MacJams.com - Song: Hold On (w/ Komrade K) by TobinMueller

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Hold On (w/ Komrade K)
by TobinMueller

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Submitted on: Oct 05, 2007 - 02:23:42 PM
Last Updated: Oct 25 2007 - 01:16:35 PM

Keywords A Bit Of Light (14), violin (67), freedom sells (1), winners kill (1), sex wells up (1), and you wonder... (1), TobinMueller (35)

Description This is the 8th track from my new album released on The Lost Records label, A BIT OF LIGHT. It features hip fiddling by Martyn Kember-Smith, alias Komrade K. This is a slight departure for more, both stylistically and lyrically. I think its why Neil thought the album had a "Dave Matthews vibe."

Many thanks to Martyn, I enjoyed mixing in his great playing. Other tracks featuring Komrade K: Can't Complain.

A BIT OF LIGHT is progressive folk fusion, a mixture of rock, jazz, folk and prog. The packaging is by Alimar, other MJ contributers musically are: McBoy, TEXASFEEL (John Luper), Thoddi (Thor Oliverson), bbarner (Bill Barner) and other NYC friends, including the excellent jazz sax player Donny McCaslin. I'm really happy with the results.

Lyrics Hold On (to the thread of love)

Drive down the road to the Morse code
of the taxi horns, in my crown of thorns
dripping golden blood... if I only could
I’d be rich today. I’d be rich today.

See lovers kiss, speak private bliss;
I walk away, no words to say
out from these lips... if just one slipped
I’d be rich today. I’d be rich today.

Kids in the park, fresh off the ark,
too young to know how hard it goes
for those who try just to stay dry.
If I only knew why, I’d be rich today.

Hold on, hold on, hold on
to the thread of love.
Hold on, hold on, hold on
to the residue of living.

Sex sells, sex kills, sex wells up and nearly fills you
then slips from your hands, and you wonder,
What is this sticky mess? What is this sticky mess?

Freedom sells, freedom kills, freedom wells up
and nearly fills you then slips from your hands,
and you wonder, What is this bloody mess?
You look back and wonder,
What is this bloody mess? Yeah, cuz you know

Winning sells, winners kill, winning wells up and nearly fills you then slips from your hands,
and you wonder, What is this sweaty mess
pooled all around you? What is this sweaty mess?

But still you
Hold, hold on, hold on
to the residue of success.

Drive down the road.
Don’t feel the cold.
Don’t fix the blame.
Don’t speak the name.
Just do your best,
Let go the rest, and try to

Hold on, hold on, hold on
to the thread of love.
Hold on, hold on, hold on
to the residue of life.

Hold on, hold on, hold on
to the thread of love.
Hold on, hold on, hold on
to the residue of living.

©2007 Tobin James Mueller

Hardware Violin: Martyn Kember-Smith
Vocals: Tobin Mueller, all other instruments

Software: KK uses GB, I think

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Scott Carmichael said 461 days ago

a melting pot of influences
there is so much going on here... It is much like an old "Yes" release, in that, it may take several listens before the whole thing sinks in... I love the relaxed almost conversational vocal delivery, although I recognise your voice, itseems your doing something new... the harmonies are dead on... I would consider carving out a notch for them to sit it (EQ) so they don't take up the same space as the lead vocal.. alll the vocals together kind of overwelm the sound scape... No clipping though... nothing like that... the POWER when you sing "hold on" is very like a horn section....

I appreciate the work that went into the lyric too... your not just throwing rhymes out there... but well crafted and thought out lyrics... that skirt around the subject as you paint the abstract...

your work is always note worthy

TobinMueller said 461 days ago

Busy street scene
I wanted to create the sense of a busy city street, the chaos of traffic and crosswalks and too many thoughts, layered memories and worries and tomorrows and distractions. I wanted my vocals to get swamped, metaphorically; the violin too; yet occasionally pierce thru, like momentary (and temporary) insight. Very cool that you thought the vocals were like horns, I was actually going for a trombone section feel to balance the trumpet. Thanks for your careful listens and thoughtful words.

thoddi said 461 days ago

timing
If anyone has it... you know exactly how to keep a tune interesting all the way.

