Style: Interview Portrait
Calendar Songs: A delicate Creative Commons-Project
On the inner side of the CD you write: “The experience has gone beyond even my most elaborate expectations.” How did you kick off your project? What did you do to let the people know of your project?
I tried to visit internet forums, but you know what its like - nobody likes someone spamming in forums! I wasn’t already embedded in those places. I took a chance and posted an A Cappella at www.ccmixter.org and began to get a lot of remixes from that community. There is an amazing gathering of talent there. But I didn’t spend hours and hours trying to market the site. I wanted to see what would happen.
And of course what happened was that the Internet wove its magic spell and people just ended up finding me. I like how organic and mysterious the Internet can be. I really love the feeling of throwing something (in this case a song) into the darkness and waiting for someone to throw it back to you - that’s what the web represents for me.
Apart from composing each month a new song. How much time did you invest in your project each month?
Usually I spent about three weeks digesting news and ideas and fooling around, not really concentrating on working and then a week in a state of total panic as I tried to finish the song. It was a rollercoaster but I loved it.
You received hundreds of mixes. One of my favorite mixes is the remix for “May” by Apeskinny. The remix does not appear on the album. How did you choose the songs for the compilation?
That’s one of my favorites too. Believe me, I had many, many favorites that didn’t make the record. I can’t explain or justify my decisions other than say that my criteria for selection was very personal and subjective. I chose the remixes that really spoke to, or reflected, the songs. Every mix I chose was not only technically interesting or whatever but also somehow captured the spirit of the song.
For example the January “Stalactite” mix by Max Plank has this frosty arctic feeling to it. The song (original) is all about broken resolutions, and somehow the tone of the mix related to the feeling I was singing about. It’s minimal techno with this long slow build up to the vocal, and there is something shivering and alive in it.
Where can people buy and get your CD? Is it also available for download?
It will be available to order directly from www.calendarsongs.com on the 26th May. It will also be available to download from CD Baby and maybe some other distributors too.
I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for the interview!
Links to Remixes, Music and Calendar Girl
Website: www.calendarsongs.com
Audio and Songmaterial: www.ccmixter.org/people/calendargirl/uploads
Pages: 1 2
About the Author
This article was written on Friday, May 16, 2008 by mo..
mo. is a music-lover. The journalist and author from Cologne/Germany enjoys supporting the global netlabel-phenomena. Since years he explores the netlabel underground and wrote already numerous articles about free music culture. He is the main-editor behind Phlow. Read more articles written by mo..
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14 responses so far...
This idea is very good but is not so new, back years ago, many scene websites tried to set that up, the events were not much followed then and I strongly believe such projects are being followed because a record is promised at the end…
Maybe i’m a bad mouth about it, but this is how I feel it.
Anyway, very nice idea, music making should be more about sharing experiences.
kaneel said on May 16, 2008 at 12:39 pm | Commentlink #1
“may apeskinny mix” sounds so damn familiar to me, the way the jazzy bridge resolves into this highly melodic chorus… familiar like heard on the radio. is it possible? sweet one.
sven swift said on May 16, 2008 at 1:04 pm | Commentlink #2
Kaneel, I think that you’re right that the idea of a collaborative remix to a ‘pella is not new. I think that it’s an idea almost as old as remix culture itself.
What makes this project fun is not that it is some “brave new experiment”, as Heaven knows no techno beat is ever quite new under the sun, and the keyboard still has 88 keys, barring electronic alteration.
What makes this project so much fun is that it’s approached with a simple collaborative joy. Perhaps it’s not so much the idea of the project, but the way this project happens with a sense of verve and fun.
I’ve done a few remixes for this one. Getting on a record? Furthest thing from my mind. I’m perfectly happy net-releasing into the Creative Commons. Having fun? Now, that’s more like it.
I am with you 100 percent on one point, Kaneel, and probably not so far off on others–I totally agree with you when you say that music making should be more about sharing experiences. That’s what makes “free music”, whether we mean it in the sense of “free culture”, “free music”, “free bear”, “free jazz” or “freedom” so exciting.
Tamara’s one of a number of people trying to find that sweet spot between completely free and participatory and
the bad old paradigm. I salute her in the effort–and I’ll add my odd remixes with no hope of fame, fashion or financial reward. I play because it helps set me free.
gurdonark said on May 17, 2008 at 7:54 am | Commentlink #3
Got you well!
But there always are exceptions to the rules :ppp
kaneel said on May 17, 2008 at 12:48 pm | Commentlink #4
I’m “d’accord” with both of you. What is amazing to me, is how clever Tamara used the “tools” (communities, website, myspace) and combined them with her talent.
I think this project functioned so well, because she can sing, it’s not amateurish AND MOST IMPORTANT in the music-scene driven by electronic tools (reason, ableton live, logic…) most of the (hobby)producer don’t get their hands on good vocals to play around.
Maybe that’s the real benefit of producers who normally produce “only” electronic music, that they get the possibility to use good sounding vocals. “for free” :)
mo. said on May 17, 2008 at 1:38 pm | Commentlink #5
An interesting point that should be developed further during the year in hope many other people like her will follow this example and provide more free content to remix.
kaneel said on May 17, 2008 at 1:45 pm | Commentlink #6
That is a great point Kaneel makes about followers. My hope is that other singers, poets, guitarists, recorder players, trombone players and other folks begin to see that free content to sample can mean lots of exposure and the chance to hear one’s music taken to places as yet undreamed.
gurdonark said on May 17, 2008 at 2:09 pm | Commentlink #7
that would be really great for producers to get their hands on some fascinating and excellent sample-material. i think this is quite an intelligent way to give something “away” for free to get something in return. :)
mo. said on May 17, 2008 at 7:40 pm | Commentlink #8
One thing that makes CalendarS work so well is - or was - the wager - EVERY month! And she delivered. The consistency was like a spine on which it could grow. The promise of a target - a record - also helped. But Kaneel is wrong because the remixes still seem to be coming and coming after the 12 songs were chosen, so now I think the website itself and the variations and comparisons are part of the fun. Be there!
me2 said on May 17, 2008 at 8:50 pm | Commentlink #9
Well, personally, the day I want to work with such sounds from real instruments, I would try and find some players in my city, just to be able to meet them and talk about music, ask them what I would want and still, let them improvise.
kaneel said on May 18, 2008 at 12:48 pm | Commentlink #10
Kaneel, you make a good point. I think it’s great when one can find local players with whom to collaborate. There’s no question that there is a kind of magic in being able to meet and talk to people about a passion like music. The great thing about a more sharing music culture is that it’s not “either/or”–a new kind of music will mean not only opportunities to sample and remix on-line, but also more encouragement for people to meet and collaborate off-line. Once we leave behind the idea that music is only for “them out there” located by the corporate record industry, and make music something everyone can play and share, we open up lots of ways to collaborate. I wish you the best joy in finding the right local players–and letting them improvise with you to the most fun result.
gurdonark said on May 18, 2008 at 8:10 pm | Commentlink #11
Well actually I’m talking about it with a bass player friends of mine and my girlfriend introduced myself to a friend of her who can play cello real well.
Such opportunities are great when people want to work with yourself (they are quite rare, those “real instruments” players who respect people into electronic music) and if it doesn’t work much… well… I’ll have cool samples to chop :)
kaneel said on May 18, 2008 at 9:16 pm | Commentlink #12
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