Lets Celebrate 2023
It's hard to believe that Basement Sketches is going into its fourth year. Each year has gotten better and better as our community has grown, and we've covered more and more ground musically. We emailed our music makers with these two questions:
1. Let us know which of your own submissions from this year ended up being your favorite and why.
2. Callout a track that someone else submitted this year that you liked a lot and why.
Here are our responses.
Colby Heston
Here are my submissions for the Basement Sketches 2023 Year in Review:
1) The submission of mine from this year that was my favorite was Little Wing from Project 27. I chose this submission because I had put a lot of time into this project and was very satisfied with how it turned out. Learning this song was no easy task. I even had to go to an acupuncturist to have some work done on the thumb area of my left hand so that I had the strength to bring it over the top of the neck to play the bass notes. I also experimented and was very pleased with some new vocal plugins.
I was more "proud" of my submission for project 23 since it was an original piece but I felt that the sound quality wasn't exactly how I had intended it to sound.
2) The submission that I would like to "callout" is Get Out in the Spring by Eric "Czahr" Scott. I always appreciate the original submissions a bit more and Eric's tale of a botched crime where the protagonist ends up in jail over the winter but is optimistic of his future once spring comes and he is released was very creative. The music goes well with the tale and I enjoy his minimalistic recording techniques.
Mike Bettison
1. Let us know which of your own submissions from this year ended up being your favorite and why.
I think my favorite overall piece to work on was the original "Cowhorse Offertory". Mostly because I really had to stretch my knowledge of my relatively new studio setup and got to think expansively about the song structure. I also loved working with the Fiverr platform and talent and enjoyed the writing and recording process. The vocals were tough to get thru because the lyrics were so stupid. :-) Thanks ChatAI!! That's why I had to leave one of many 'break ups' that happened while tracking vocals in the final mix. :-)
2. Callout a track that someone else submitted this year that you liked a lot and why.
I think the one I listened to the most (besides my own :-) ) was Andrew Charon's Celebration of the Lizard. The way Andrew processed his voice was super cool and interesting and sounded nothing like him IRL. "Wake up!!!" :-) Also, the length of the work and variety of the changes was incredibly impressive!! Opus Grande!
Neil Fasen
My favorite submission of the Year: I was most satisfied with my cover of Ambulance by TV on the Radio. I found a range that was comfortable for me to sing within and found ways to add layers to keep things evolving over an otherwise simple and repetitive song.
A favorite submission from someone else in 2023: There were so many amazing songs this year that it's hard to pick one. Rebecca's cover of Sinêad O'Connor's "Just Like You Said It Would Be" was a standout to me. I love how she maintained the intensity of the original by creating more drawn out sonic tension. Unlike the original that leverages extreme dynamic shifts, Rebecca doesn't give us the predictable crescendo. Instead she creates an eerie environment that feels like we've entered a cold and vacant place left dormant by the actions of the character to whom the song is directed. Rebeccas made a few great contributions to Basement Sketches, and I hope she contributes something again.
Eric “Czahr” Scott
1. Favorite track of my own:
Get Out in the Spring
My creative process is rooted in inspiration, lyrics and melody. I haven’t written lyrics in several years that I am especially proud of, but this one just streamed out of the ether this past spring and I feel like it is some of the best writing I’ve done. It inspired me to write more songs, which I am also proud of and may share some day.
2. Favorite track by someone else:
I Hate Spring (feat. Old Man Winter) by Bill Fricke
It was hard to pick one standout song amongst so many greats, but this one stood out a little more because of how unique, unexpected and theatrical it is. Its funny and its bonkers in the best possible way and it makes me laugh. I can also appreciate the artistry that went into it. Things like this are what make Basement Sketches such a fun and rewarding collective and I am proud to be part of it.
Kelly Duclos
1. Of the submissions I made this year, Darkness and Occultism from Project 26 was my favorite. The theme and constraint projects tap into an area of creativity and experimentation that is fun to explore. This particular one brought all kinds of ideas and I liked the results.
2. Relative Ease by Tom Stromsodt from Project 23 was my favorite submission of ‘23 by another contributor. I love that project idea to begin with but the sounds, harmonies, lyrics and vibe of Relative Ease really stand out to me as well crafted and enjoyable to listen to.
Grant Eull
What was your favorite of your own submission(s) and why?
Well trying to pick one is impossible! I guess if I need to choose one, I’ll go with my Project 22 submission of Heroin by The Velvet Underground as part of the group album challenge. It’s a top submission for me in how satisfied I was with the outcome. When I was selected to do that song I was super honored as it was always a favorite of mine. The raw nature and intensity of the build to a wall of noise is very enjoyable. My goal in most of these projects is to reproduce a tone quality that mimics the originals and I was pretty happy with how this one turned out. The capture of howling amplifier feedback was super fun to do, and I love when I am able to capture real instruments and use them in my mixes. Know that I have really enjoyed all the projects this year and I am glad that we are also challenging ourselves with some originals. This latest “collaboration” for Project 29 is turning out to be very rewarding and I am excited to submit the song in a few days. Looking forward to what’s ahead in 2024 for Basement Sketches and wish all of our co-contributors a very Happy New Year.
What track from someone else was a favorite and why?
Well again it is very difficult to select one, however there was an incredible charm to Kelly Duclos cover of Run Run Run of Project 22. I felt like it honored Andy Warhol’s Factory and the spirit of the time. I got a feeling of standing in a dark loft warehouse space with a liquid light show being projected onto a live Velvet Underground performance. The wall of sound he created at the 4 minute mark really sells it and I really enjoyed how “accurate” it felt.
Bill Fricke
My favorite song of mine from 2023
The Other Side from the ¾ time, Darkness & Occult challenge.
This one took the longest to come into being, but once it did, it turned out really well.
Nothing like deadlines to kick things into gear.
Favorite song from another:
Kooks by Tom Stromsodt
From the Hunky Dory project
This was so awesome I can hardly describe it. I loved the guitar so much, and the singing was sue pure. It almost made me tear up a few times. Great work!
Favorite Project of the Year
I know this isn't a category but in re-listening to the various projects, I thought the Velvet Underground and Nico challenge was the best one we did. It was so cohesive as a cover project. Everyone's contribution was so much in the spirit of the original album
Yet, each one made their song their own. Kudos to everyone on that one!
Andrew Charon
What was your favorite of your own submission(s) and why?
My most memorable submission for 2023 was Celebration of the Lizard by the Doors. For most of the tracks that I did this past year I ended up working with other vocalists however I decided to challenge myself with handling the vocals. I’ve always wanted to do a cover of this song, especially “The LIttle Game”. So, this is where I netted out, and though the final song was kind of weird, I challenged myself technically and creatively and put a timeframe around turning the many chapters of this song around in a short period of time.
What track from someone else was a favorite and why?
There were so many great songs this past year, however I'd say the first one that came to mind is “Just like U said it would B”, the Sinêad O’Connor cover by Rebecca Fritz. It was haunting as Sinead passed away shortly after Rebecca covered the song. I loved everything about this sketch.
In addition, I loved the Hunky Dory challenge as a whole. I listened to that album nonstop during the month of the challenge.