This is very pro done. Production, performance, everything. Cool fiddle Komrade, and good placement in the mix.

And timing... did I mention that? That is something I think of as a thing that seperates the pro from the amateur, the cool from the naive, and so on. You have great timing:)

I'm not a too big a fan of the midi/synth substitute sounds of brass instruments... But then again they act as a temporal object, placing this song in time.

	Feter said 461 days ago
	Hold On you realy hold an incredible way to orchestrate and arrange your songs to sound anything you want the street and sunny and full of action and all look rundom but very rethymic .. always impressed by KK fiddlin ..he s the man with this ..KUDOS !!

	thetiler said 461 days ago
	Cool jazz, Tobin style! "I wanted to create the sense of a busy city street, the chaos of traffic and crosswalks and too many thoughts". love the busy concept of this as you mentioned so well. Nice stuff. Great ending too! WAy to go!

Godchaser said 461 days ago

Much to take...
in and much to take away.So much coming at the listener here that one pass just will not suffice.I just love the synth and violin passes that weave in and out from start to finish.Their strikes meshing with and punctuating the fine vocal work is great stuff.A quality and a feat I always admired Peter Gabriel for.Plenty of fine playing,production and surprises throughout this piece make for a nice listening experience.Thanks for sharing the gift!

Blessings,

	said 461 days ago
	Hey now Yes, there is lot going on here. Maybe too much happening with the bass and deep ceramic drum. They are fighting the higher harmonics. The vocals and vocal harmonies are good. I love that violin of MKS. Awesome.

	peacepiano said 461 days ago
	RIch I like the rich sound. Your synth dynamics and intonation are a good match for Komrade K's violin. The vocal style is really cool. Thanks Bill

	buckhorn said 461 days ago
	Sorry Mr Mueller I'm too ignorant to comment on this in a meaningful way, but I like your singing here alot. I can't exactly put my my finger on why. Perhaps you sound totally uninhibited in this performance? Any how It sounds good. Regards

	echoroom said 461 days ago
	Massive As Scoyy says, so much here, and I've been playing the album and it's all this good. Great melodies, fantastic off kilt lyrics, wonderful production. The chorus refrain has been in my head for 2 weeks ... great work.

	said 461 days ago
	HOLD ON !! A song full of energy, there are many great sounds here Mr. Tobin, the beats so cool and i'm enjoying your vocal here very much ! Thanks for sharing, draw a big smile Take Care ============== Yeman Auf Al-Rawi

	BranDaMan said 461 days ago
	what a... top notch collab here! Great production. Great songwriting. Everything comes together for a magnificent display of musicianship. Wonderful concepts here.

paul f. page said 461 days ago

The range...
...of your compos is amazig. Here's another beautifully orchestrated and mixed number. Enjoyed he energy throughout...To my ears/taste, the fiddle is a distraction, but I love the brass and the esp. the mantra-like "hold on" throughout. Counterpoint is cool, too, with every voice clear. You've got your levels right, Tobin, so that nothing gets buried or lost in the whole. ... "Hold on...!" last measure: struck me too abruptly. This seems like one of those "fade out" numbers rather than a "this is it" tune. But, hey" De gustibus non disputandum est." My thoughts notwithstanding, this is 10s all the way. Great listen.
Peace.
Paul

J.A.Stewart said 461 days ago

Very Hip!
Very cool, Tobin.

This has a great feel and vibe to it.

