your music is obviously important to you. How
does your
philosophy apply to your music in general and more specifically
to your
company MusAlchemy?
Sean: I
believe I actually have this concept well visualized.
It is most often the case that what we put out into the world comes
back
to us with the same type of vibe.
If you walk through life with a chip on your shoulder, you'll probably
attract
other people with chips on their shoulders because they are the
people out
there who are identifying with you at that time.
In MusAlchemy, I am focusing on running a company whose products,
mission and people all are in sync with each other and actively
working
forward under a model of excellence.
I am the sort of person who is energized through communicating with
other
people. Through my understanding of this part of myself I am making
sure
that whatever I work on supports a strong line of communication
and
feedback.
I want and require more serenity in my life. To make sure I gain
serenity,
I realize I need to put that out into the world. In time I know
serene
elements of life and people will start pouring in.
Mother Teresa once wrote:
"When I am hungry, give me someone that I can feed. And when I am
thirsty, give me someone who needs a drink. When I'm cold, give
me
someone to keep warm. And when I grieve, give me someone
to console."
I recently took a networking course, and in that course I learned
two
very important tools I now apply in life.
The first is... that people are too busy trying to GET something
from
relating to other people. What they don't realize is that the power
is in
the giving. How can you get what you want from someone when both
parties are only interested in getting? However if we all focus
on giving
then the chances of getting are much much greater.
The second is... Do what is true to your heart and the success will
come.
I have found when I have been misdirected by fads or trends, my
music
and writing has suffered tremendously and even at times ground to
a
complete halt. Technology can be a real trap, we can say, "I'll
wait till
I get that new gizmo before I continue because I figure that gizmo
will
make me sound so much better etc etc etc." Reality is a song is
a
song and it can be played or sung in many ways. There is no perfect
way to play a song no more than there is a perfect way to live your
life.
Jamie: Limits
can be freeing. That said, part of making records means
being aware of, and concerned with, current technology. And there
seems to be a never ending flow of it at this time. I generally
try to stay
way behind the front end of the tech curve and I introduce new software
and sounds at a fairly slow pace. I really want the studio to be
as
transparent as possible. Could you describe your recording process
and how you avoid the technology trap?
Sean: I
have two processes that I use.
On my piano CD's, I'll watch a pile of movies in a week, then I'll
spend
the next week on my piano. I literally hit record in my multi-track
software
(Digital Performer), close my eyes and visualize the idea or scene
from a
movie or a dream I had and then simply play along with what I visualize
with my eyes closed.
I will go through sometimes two hours of non-stop playing/recording.
I
do this several days in a row. Next I go back and pull out the strongest
ideas and polish them up .
If I'm doing an orchestrated sort of recording with multiple instruments,
I again close my eyes and hear the exact sound of the instrument
in my
head and how it travels throughout the arrangement as well as its
placement in the mix. I then dig out the closest keyboard sound
I have
and tweak it until I'm as close as possible to what I heard. If
the keyboard
falls short then I try to get the REAL THING in to complete the
thought.
I personally can't stand saxophone samples so I try to find a sax
player
or if I can't, then I find another more convincing instrument that
provides
the same function or mood within the song.
As far as technology, the only areas I love are innovations that
help me
get to what I hear faster, like better sounding strings, piano etc
etc.
I also enjoy innovations that shorten the time it takes me to set
up or
save or process my work.
The faster the computer the better.
I love today's plug-in synthesizers because they are so much easier
to
setup in a mix and WAAAAAAYYY easier to save all my settings etc.
I used to take up to an hour to set all my sounds and mix and effects
for a song. Now I can jump into a song and be recording in 10 minutes.
Jamie: The
gear can make the process easier, but people take longer to
make records. Or at least I take longer. I keep threatening to make
an
album quickly one of these days!
The music I'm working on now is an extension of my past sound. The
nylon string acoustic guitar is still the lead instrument and I'm
still making
tracks with a fair bit of production. You're working on some new
music that
from a production and orchestrational standpoint is different from
your solo
piano music. Do you see the two styles as related in any way?
Sean: I'd
say they're related in that their are both music versions of some
vision I have had about something. Every character or prop in my
vision is
usually represented by a chordal passage or changing or layering
of
instruments.
The piano stuff comes easier because I'm able more often than not
just
flow what I'm thinking through my arms to my hand and fingers etc
etc.
With an orchestral arrangement, the flow has to come from holding
the
vision, like a recording, in my mind and then revisiting it as I
build
musical representation of the vision.
Jamie: It
sounds like the concept of the piece is critical to how you work.
I know you said that you get a lot of inspiration from both movies
and
dreams, but are there any particular albums that help to get the
juices
flowing?
Sean: I
usually don't listen to music albums while I'm in a writing period
because I have such a snap shot memory, I'm worried that I'd incorporate
hooks without realizing it. I do however listen to many CD's when
I'm in
my mixdown process. I search for engineered tunes that have blown
my
socks off and then aim for an audio image match.
As far as influences go though I have my favorites, of course.
My first favorite producer/writers were probably Supertramp and
then
closely followed by Alan Parsons Project and Vince Clarke.
As I grew to write more romantic pieces, I was drawn to David Foster,
Pat Metheny, Babyface and vocal stylings of Luthor Vandross.
My music collection is so eclectic its hard to pin me down.
In one nights music listening session, I might listen to The Coors,
The Rankin Family, Luthor Vandross, Enya and The Clash.
The artists I admire most would include: Quincy Jones, Billy Joel,
Elton John, John Lennon, Sting, Alan Parsons, Babyface, Bach
and Mozart.
Jamie: I
can see why you say your "music collection is so eclectic"!
We'll have to get together for a listening party one night.
So what's up next for you? Any projects on the go that you'd like
to
talk about?
Sean: Well
I have this concert coming up in April with this burnt out
new age guitar player. hahahahaha ;)
Just joking.
My next recording project was supposed to be Music For Dreams
II.
However, I'm more into doing some heavier arranging, so I'm going
to direct
my energy toward my Neon Jungle project and see what
happens with it.
Jamie: I'm
looking forward to hearing the Neon Jungle tracks
and good
luck with your gig with the burn out! Thanks for taking the time
to do this conversation -- talk to you soon!
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