The basis of Moodring was to take previous ideas and turn them into full songs. I feel a lot of them have stood the test of time over the years. It was a kind of experiment to see if the music would turn out exactly right!
On the first song – Afterglow – I wrote the verses first and then the chorus came a little later. The lyrics were always there, right from the get-go and the dynamics were too. I used a crash ride when recording this song and I was struck by how nice it sounded.
The short intro to Re-Indignify was written at the Sun Dial Inn on an acoustic guitar. I named the song Re-Indignify because it had a similar sort of feel to it as Indignify from my first album Gemstone Envy.
The verse guitar part for Cyberspace was written in the fall of ’96. Next came the main guitar riff and I wrote this sometime later. I actually entered this tune in a hockey song contest. I renamed it Powerplay and changed the lyrics to suit the excitement of the sport. Once again the crash ride was used.
Soft Repose and Ooo Yeah were written around the same time in drop d tuning. They were written on a cheap Fender Squire guitar with built-in distortion. My brother Matt later dubbed it “the annoying guitar.”
I had the idea for Empty Afternoons in my mind for quite some time. I felt it was a good idea to have an acoustic song on the record. I actually used the cheap guitar on the electric guitar solo and I also play a piano part at the outro.
Lies Keep On A Telling Me is a silly song. I tried not to take myself too seriously with this one! Sometimes it’s nice just to have a funny song on the album.
Next, I wrote the guitar part to Gone Too Far and Too Far Gone right before my family and I left for the Cayman Islands in ’98. The band kicks in halfway through the song. I let my guitar feedback for a long time at the end.
There’s a Life I Had put my old drum machine to good use. This song uses elements of electronica and surf guitar. A lot of listeners tell me that it’s their favourite.
The chorus for What Never Was was written on the back steps at 24 Meadowbrook Drive. I was asked to go outside and husk some corn and the chorus just came to me.
One Last Time started out as a guitar riff. I recorded the riff at Studio A Kitchener with Chris Colvin (where all the songs were recorded.) The lyrics were inspired by the beautiful scenery of British Columbia where I now reside.
Lastly, Ending Credits was written on the Squire guitar with the intent that it would be the last song on the album. Chris told me that it was his favourite thing I ever recorded at Studio A.
Thank you for reading my blog about Moodring. I hope these snippets of background information add to your enjoyment of each song.