Scott and I were of similar minds, but reading your response to his initial comments I would say the vocal parts where the harmonies come in should stay put, but I think the lead vocal should come up in the mix where it stands on its own. The lyrical message deserves a fighting chance in the mix. Perhaps that would even be an interesting way to approach the audio mix... to ride the gain on the lead vocal... as if it is screaming out to be heard above the cacophony of the city. ;)

--- Joe

TobinMueller said 460 days ago

Buried in the traffic
I agree about the vocals. This is one of those tracks that survived as a draft mix CD I burned, and then I lost 2 drives in one week and all the pieced were gone. So I overdubbed new singing to certain sections, which necessarily created a phasing or chorused effect on those vocal lines. Certain lines I wanted solo, un-doubled, but they were forever too soft, unless I restarted from scratch, which would have been to painful. So I rationalize it all with imagery and a desire for variation. (I did imagine the singer driving thru traffic: I thought this song up while in a taxi.) Also, if I liked my voice better, I'd be more apt to push the levels, but I cringe when I hear myself, most days. Thanks for your comments.

	Stun Nutz said 460 days ago
	zaggedy jig Such an interesting blend of prog-folk funk jazz here... I like the spoken word/rap style delivery of the lyrics. Speaking of lyrics... you had me reading them, which I don't normally do! My favorite part was where you tied in the three concepts of sex, freedon, and winning. Great violin as usual, Komrade K!

said 460 days ago

Building up

This is very rich . I separate the song from the orchestration .
I hear one part : the song with the bass ,drums , rythmic sounds ,and the vocals . This part is very good in itself .
Then I hear 2 instruments played nearly all along the song from the start . I think they should come later , and not together . Or they could be used to generate more contrasts , more progression in the building of the song .
It's only my taste .
This is a very original music/song I enjoyed a lot listening .

	ziti said 460 days ago
	more great and original TOBINTUNES....you have a sound and style that ties all your work together, no matter how many different directions you go in. much respect z

	michael2 said 460 days ago
	very cool almost reminiscent of Howard Jones, love the violin and the vocals laid atop the 80's horns and synth stabs. very cool tune.

	jiguma said 460 days ago
	One of my fav tracks .. .. on the CD Tobin. Martyn plays beautifully, and the whole thing sounds so well produced. I get a Talking Heads meets Yes vibe, with some jazz thrown in - all good. Neil.

TobinMueller said 459 days ago

Talking Heads meet Yes
Totally cool, Talking Heads meets Yes. I always loved the way Sting incorporated the jazz stylings of Branford Marsalis. That was what I was going for here, with Dave Matthews thrown in, with a Paul Simon kind of talk-melody running thru like s-o-c commentary. I'm really glad you liked this track. It was actually a track I wasn't going to add to the CD until Martyn came up with his fiddle that made me rework the vocals, add some organ, thus tweaking the mix in a way that pleased me. Sometimes it takes collaboration to make a piece gel.

	djdrshaman said 460 days ago
	cool fusion art your music really cannot be categorized. the lyrics are amazingly deep - reads like poetry - and can stand as poetry without the music. this song has a strong social conscience, and the blend of several styles testifies to a universal trend towards synchronization - one that makes isolation all the more pronounced.

TobinMueller said 459 days ago

Social conscience
Thanks for mentioning how difficult it is to categorize my music. I try to blend styles with a smidgeon of originality to create something not quite heard before. Altho I consciously try to do that, I also hope that when I unconsciously let myself create in an honest way, it comes out like that naturally. (One hates to think of oneself as an imitative soul.)

That the lyrics read like poetry is also something I try for, so thanks again. The social conscience, and the blend of several styles testifying to a "universal trend towards synchronization" making the "isolation more pronounced" is something I never consciously thought of, but I see you point, totally. It is what I appreciate in others when they are merely trying to say something personal yet it resonates with me. That's why I wanted to set the piece inside a taxi, to heighten the sense of isolation, which is always how I feel when I'm in one. Apart in so many ways. I really appreciate your comments.

Komrade K said 458 days ago

Hip?
Never seen my fiddle playing described as hip before but I think I could get to like it! I really liked this track when I first heard it and I remember wondering how I could get the fiddle to work with it coz my sound tends to be quite raw (I'm not a classically trained player). Anyway I had a go and I'm really pleased with the final result (like the effect you've put on the fiddle too what is it?) Staggered that the fiddle changed your approach to the song (fresh vox and all)!

