“Texture N°5” is probably the most arranged/produced of the pieces I’ve recorded for this ongoing series of textural music. I wrote the guitar part first, but then started feeling a few contrasting colours (drums, synth bass, and a couple of other synth keys) would work really well. For the guitar players out there… I’m using a drop D tuning with a Spider Capo. It’s a partial capo that lets me capo however many of the six strings I’d like. Truly opens up whole other worlds for writing/playing. As always, thank you for taking the time to listen/watch the video!
Tag: Acoustic Guitar
Texture N°4
Texture N°4” is the fourth composition in my ongoing series of textural pieces. I always find it tough to describe my music, but I think this piece has a pretty relaxed vibe (at least compared to the first three textural pieces I wrote). Thanks for listening/watching, and I hope you like the video!
Nobody Knows Why (Live in the Studio)
“Nobody Knows Why” is from my 2009 EP St. Joseph Street. The title of the EP is named after a street in downtown Toronto that I lived on for over 20 years. Doing this “Live in the Studio” video and playing over the album bed tracks brings me right back to my life in Toronto around 2009. For me, music really does have a way of transporting me to a time and place. Joining me on this track are bassist Henrik Bridger and drummer Dave Patel. As always, thanks for watching/listening and I hope you like the video!
Port Moody (Live in the Studio)
I don’t think it’ll come as a huge surprise that “Port Moody” (from my 2007 EP “5”) was indeed written for my current hometown of Port Moody. Now some of the music I write is specific and some more nebulous; “Port Moody” is somewhere in between. It really is about the feelings I had (and still currently have) for the area. But it’s also about the sky that can have stunning dark clouds, the incredible wildlife, and of course, the ever-present mountains.
I wrote “Port Moody” in a bedroom in my mother-in-law’s house in Port Moody and recorded the track back in my condo in Toronto. For this Live in the Studio video, I went back to the original recording to try to capture the overall mood for this now-over eighteen-year-old piece. I stuck mostly to what I recorded back in 2007, but there are a few minor changes to the guitar part.
As always, thanks for taking the time to watch the video, and I hope you like it!
Summer in the Round (Live in the Studio)
Toronto in the late seventies/early eighties was an incredible time for music. Even for someone like me, who was a little too young to get into the clubs, there was so much great live original music happening. Got to see Yes at Maple Leaf Gardens, Kraftwerk at the Masonic Temple and the Police (and a bunch of other terrific bands) at the Police Picnic.
All of that was (obviously) amazing, but what really stands out to me was the Ontario Place Forum. For just the cost of getting into Ontario Place (I think it was something like $5), I was able to hear music SO many first rate bands/artists. Like who? How about Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Chuck Mangione, UZEB, Michael Hedges and many, many more.
Which brings me to this “Live in the Studio” video of my tune “Summer in the Round”. For those of you who don’t know the Ontario Place Forum, it was an outdoor, covered venue that was built around a circular, revolving stage. Of course, being an outdoor venue, the concerts were held during the summer and the seating was festival, so it was first come, first serve. I would get to the venue crazy early to get front row seats (if they were available), and often I could listen to the bands/artists soundcheck. So… circular stage/venue, summer concerts… “Summer in the Round”… never said I was a deep thinker : )
This “Live in the Studio” version of “Summer in the Round” features Dave Patel on drums and Henrik Bridger on bass. The piece was originally on my 2009 EP “St. Joseph Street” which, in addition to Dave and Henrik, also featured the phenomenal Bill McBirnie on flute.
As always, thanks for listening/watching and I hope you like the video!
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – New Single & Video Release
Just released a new single and video of the Christmas classic, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. The track blends my nylon string acoustic guitar with fretless bass (played by California-based bassist/composer Henrik Bridger) and is supported by an ever evolving orchestral meets jazz meets pop arrangement. Henrik also played upright bass and recorded both his parts in his own studio (with some great gear!) — so a huge thanks to him for all of his creativity and work!
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is my third single release for 2024 following “Drivetrain” (April 2024) and “For All” (September 2024). I have a number of releases planned for 2025 as well as continuing my Live in the Studio video series — so stay tuned. You can listen to “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” right here by playing the video or you can check out the music on pretty much any streaming service (I put a couple links below). As always, thanks for listening/watching!
— Stream “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” —
For All – New Single & Video Release
Happy to announce the release of my new single (and video), “For All”. I’ve always loved introspective, poignant ballads that feature a blend of acoustic sounds and synth textures. This track really is defined by that blend, with my acoustic nylon string guitar floating above a slow moving, rhythmic synth pad. “For All” is available right now on just about any streaming service (I’ve included a couple links below) and/or you can check out the music right here by playing the video. As always, thanks for listening/watching and I hope you like “For All”!
— STREAM “FOR ALL” —
Violet Skies (Live in the Studio)
There’s just something about contrast in music that I’ve always liked. On “Violet Skies”, from my 1997 self-titled debut album, I tried to capture some of that contrast. I put percolating percussion loops right beside programmed drum machine parts, played an ambient synth pad to compliment my fast strummed rhythm guitars, and I think just as importantly, I wrote a (mostly) slower melody that floats on top of the overall “up” vibe of the track. On this Live in the Studio version of “Violet Skies”, I went back to the album track and learned the solo pretty much note for note.
I have to give a huge thanks to my brother Randy for putting together this video. He’s been an amazing help in getting me (somewhat) up to speed on the videos that I’ve edited in the past and, with his stellar work on “Violet Skies”, I know I sure have a lot more to learn about video in the future. As always, thanks for listening and I hope you like the video!
Quiet Tones (Live in the Studio)
From my 2009 EP “St. Joseph Street”, here’s a Live in the Studio version of “Quiet Tones”. This tune features the incredible rhythm section of bassist Henrik Bridger and drummer Dave Patel. I know this tune is now 15 years old, but, like many of my other tracks, it truly feels like I was recording it yesterday. Thanks for listening and I hope you like the video!
Drivetrain – New Single & Video Release
Just released my new single (and video) “Drivetrain”! The track combines my love of melodic acoustic guitar and 80’s New Wave. Growing up, I listened to a huge variety of music — everything from fusion to classical to free jazz – with my main pop influences primarily coming from late 70s to early/mid 80s New Wave. With “Drivetrain”, I took some of the elements that were already present in my previous music and slightly emphasized them — things like synth textures and parts are more up front. Thanks for listening and I hope you like the music and the video!
You can stream Drivetrain from pretty much any service you’d like. Here are a couple links:
Jamie Bonk 