As a musician I’ve worked with a good bands, bad bands, signed bands, indie bands; I’ve started a record company, co-written 100+ songs, spent years in the studio, recorded a half-dozen records, rocked my way through music videos, talked my way through radio interviews, played 500+ gigs, with 1,500+ bands, or approximately 6,000 musicians, slept in more hotels than I can recall, in cities I’ve forgotten, on nights that are no longer part of my memory.
I’ve played coffee shops, restaurants, radio shows, lounges, house parties, big rooms, small rooms, sports arenas, festivals, skateboard parks, conventions, shitholes, dance clubs, pubs, benefits, hotels, campgrounds, playgrounds, recreational centers, and television programs.
I kissed girls, had money dumped on me, signed record deals, agent deals, publishing deals, recording contracts, autographs, rode in limos, my ego exploded, my ego was crushed, my bands imploded, I got in fights, got drunk, smoked strange things… and lost my mind.
Then I quit.
Not because it wasn’t happening… but because it happened.
And I was done.
My instrument of choice: drums. Not piano. Not guitar. Not bass, or vocals... drums. And drums are a bitch. All drummers that have been around the block know this. Most other musicians don't seem to understand.
Here’s a side note: the drummer has the most physical job, the biggest set-up, and the longest teardown. He also gets the least amount of respect. And let’s face it––if you have a terrible drummer, you have a terrible band. But a great drummer can make a below-average band seem pretty darn good.
But that’s not the point, is it?
This is my – who the hell is this guy? – page.
So here it is: I quit playing music for a while because I was tired of the bullshit. And as a drummer, I’ve had my share.
So I went to film school. And I worked on a bunch of films. During that time I fell in love with writing, and I wrote a few scripts. But scriptwriting wasn’t an exact fit, so I wrote some short stories, which were published. This led me to writing novels, and they were published, too. And in time, I decided to start my own little publishing company.
It’s called: BOOKS OF THE DEAD PRESS.
I’m a horror publisher.
In my publishing world things are going well––writing/publishing is my full time job. I’ve written three novels, one novella, and one short-story collection. I’ve also edited seven anthologies and published over 100 different authors––some of them are huge… selling millions.
But music is my first love, and my true love.
I hate the bullshit, but I love music.
Over the years I’ve worked with lots of different sound-technicians. Most of them, I'm sad to say, I don’t remember. But some of the guys that I’ve worked with have become my friends, and one my sound-tech friends built a studio... a REAL studio; not just a Cubase program attached to a sound-card. His name is Ron; he’s great, and he’s worked with everyone from Johnny Cash to the kid that’s not old enough to get in the bar.
In fact, when we first met, that kid was me.
A few years ago Ron said, “Hey Roy, if you have a project you want to work on, just let me know. I’d love to record with you.”
At the time I was keeping my chops up, playing in a shitty band for fun––I didn’t have anything worth his time.
But I was writing my own songs. And one day I went into his studio with my guitar and I pitched the project. He said, “yes” right away. Now we’re in the studio a couple times a week, building songs. I’m writing and recording everything myself––save the odd bass line––and Ron is my engineer / producer.
There’s no band. And no bullshit.
Just the way I like it.
The songs––I’m sure you can tell––are horror based.
What can I say? I’m a horror guy. I don’t sleep in a coffin, and I don’t have 666 tattooed across my forehead, but in the horror world I roll with some heavy-hitters. Just sayin’.
Right now the songs are a little longer than they should be, I suppose. But that’s okay. I’ve got a feeling that my fan-base––if I’m lucky enough to find second one––will probably think mainstream radio sucks, anyhow.
So if you like what Ron and I are doing here––please––let people know (tweet, blog, review, whatever...). Nothing really sounds the way we do, so this little project can use all the help it can get.
And don’t forget to download the songs. Right now we're giving them away for free.
Thanks for reading…
James Roy Daley
November 5th, 2012
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