KK

---
Latest track: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/35136"> Lakes of Cool Flynn </a>

Komrade K said 458 days ago

Whoops!
Meant to add my previous comment after your previous comment - might make more sense then.

Also just wanted to add how much I liked the lyrics - I go for that stream of consciousness approach - emotionally brave. The 'singer' seems bewildered and overwhelmed but somehow the will to live carries them along.

KK

---
Latest track: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/35136"> Lakes of Cool Flynn </a>

	TobinMueller said 441 days ago
	Singing as a character Thanks for your comments about singing from a point of view, like a character, as opposed to always singing as yourself. Of course, it is an aspect of self, and "emotional bravery" is an element of that. I am often bewildered and overwhelmed but have momentum and optimism and sense of self that transcends, or I've been able to so far. I love the words you chose.

	lengold said 459 days ago
	Absolutely fantastic lyrics. I love this - so much to listen to. As said above needs to be heard a few times to be able to grasp it all. Cheers Len

	DWL said 459 days ago
	David Byrne meets errr .. Tobin? A complex arrangement that need a few listens to fully appreciate the way this works on different levels. A powerful and interesting piece both lyrically and musically with my only nit being that synth sound that seems to go right through the song. Less would be more in this case. Cheers Dick

mikkinylund said 458 days ago

Very good and very much a surprise
I've been away for some time, not a long-long time, but long enough to come back to find musical treasures such as this one. I was quite baffled at the first listening. Did not sound Tobin, did not sound Komrade, did not actually sound like a mix of the two, but something different. This is first of all a very good composition, catchy, good vocals, good refrain etc.
The lyrics are bold, asking for an answer, or at the very least a contribution/participation. Musically I hear influences from Africa, but also Latin America (and Britain), which may make this song so unique. I think you managed to put things together - on purpose or not - and the pieces just fit like a puzzle. This song had many layers to it, every time I am listening to it something new occures.. /M

	Mcboy said 458 days ago
	from the taxi horns to the rap....a unique track...change of pace from what i usually hear from u..a touch of david byrne....but all u....the violin sits great in the mix.....love the energy on this one!!!! p.s. thanks for the two CD's....just got them tonight...back in town....i'll be listening to "a bit of light"......

	guitapick said 457 days ago
	Polyrhythms... ...syncopations...masterful. Love the way they blend and move away. Like clouds and crowds... Big fan of the violin...KK's a great touch... "What is this bloody mess...", indeed... I shall continue to hold on...great tune, Tobin...

	lavalamp said 430 days ago
	Feeling of the city Think you captured the feeling of the city in this one with the jazzy-rock vibe. Very pro-quality. I think the lyrics are some of the strongest I've seen on this site, and lyrics seemed to be a little underrated here at this site. To much importance is placed on production quality (although I think that's also important). Also, thanks for commenting on my latest. Dave

	omnibus11 said 404 days ago
	ok I don't know why but this reminds me of something.....that's not a bad thing I just can't put me little finger on what it is....nice clean sound.....dig the backing vocals that pop in and out.....the fiddle/violin part is a really nice and classy touch as well....good lyrical content with a great bouncing groove to dance to....good job....peace

Artist Profile

TobinMueller

Artist Bio I am a professional musician, composer, playwright and director. I lead a charmed life. I'm married to fellow MJer Suzanne and MJer Twonicus is my son. See my Spotlight Interview - Tobin Mueller: Talking With Myself in the Macjams Music Blog. You can ...[more]

Artist Music

Finding No Path

Last Song On Vaudeville (early mix) w/ bbarner

Vortigern's Fortress (EKNM)

Dare To Sing (AUDIOCRACY w/ Tadashi Togawa)

In The Great Dream (Robin Hood)

One Less Child (Robin Hood)

Lay Your Burdens Down (Robin Hood)

Hail To The Sheriff (Robin Hood)

Out Of The Forest (Robin Hood)

Too Many Years (Robin Hood)

Happy Birthday World

Seven Buttons On A Nehru Jacket (w/ Mcboy)

