Charles Freligh Music Blog

Mend E.P. - Goals and progress...

2009-08-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

I decided a week ago that there was no excuse for me not to have finished at least an E.P. of about 4 or 5 songs. This realization has forced me into some pretty cool progress. Yesterday I was in the "studio" (my bedroom) for about 7 hours working on a song called "Video Game," which is about a girl who is a pro at the whole flirting/dating game and treats guys like toys. Anyways, I just wanted to write down here that I will have my E.P. (at least in demo version) done soon. We're talkin probably 1-2 months, hopefully sooner. I will be posting videos on youtube and song snippets on myspace as soon as possible. Thanks for listening!
Take a look at the new web design...

D'Angelo's musical genius

2009-02-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

I've always been a huge fan of D'Angelo. His was the first concert I went to that really inspired me. His songs create a soulfulness that's palpable and you just cannot help but get lost in its grooviness. Anyways, I was listening to "Africa" (seriously one of my favorite songs of all time) and I went on a hopeful google search to see if he was ever going to come out with another album. What I found was the image below posted on his website and now I'm a happy boy. I also remember hearing a while back that John Mayer was going to collaborate with the man himself, which would be phenomenal. I hear a lot of D'Angelo's neo-soul influence on Mayer tracks like "I Don't Trust Myself" and "Vultures." I'm waiting in full anticipation for the new album.

Freerice.com - Donate rice for free (no gimmick just do it)

2009-02-03T01:26:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago, I was looking for some of the top websites (research for creating my own) and I found this beautifully simple site called freerice.com. Basically you just play trivia games and for every question you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated on your behalf. I've found no reason to believe that this is a fraud or that they aren't making full good on their promise. The rice is provided by the ads at the bottom of the page. What an amazing and uncomplicated idea. A bonus is that the games are guiltlessly (new word) addictive (although identifying the eastern European countries can be frustrating...so bunched together).

Which could it be?

Fretboard Warrior - Learn the notes on the guitar

2009-01-30T01:22:00.000-08:00

The guitar is like a puzzle in that you know the instrument your holding can sound as good as a Eric Clapton or a John Mayer, the only problem is they have all the pieces in place (or most of em anyway) and you don't. One large piece that will clear up the overall picture for you is simply learning each note on the fretboard. Now this can be an arduous task. You know that the notes on the guitar are
C-C#-D-D#-E-F-F#-G-G#-A-A#-B-C (the chromatic scale). From that point you can go up and down and find each note. The hard part is being able to pick a note anywhere on the guitar and instantly knowing what that note is. Just practice. A perfect practice tool for this is the Fretboard Warrior (which is free!). I came across this recently and have seen steady improvement. Now start putting the pieces together.

I tried out for American Idol Season 8

2009-01-27T21:45:00.000-08:00

So I have to admit that I am an American Idol fan. I enjoy picking my favorite at the beginning (Matt Giraud for Season 8). I'd been getting a bunch of youtube comments saying I should tryout for American Idol and so I went ahead and did it. Spoiler...I didn't make it through. It was, however, an experience. I was the most amazed by how many talented singers there were. It seemed like everyone could really sing (I was looking for all those people who go through to make the show funny but surprisingly didn't find many). Even in the bathroom, everyone was singing, getting ready for there one shot to make it, it seemed pretty dramatic. Looking around, I knew that for many of these people it was there one shot to achieve their "dream." It was all very intense and entertaining.
What you don't see on the show is that in the first round you go up in groups of four in front of one or two judges. You step up, sing your piece, and then it's the next person's turn. This is all in front of an entire arena of people waiting to do the same thing, and they can all see you. Not necessarily what I was expecting, but it made it more memorable. Anyways, I sang "The Hurt" by John Mayer just because I love that song. Probably not the best choice seeing as nobody has really heard of it, but I thought I sang okay (apparently not well enough, but that's alright). One guy from my group made it through so I'm watching to see if he's still in the running.
All in all, I'm very proud of myself for giving it a shot. In life you're going to regret missing out on opportunities as opposed to going after something and having it not turn out exactly how you envisioned it. I might go try out again this year and I might not, but I can say that I tried, and it sounds corny but that's good enough for me (I'm easy to please).

David Bergman's Inauguration Photo

2009-01-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this amazing panoramic image (it's like a google map where you can zoom in and move around) of President Obama's Inauguration. Here's how David Bergman made the photograph.

2009. a new year. a new blog

2009-01-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

Riding along the coattails of the new year, I thought I'd spice things up a bit by posting here every day and see what happens. Don't hesitate to comment (yes you). Also working on a new website...

Snuggies

2009-01-25T21:56:00.000-08:00

Just read an article in Time about this new "Snuggie" phenomenon. If you haven't seen the commercials for this strangely intriguing product, then please take a moment (I love the high-five at 1:05). It's basically a massive blanket that makes you look like some sort of comfortable monk. But anyways, the article goes on to say that there are more than 3 million proud Snuggie owners since the ad began airing in September, and that there will soon be an Outdoor Snuggie and a Snuggie for Kids, all very exciting. The video might give you a chuckle.

Youtubers

2008-10-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say thanks to the youtube audience (if you're reading this, you probably came from my youtube page). I really appreciate your comments and I read every one of them. It's amazing to think that somebody across the world has seen a video that I made in my bed room. So please write comments or send messages if you want, because I think it's very cool to be able to communicate with you.
Also, let me know if there is any song you would want me to cover and please have a listen to some original stuff (I'm debating whether or not to put it up on itunes) and tell me what you think.

THANKS,
charles

Ray Lamontagne

2008-09-30T13:51:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to say that if you've never heard of Ray Lamontagne or haven't really given him a chance, you're seriously missing out. I went to see him live at the 930 club (DC) and it was the best concert that I've been to by far, and I've gone to a lot of shows. There's something about the tone of his voice that sounds like he's been through a lot and that he is bearing everything that he has to whoever wants to listen...

Take a listen and definitely go see him if you get a chance - Ray's website with tour dates

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Now playing: Ray LaMontagne - Shelter (live)
via FoxyTunes

How to make music people will actually like...

2008-09-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

I just saw a video clip* from a few years ago of John Mayer talking about staying in touch with his fans. He was referencing how he is able to keep his music current and popular time after time. I thought it was an interesting perspective, as he said that every musician makes music that they, themselves, like (and hopefully love). The real question is whether the taste of the musician aligns with the fans he or she is trying to reach. It sounds really simple, but I think that's a helpful tool in trying to create music that will catch people's ears. So I guess the moral of the story is to stay current in your musical taste and listen to what your potential fans are listening to...

*HERE'S THE VIDEO (the interview is after "Come Back to Bed")

Welcome

2008-09-05T06:53:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to welcome you to my humble abode and thank you for stopping by...please come back often and I'll try to update as much as I can...
THANK YOU