Jeremy Larson

New Fort Christmas Song! (Free Download)

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season.  I thought I'd give you all an early Christmas present.  Here's a new Fort Christmas song.  Actually, I wrote it shortly after Elsie and I's wedding, so it's not that new anymore.  I wrote it so I would always remember everything about our wedding day.  I think it captures a lot of the feelings and thoughts that I had at the time.  I really love listening to it; it brings that day to the front of my mind and makes me feel really nostalgic.  Click the "down arrow" on the player to download it.  And if you enjoy this song, PLEASE feel free to embed it on your blog or Facebook page!  I'd greatly appreciate it.

Confetti by Jeremy Larson

 

If you'd like to hear/buy more Fort Christmas songs, you can do so here:

http://fortchristmas.bandcamp.com/

Thanks for reading!

Jeremy

Day In Photos

New Music (Audio Clip)

Short clip of a song I've been working on:

Clip 1

I know, that's a very short clip.  The song is basically done, and I'm having a very tough time trying to start the next one.  I'm starting to wonder if I really have enough songs in me for an EP...

It looks like I just have a few short sessions left with Brooke, and the live DVD will be done!  I'll post a trailer soon.  Not sure about a release date, but it will be in the next month or two.  Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

Improvement

I must thank you for all of the kind words about the previous post.  However, I should clarify that I'm working on a "song" for placement in a movie, not an entire "score".  Someday...

I continued working on my "Epilogue" EP tonight.  It's turning out to be some of my favorite music I've ever written.  I'm feeling closure about moving on from the last album, and that's what I was hoping for.  I'm starting to get over the feeling that I'm unable to conjure up the energy and inspiration to make another album of the scale of the last one.  It's becoming easier to see how I can improve on it.  

One of the main ways in which this new material is different, is that I'm able to record string parts in the style of a small ensemble.  With the last album, I was still trying to learn the instruments, and my technique was a little rough.  Parts needed to be stacked to sound bigger.  Since then, I've improved quite a bit, and a simple 4-6 piece ensemble is feeling more than adequate.  I'm able to move quickly, rather than spending hours on hours doing overdubs of the same part.  I almost bounced down a rough mix of what I was working on to share here, but changed my mind.  That will have to wait.  I'm feeling encouraged.

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

CR

(The title of this post is a hint to myself later so I can remember what I was working on tonight)

Most of my day was wasted.  I sat and tried working on some parts for a song, and I hated all of my ideas.  Around 5 this evening, I switched gears and started working on an old demo that Stacy sent me back in March.  I just want to say for the record, that the music I created tonight was probably the most beautiful thing I've ever written.  I felt in love with music again.  I chased this idea all evening, and left my studio about 15 minutes ago.  It felt like a first date- I didn't want it to end.  It would have been easy to work all night on this, but I'd rather save some of this inspiration for tomorrow.  

One more thing.  As I was driving home, I had the thought, "Wow, no one's music moves me the way that the music I wrote tonight does."  Then, I thought, "Don't even say that internally.  It's incredibly arrogant".  But I fought back.  I said to myself, "If I can't write music that moves me, then why should anyone else's music?".  These are my damn feelings coming out through the strings.  My music should move me more than anything else.  And I'm not ashamed to say that it usually does.  (I haven't forgotten that this is actually Stacy's song by the way...)  My hope for anyone reading this, is that you are able to say the same with the artistic ventures in your life.  Sleep well.

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy 

Fort Christmas Song #1

In case you are new to this blog, or my music, I started a fun side project last year called Fort Christmas.  It actually has nothing to do with Christmas, but was named after a tradition that Elsie and I started a few years ago.  If you look to your left and scroll down, there are a few Fort Christmas songs on one of the players.  You can hear more songs at http://fortchristmas.bandcamp.com/ .  

I realized yesterday that I haven't actually written a song in nearly a year.  "The Leave Behind" was the last song I wrote.  It was one of my goals for this year to finish a full length Fort Christmas album.  Starting a new album always feels like starting your freshman year of high school.  You're trying to decide who you want to be.  I remember trying out several different personalities going into my freshman year.  "Am I cool?" "Am I unique?" "Do I have anything unique to say?".  Same thing here.  I've had lots of false starts with this new album; mainly because I was having a hard time creating the "image" of what I wanted this to be.  Every lyric that I wrote was combated with imaginary criticism from music elitists nerds.  But yesterday came the breakthrough.  I realised that my ego was acting as the biggest music elitist nerd.  A bully.  And I needed to get over myself.

I reminded myself why I was doing this in the first place.  I wanted to write songs that document the first years of Elsie and I's relationship.  And I wanted it to be fun.  On the EP, I wrote about our first date, a road trip, starting a new business, dancing at a wedding, and getting engaged.  It only seemed fitting that the first song for the full length album would be about our wedding day.  I should be able to finish it up today.  Nine more to go.  Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

(Photo by Chris Bown)

New Song

New Song!  Drumming by Darren King.

6 Bedside Manner

The album release is a week away, the album release show is five days away!  If you haven't confirmed you are coming, do so here.  We are filming for a live DVD, Stacy Dupree is performing, there's a 20 piece orchestra, what else do you want?!  Busy week ahead of me, but I am going to keep things updated here.  I may even be adding some new songs every few days... Thanks for reading!

Jeremy

Music Clip

The album release show is a week from tomorrw. Wait, what?  I guess that's true.  If you haven't confirmed that you are attending, please do so here.  I'm pretty sure our head count is not very accurate though.  I looked at the the "attending" list for the Arcade Fire Show in St. Louis, and it said there were 23 people total attending...  Is everyone just a little burned out on Facebook invites?  I guess I've never even checked mine, so what do I know.  Here is a little clip of one of the songs I am most looking forward to performing. Enjoy:

Remission

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

The Album Title

It's hard for me to say that my album was ever "finished".  It would be more accurate for me to say that I mixed and remixed and unmixed my remixes for eight months and decided I needed to stop.  Deadlines are good for me.  It is the reason that I'm able to announce the album title today.  I was still completely undecided on the title last night (though I had about 3 titles I liked) and my friend who's doing the design work for the cover basically said, "there isn't much more I can do with the cover until you give me a name".  So before any posters, press, reviews, or promotional material could be made, I needed to give this baby a name.  As always, I am the one with my foot on the gas and the brake at the same time.  So, as of today, I am happy to announce that the title of the new album is:

"They Reappear"

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

Night Terrors