Sitcom Psychedelica (Woodstock after-party)

Puzzle City (AUDIOCRACY)

Emerald Path

Chromatisome Swing (tribute to Oscar Peterson)

Eruption of Previous Life

Caught In The Current (v2) - feat. BBarner & Komrade K

You Can't Touch Me (LSP)

I Wanna Fly (v2)

Lightning Strikes (v2 w/ more organ)

Lightning Strikes (v1)

Bring On The Storm

Hold On (w/ Komrade K)

Door In My Heart (v2)

Be My Love

Walls (Analogapalooza - from Robin Hood)

Sweet Liberty (Analogapalooza - Statue of Liberty dedication)

Pose For You (Analogapalooza - w/ Jessica Flood)

You Make My Heart Skip A Beat

We Are The Ones

Can't Complain (w/ Komrade K)

Speak Truth To Power (w/ twon, Darren Chapmen, Audiocracy)

When The Future Comes (w/ Twon, Alimar, Audiocracy)

To McBoy: 2 Peas in a Chili Pod

A Monk Caught in the Thelonious Sphere

Before There Were Gods

Chaos of the Subconscious

The Gumshoe Wears A Rag

Crazy Story (vers. 2 w/ Thoddi)

What I Was Thinking While You Were Talking (w/ Ziti, Mungo)

I Have Dreamed In Another

I Am Yours (Last Embrace Behind The Wall) w/ Mystified

Caught In The Current (w/ BBarner and Komrade K)

My Heart Still Beats (w/ Thoddi, etc.)

Icarus II (w/ Texasfeel)

House of Cards (...When I Sing)

Dreams III (featuring Woody Mankowski)

Lady of the Lake (w/ Mystified)

Tobin's Sampler

Revolution's Son (v2, w/ dchapman, twon, Alimar, Audiocracy)

When You Left

Revolution's Son (w/ twonicus)

Under A Western Sky

I Sail On (arr: Troy)

A Promise (w/ Woody Mankowski)

Let Me Play (w/ McBoy and BBarner)

I Sail On

Turn The Key

The Waitress (version 2)

What Thou Lovest Well (w/ Packo)

The Waitress

Morning Whispers

River Runs Through Me

Escaping The Fray Zone

Just Above The Ground

Final Words

Pilgrim of the Return

Secret of Life (w/ bbarner)

At Her Window

If I Could Live Long Enough (w/ IVANJS)

Windowshade

Save the Planet

Can't Complain

Dreams II (w/ Emily Rohm)

Borate Zone: Please Eat

Was There Once A Time

Forge A New Life - Part 2

Forge A New Life - Part I

	TobinMueller said 441 days ago
	Speak singing I tried to utilize a more melodic line for the verse, which I actually had in mind, originally, but I was unable to bring the text alive tat way and eventually abandoned it in favor of what I ended up with. Funny how the meaning of a piece dictates to you, a life of its own.

	TobinMueller said 460 days ago
	Howard Jones I remember seeing a solo Howard Jones concert on MTV, back when they specialized in whole concerts (early 80s), and he blew me away. So cool how he set up grooves on one synth then traveled to the next and added on. I get the comparison, thanks. I wonder what ever happened to him?

	TobinMueller said 441 days ago
	Influences Thanks for your return listening. Yes, influences from all over combining with a collaborative effort that doesn't really resemble anything either KK or I have done before. Thanks for noticing. I think that's one of the coolest things about working with others, how they both make your music into something new and make your performance into something fresh.

	Ibstrat said 441 days ago
	Really cool Very original.Nice mix of styles.Enjoyed very much!

	TobinMueller said 27 days ago
	Feeling the City Thanks. I was really trying to capture the feeling of walking quickly, obsessively over the city sidewalk pavement... and of being in an apartment with the buzz and rhythm of the pavement still inside my head. Thanks for noticing that.

	TobinMueller said 27 days ago
	"You can dance to it" I always wanted someone to say that about one of my songs! Makes me feel like I'm on bandstand. Thanks for making me smile... and for listening.

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